Why impeachment is Joe Biden’s least problem Rhino kills zookeeper at Salzburg Zoo

An impeachment trial of a sitting American president is not a political show. It is an instrument that should only be used if there are valid reasons and, above all, facts. In the case of Bill Clinton, it was Monica Lewinsky’s dress and the fact that the president had committed perjury. The first impeachment of Donald Trump involved the legendary phone call to Volodymyr Zelensky, and the second concerned Trump’s role in the storming of the Capitol.

There are no compelling facts to support an impeachment against Joe Biden. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, has nevertheless announced an impeachment inquiry, an approach that will almost inevitably lead to impeachment proceedings. So it’s a so-called “fishing expedition,” which means that Republicans will level all possible and impossible accusations against Biden in the hope that something will stick.

In the case of Hillary Clinton and Benghazi, this tactic worked. Although it could not be proven that the former secretary of state committed any wrongdoing in the terrorist attack on the US embassy in the Libyan city, the issue of the deleted emails came to light, likely costing Clinton the election.

The question is whether this trick will also work for Biden. What McCarthy has to offer in terms of facts is pathetic. The only thing he can show in concrete terms is a statement by Biden in the TV match with Donald Trump. Biden said at the time that his son Hunter had never done business with China. That was wrong.

Hunter Biden is actually a problem bear. His companies in Ukraine and China have, as the Swabian says, a “flavor”. No one denies that, not even Hunter Biden. In an autobiography he poured buckets of ash over his head. But so far there is no evidence that Father Biden knew about these deals or even benefited from them.

All Republican attempts to substantiate this have been embarrassing flops. An alleged key witness went into hiding because he himself is now accused of unfair business dealings with China. A senior FBI official also just denied accusations that the Justice Department was obstructing the investigation into Hunter Biden.

Concern for the well-being of Americans is not the reason for the impeachment proceedings that have now been announced. It only serves to satisfy Trump’s sense of revenge and accuse his supporters of “red meat,” or political fast food. It is the “crazy people” like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz who want to push through the impeachment process at all costs. Given the small majority that Republicans have in the House of Representatives, they can also gain the upper hand. You have Speaker McCarthy on your hands.

Even the level-headed Republicans – there are still a few, but they are a dying breed – know that this impeachment process is not only senseless, but could prove to be a boomerang. One of the warnings is Newt Gingrich, a man who does not shy away from any shameful act.

Democrats, on the other hand, are thrilled. They know that the impeachment proceedings will become a platform for the “crazies” and that their spectacle will be poorly received by independent voters. John Fetterman, the popular senator from Pennsylvania, describes the Republicans’ approach as “a big circle shock on the right flank.” (My boss and common decency forbid me to translate this literally.)

Seen in this light, the impeachment trial is probably the smallest issue Joe Biden is currently grappling with. Despite his impressive track record and the fact that the US economy survived the Covid crisis without a recession, his popularity ratings are in the basement. Recent polls show that less than 40 percent of Americans are satisfied with his government. What’s especially frightening is the fact that Trump is roughly linked to the president.

Surveys certainly have very limited informative value at the moment. But for all the Biden administration’s successes, the most important fact cannot be swept under the rug: the man is old, and it shows. Moreover, he had no luck with the election of Kamala Harris as vice president. If he doesn’t want to alienate his African-American electorate, he can’t replace them.

Democrats have remained calm so far. Party strategists explain that incumbent presidents traditionally have poor ratings at this point, citing the example of Barack Obama, whose ratings were even worse 18 months before his re-election. Yet these explanations increasingly sound like whistles in the woods.

Biden justified his candidacy for president at the time by saying that he wanted to prevent Donald Trump from being re-elected at all costs. He has achieved this goal and, furthermore, he has an impressive track record to show. But now David Ignatius warns in the Washington Post: “Biden is jeopardizing his greatest act by stopping Trump.”

That’s why Biden could put the crown on his already glorious presidency: he could make way for a younger candidate – or rather a younger candidate.