To the Editor:

Reason and emotion are the two fundamental bases for decision-making. We are facing some historic decisions in America today. None is more important at the moment than whether to impeach Donald Trump or not.

Conventional wisdom says Democrats should rely almost entirely on the truth revealed by the Mueller Report (reason). It has also been said that Democrats should remember the aftermath of the Nixon and Clinton impeachment processes. Most say that impeachment will fail because the Republicans in the Senate will not abandon Trump (emotion).

The fallacy in bringing up Nixon and Clinton is that they pale in comparison to the peril that Donald Trump has led America into. Neither Nixon nor Clinton entangled America in the tentacles of a foreign power. Donald Trump has. He has refused to heed the warnings given to him by the most advanced intelligence organizations in the world. He has refused to establish a bi-partisan commission to investigate Russian interference in our election process. At present he is insisting that his aides not testify before Congress. He has attempted to require appointees to sign non-disclosure agreements. He has touted the claims of two foreign powers (Russia and Saudi Arabia) over America’s intelligence sources. This list is sufficient to show how dangerous Donald Trump has been and is still. It is nowhere near a comprehensive list.

Democrats need to couple the reason they have used so far with a term that evokes images of the present peril (emotion). Allow me to suggest “Putin-Gate.” Then they need to exploit reason along with emotion to force action from Republicans who are hiding behind their blind loyalty to Trump and their party. Democrats need to quit worrying about losing the 2020 election. They need to force the issue of loyalty to party or allegiance to America now. They must act boldly because the country needs bold action as opposed to maintaining a president in office (Republican goal) and relying entirely on the reason embodied in the Mueller Report (Democrat strategy).

In sports terms this combination of reason and emotion can be likened to (1) having a team well-drilled in fundamentals, (2) formulating a solid game plan and (3) playing with emotion. The team that plays to keep from losing too often places itself at a distinct disadvantage by allowing the underdog to hang around late in the game. 

Act boldly, Democrats! Kris Kristofferson sang, “I’d rather be sorry for something I’ve done than for something that I didn’t do.” Leave Donald Trump with “impeached” by his name in history. You will only have one chance. Use reason and emotion rather than relying only on reason. It is fairly clear that Trump’s base decides mainly on emotion. Raw emotion will not endure the power of reason and emotion combined.

Dave Waldrop

Webster