City councils do this, of course. My city council is just as liberal, and they passed a resolution last year refusing to do business with North Carolina because of the transgender bathroom law. I'm sure North Carolina is dreading the imminent collapse of its economy without the dollars flowing from Royal Oak.
But just because it's common doesn't make it any less absurd, and it's all the more absurd when your gigantic city is awash in problems of its own - and could really use some focus from its leaders on solving those problems. Instead, Los Angeles taxpayers are paying their elected officials to do this:
On a 10-0 vote, the council on Friday passed a resolution asking Congress to investigate whether Trump violated the Constitution’s foreign emoluments clause or committed any other high crimes and misdemeanors that could lead to impeachment.
The clause is designed to ensure that presidents aren’t influenced by gifts or aid from a foreign government.
The resolution was authored by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents the western San Fernando Valley.
“It’s putting the city of L.A. on record to investigate Trump,” said Blumenfield spokesman Jake Flynn. He acknowledged that the resolution has no legal weight.
Flynn said Trump’s relationship with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte should be investigated in light of a new 57-story Trump Tower in Manila that is set to open soon.
The Philippines president’s deadly tactics against suspected drug dealers have been widely criticized by human rights groups.
Blumenfield’s office worked on the resolution with West Valley Resistance, a group that supports investigating Trump for possible impeachable offenses.
Grandstanding in deep, deep blue California
The resolution doesn't even point to a high crime or misdemeanor for which there is any evidence whatsoever. It simply urges Congress to look for one, presumably until one is found or until Trump leave office of his own volition - whichever comes first. Grandstanding city councils aren't picky. They just want the result they're after, which is no more President Trump.
I suppose there is little political risk this kind of grandstanding in deep, deep blue California, which gave Hillary her entire national popular vote margin and then some. California voters are more than used to their elected officials prioritizing political piety over serious governance, so why should anyone care that they're putting in an official resolution what most of their constituents are thinking?
Los Angelinos can tell you the city is grappling with a wide variety of problems, including homelessness, traffic snarls, lawsuit payouts, unfunded pension obligations and constant development delays stemming from roadblocks in the city's permitting process. These problems existed before President Trump took office, and bum-rushing him from office tomorrow wouldn't solve a single one of them.
There is also much that's great about Los Angeles. I love going there and look forward to my next chance to do so. But as with most big cities, it has many more problems than it needs to because city leaders often focus on the wrong priorities. Demanding the ouster of the president might satisfy pissed-off political leftists, but it will neither get Trump out or fix the things that need to be fixed in the city.
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Do you remember the Republican-dominated city councils of any wealthy suburbs passing resolutions demanding the impeachment of Barack Obama?
Question: Do you remember the Republican-dominated city councils of any wealthy suburbs passing resolutions demanding the impeachment of Barack Obama? Or for that matter, of Bill Clinton, who actually was guilty of impeachable offenses? I'm not saying it never happened anywhere, because I don't know that for sure. But for the most part it is not a common play of Republicans to do stuff like this. We don't like losing any more than the next guy, but there's no sense throwing a protracted hissy fit when you do. If you personally are still in office, then you've got a job to do. Maybe you should focus on doing that the best you can rather than venting your anger about how someone else's election turned out.
