A few weeks ago the Senate found Donald Trump not guilty of the charge of “incitement of insurrection” (Levine & Gambino 2021). This was the second Senate impeachment trial held in Donald Trump’s four years in office. He is the first and only president to ever be impeached twice. Many Americans know of the word impeachment and have a general understanding of what it is, but it is surprising how little people actually know about the process. I will give a brief overview of the process for those who are not that familiar with it.

Articles of Impeachment are filed by a Representative, and then the whole House of Representatives votes on whether to approve the impeachment articles or deny them (“Impeachment”). A simple majority (greater than 50%) is required to approve impeachment articles in order for there to be a Senate trial. Articles of Impeachment are the Congress’s form of filing charges. 

The next step is for there to be a Senate trial. The Senate hears evidence and arguments from a committee of representatives called “managers” and from defense attorneys for the President or government official who is being impeached (“Impeachment”). The managers play the role of prosecutors (“Impeachment”). After the trial is over, the Senators vote to find the defendant either guilty or not guilty. In order for a guilty verdict to be given, there needs to be a supermajority of Senators who vote to convict (two-thirds or 67 Senators). A guilty verdict would bar the convicted from ever running for public office again. 

Donald Trump was impeached twice and acquitted both times. There were differing opinions regarding the validity of the impeachment. Republican Senators attempted to halt the impeachment trial on the grounds that the trial was unconstitutional because Donald Trump had already left office (Fandos 2021). Only five Republican Senators voted with the 50 Democrat Senators to continue with the proceedings. It was clear that getting a conviction was going to be near impossible, but the Democrats continued with the proceedings. At the end of the trial, only seven Republican Senators voted to convict Donald Trump along with all the Democrat Senators, so they fell ten Senators short of a conviction. 

The seven Republican Senators who voted to convict Donald Trump have faced consequences from their constituents for their actions. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was censured by the LAGOP the same day as the vote (Alcindor et al. 2021). Two days later the NCGOP censured Senator Richard Burr (R-NC). Three of the other Senators who voted to convict could also be censured (Alcindor et al. 2021). In an interview Richard Burr said, “My party’s leadership has chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party,” (Alcindor et al. 2021). So far the Republicans who voted to convict have not expressed regret for their actions; they stand by their decision and believe it is necessary to hold Donald Trump accountable to prevent violence in the future. They may face further repercussions when they are up for re-election. 

It is clear that some of the Republicans who voted to acquit did so because of party lines, not because they actually believe Trump deserves it. Mitch McConnell showed this in his statement after the proceedings. He said that Donald Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection at the Capitol, but he did not vote to convict because Trump had already left office (Alcindor et al. 2021). He even said that Donald Trump could be charged in criminal courts for his role in the insurrection. McConnell’s actions can be viewed as hypocritical, and some believe it is evident that he voted to acquit to save face with the Republican Party and his constituents. It is possible that other Republican Senators did the same.

If the country were not so politically polarized and politicians could actually act in the best interest of the country without being afraid of backlash from their party and constituents, maybe Donald Trump would have been convicted. It is an interesting question of how much political polarization played a part in the filing of the Articles of Impeachment from the Democrats, and in the vote to acquit from the Republicans. Another question that is heavy on many Americans’ minds and will be in the upcoming years is how to solve the issue of political polarization. 

The article attached here from the Greater Good Science Center describes how political polarization is a social psychology issue. It describes how Americans tend to agree on moral issues, such as gun control (more than 75% of Americans think there should be stricter gun laws), but our country is still so polarized. This is because when bills have a party attached people automatically assume it is either good or bad before they even consider the policies being presented. If we only looked at the issues themselves without parties, there would be much more agreement on issues. It is hard to get things done because people are so stuck in these party lines. It is seen as good versus bad, not Republican versus Democrat. It should not even have to be Republican versus Democrat, they should work together to compromise. Is this what George Washington was talking about when he warned of the perils of a two-party system?

The article then talks about strategies from a social psychology standpoint to mitigate the political polarization. First is intergroup contact, or socializing, with members of the opposite party. This can be difficult to accomplish, though, because certain social situations can actually lead to more hate towards people who disagree with you. Second is perspective taking, which is when you learn about what it is like to be in another person’s shoes and have to deal with a variety of issues. The article discusses a study that was done with people viewing issues from a transgender person’s perspective, and how after this experience the participants were more sympathetic to transgender individuals. The third is superordinate or common goals. When people are working for a common goal it gives them a sense of camaraderie and compassion. This can be difficult to achieve in a political setting. Fourth is proportional voting, not majority wins. This would mean that instead of the Senate being 2 Senators for each state, it would be like the House of Representatives and have seats proportional to the populations and voters. One major concern with this approach for the United States is that big states would dominate over the red states and people in majority rural states with low populations won’t have a voice. The argument for proportional representation is that the small states have too much power and it is not fair that they have just as many seats as states with much larger populations. The fifth and final strategy to reduce political polarization is voting for policies, not parties. This one is pretty self-explanatory. 

I definitely think that something needs to be done about the political polarization in the United States. The events of January 6, the impeachment trial, and even the last 4+ years should be a wake up call for all Americans, regardless of what side of the political spectrum you are on. Something needs to be done because we cannot keep just getting at each other’s throats, it is a tug of war that will go on forever unless we remedy the situation. What do you guys think about the strategies from the article I included? Also, if you feel up to it, I would like to know your thoughts on our two-party system and if you think political polarization can be remedied within a two-party system.

Works Cited:

Alcindor, Yamiche, et al. “Republican Senators Who Voted to Convict Trump Face Political Peril at Home.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 22 Feb. 2021, www.pbs.org/newshour/show/republican-senators-who-voted-to-convict-trump-face-political-peril-at-home.

Fandos, Nicholas. “Republicans Rally Against Impeachment Trial, Signaling Likely Acquittal for Trump.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Jan. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/us/politics/republicans-impeachment-trump.html.

“Impeachment.” U.S. Senate: Impeachment, 2 Feb. 2021, www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Senate_Impeachment_Role.htm.

Levine, Sam, and Gambino, Lauren. “Donald Trump Acquitted in Second Impeachment Trial.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 Feb. 2021, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/13/donald-trump-acquitted-impeachment-trial.