The thing about the possibility of a Republican House impeaching President Obama is this: The more you think about it, the more likely it seems. Not because it's definitely going to happen but because thinking about it allows one to come up with all kinds of horrific scenarios. Here's Kevin Drum's:
Since we're going for style points here, I'm putting my money on a scenario in which South Carolina decides to nullify the healthcare reform law and prohibit its enforcement. Obama nevertheless directs the IRS office in Charleston to dispatch tax delinquency notices to uninsured residents. Governor Nikki Haley instructs the state police to barricade the IRS in order to prevent it from delivering outgoing mail, at which point Obama sends in Army troops to reopen the office. This is taken as a tyrannical abuse of federal power, and Rep. Joe Wilson files immediate impeachment charges.
Kevin is (sort of) kidding, but this does highlight something you may not have considered before. After November, there won't only be a bunch of crazy Tea Partiers in Congress. There will also be some new crazy Tea Party governors, and a whole lot of crazy Tea Party state legislators. And they'll probably be working together to come up with creative ways to make mischief and handcuff the Obama administration.
It's going to be a long two years.
-- Paul Waldman
