On March 10, the Constitutional Court of South Korea, by a unanimous vote of 8-0, made President Park Geun-hye the first impeached president in Korean history. Citizens took to the streets of Seoul. Few mourned the fall or saw the process as a witch hunt that jeopardizes national security. Most danced, believing it was the maturation of Korean democracy, which has seen its share of coups and totalitarian oppression of protests. The president was ousted without bloodshed shed and by the rule of law. Democracy was affirmed. Some in America caught this fever and eyed President Trump as an “autocrat” and sent out tweets like: “Your move, America” and “Next to go is Trump.” Trump’s impeachment for them would not only be democracy saved, but the ultimate comeuppance, to say back to the television star who made famous the income and life deflating words, “You’re fired.”
However, such flippant and frequent threat of impeachment bleeds it of its potency. One shouldn’t raise it until one is ready to use it. When I threaten to ground my son and I can’t enforce it, he catches on quickly and says yes to my order then behaves the opposite.
Impeachment is important enough to be used sparingly.
When the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention finalized the impeachment procedures in Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, they inserted the president, so there would be no ambiguity. The rule of law is valid only if no one is exempt.
American government is not a true democracy. Not…