Amanpour and Company

IS THERE ANY WAY THIS ACTUALLY EMERGES AS A PROCESS THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CAN BUY INTO? >> WELL, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AREN'T ONE THING, THAT'S THE FIRST POINT ABOUT POLARIZATION. I WILL SAY FIRST, I WAS FRUSTRATED BY THE INTERVIEW WITH MR. RUDDY BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT THAT WASN'T WITHIN IT. FIRST OF ALL, THE HOUSE RESOLUTION THAT SET OUT IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE, THE PRESIDENT COULD PARTICIPATE IN THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, THEY COULD CROSS EXAMINE, THEY COULD DO QUITE A BIT. THEY DECIDED NOT TO PARTICIPATE OR SIMILARLY, I THINK, IT GETS TO POLARIZATION DIRECTLY. THE NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT WHO SWITCHED PARTIES BUT THE LIBERTARIAN REPUBLICAN, HE LEFT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AFTER AGREEING THAT IMPEACHMENT WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO LOSE A PRIMARY CHALLENGE IF HE STUCK IN IT. ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HAVE NOW IS THE PARTIES ARE SUFFICIENTLY UNITED IN THEIR INTERNAL CONSTRUCTION. IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO AGAINST THE PARTY ON A MAJOR ISSUE, YOU PROBABLY WILL NOT SURVIVE. THAT ISN'T HOW IT USED TO BE. IT MEANS WHAT YOU DO IS DON'T HAVE TWO PARTIES, YOU HAVE ALL DISAGREEMENTS SORTED ACROSS THEM. SO IF SOMEBODY IS GOING TO DEGREE, YOU'RE OFTEN BETTER OFF CHANGING PARTIES AND TRYING TO HOLD THAT DISAGREEMENT WITHIN YOUR PARTY. THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS FOR THAT BUT IT MAKES IT SO IT IS VERY, VERY HARD TO GET ANYTHING BIPARTISAN ON ANYTHING. NOT JUST IMPEACHMENT BUT THINK ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OR THE TRUMP TAX CUTS OR REALLY ANYTHING. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE PEOPLE CROSSING OVER BECAUSE IT'S VERY DANGEROUS TO DO SO. AND BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY AUTHENTICALLY SORTED SO MUCH DISAGREEMENT THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO CROSS OVER. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE A DEMOCRAT OR A REPUBLICAN. >> LET ME ASK YOU TO FOLLOW UP. JUST TO REMIND EVERYBODY, REPUBLICANS OPPOSE IMPEACHMENT. 95-5. THIS IS ACCORDING TO THE LATEST QUINNIPIAC POLL. DEMOCRATS SUPPORT IMPEACHMENT 86-11. YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH WAY IT'S GOING TO GO, WHAT -- I MEAN, WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCE AFTER THE SENATE PROCESS? >> I DON'T THINK WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. SO I THINK IT IS PRETTY CLEAR, THE SENATE IS NOT GOING TO MUSTER A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY TO REMOVE DONALD TRUMP FROM OFFICE. IMPEACHMENT REQUIRES NOT JUST A MAJORITY BUT SUPER MAJORITY. THERE'S NO REAL CHANCE OF THE PRESIDENT'S CRITICS GETTING THAT. I DO THINK YOU'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT, AT LEAST IN ITS POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS. IF YOU SEE A COUPLE OF REPUBLICANS BREAK RANKS AND VOTE TO IMPEACH, 52-48 FOR IMPEACHMENT, THAT WOULD NOT LEAD TO REMOVAL, BUT IT WOULD BE I THINK SEEN AS ONE WAY RATHER THAN ANOTHER WAY BY THE COUNTRY. SOMETHING DISTINCT ABOUT THIS IMPEACHMENT PROCESS IS THAT IT'S HAPPENING IN THE FIRST TERM OF THE PRESIDENT'S TENURE. FOR BOTH BILL CLINTON AND NIXON, IT WAS COMING IN THE SECOND TERM. THEY WERE NOT GOING TO FACE THE VOTERS AGAIN. IMPEACHMENT, TO THE EXTENT PEOPLE FELT THERE NEEDED TO AN RECKONING FOR WHAT THEY HAD DONE, IMPEACHMENT WAS REALLY THE ONLY APPROACH TO IT. IN THIS CASE, THE SENATE IS NOT THE ONLY JUDGE PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL FACE NEXT YEAR. AT LEAST NOT THE ONLY JURY. MAYBE MORE TO THE POINT. HE'S ALSO GOING TO HAVE AN ELECTION.