Impeachment Process

The entire nation seemed to breathe a sigh of relief on Friday, Feb. 12 when the United States Senate voted to acquit President Clinton on two articles of impeachment. After more than a year of investigation, scandal and controversy, the House Republicans failed to convince even a simple majority in the Senate, never mind the required two-thirds, to remove the President from office.

The impeachment trial was a byproduct of the ongoing, long-running investigation conducted by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr which began with allegations of illegal conduct by President Clinton in an Arkansas real estate deal before his election. (No charges were brought against Clinton.) Like a billiard ball, the Starr investigation caromed off Whitewater into Travelgate (no evidence), Filegate (no evidence) and finally into the Paula Jones case, which also involved alleged misconduct by the President prior to his election.

Linda Tripp, at the urging of self-confessed Clinton-hater Lucianne Goldberg, illegally taped conversations with Monica Lewinsky about her affair with the President. Goldberg connected Tripp with an attorney for Jones; Tripp gave her tapes to Starr. Clinton blundered into the trap. Starr and the House Republicans — the Contract on America crowd that wants to legalize company unions and outlaw the 8-hour day — moved in for the kill.

While President Clinton’s personal conduct has few defenders, for many UE members the scandal behind the impeachment trial was a non-issue. UE members, for the most part, were more concerned with job security in the face of "free" trade and outsourcing, providing medical insurance for their families and being sure of secure retirement income. Those battles continue ...