Under the two-party system in the United States, voting against one’s own party can have severe consequences for one’s political future. Republican members of Congress united behind President Donald Trump in the first impeachment proceedings against him, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and he was acquitted by the Republican-majority Senate. A few years later, 10 Republican representatives voted with all Democrats and Independents for a second impeachment on charges of inciting an insurrection; at the trial, seven Republican senators voted for conviction. (Trump was again acquitted.) Those renegade Republicans were following in the footsteps of Senator Margaret Chase Smith, a Maine Republican, who went against the majority of her party to speak out against McCarthyism in the 1950s.
“No” on Impeachment Unites Today’s GOP. In the 1950s, a Renegade Dared to Break Ranks
Breaking with party unity can be costly. In the 1950’s, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine faced backlash after she condemned Joseph McCarthy, a fellow Republican.
As the impeachment inquiry moves through Congress, nearly every Republican continues to stand by President Trump. Breaking with party unity can carry a political cost. In the 1950’s, Senator Margaret Chase Smith, a Maine Republican, alienated Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and others in their party when she condemned his fiery efforts to suppress Communism.
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- Lesson plan 1: ‘No’ on Impeachment Unites Today's GOP. In the 1950s, a Renegade Dared to Break Ranks: Mini Lesson
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- Producer: Karen M. Sughrue
- Editor: Heru Muharrar
- Archival Researcher: Emily Gottsman
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Lesson Plan 1: ‘No’ on Impeachment Unites Today's GOP. In the 1950s, a Renegade Dared to Break Ranks: Mini Lesson