Misdemeanors

 We've all hear the phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors."  The almost inevitable focus of discussion about it is on the high crimes part, with little attention paid by what the founders meant when they added the word misdemeanors.

Our common understanding of this term is that it refers to a category of legally defined minor crimes, as compared to more serious crimes, which are called felonies.  It is important for us to understand that this use of the term did not come into common practice until well into the nineteenth century.  Before that, the word "misdemeanor" meant much more what it literally sounds like: misconduct or misbehavior.  

When we understand this, we can see that the founding fathers meant to indicate that a President could be removed for far more than the commission of a specific criminal act.  In fact he could be impeached and convicted for any action that was unacceptably degraded in a President of the United States.

Donald Trump's behavior since the day he took office has been nothing but an interminable string of conduct which has brought disgrace on the Presidency and our country, any one of which should have been enough for decent people to cast him out from civilized society; unfortunately, the Republican party has no decent people in it, so we were stuck with his abominable behavior for four years.

Let us now, at long last, recognize the damage this man has done to the country.  Let Congress cast the ultimate judgment on his constant misbehavior as President, and certify him as the worst President in the history of our country by both impeaching and convicting him for his endless misdemeanors.  Otherwise, we are just inviting endless repetitions of this malicious nonsense, until one day it works.

Addendum:

From the Online Etymological Dictionary:

"also misdemeanour, late 15c., "ill-behavior, evil conduct, fault," but almost always used in the legal sense of "an indictable offense of less grave nature than a felony;" from mis- (1) "wrong" + Middle English demenure "conduct, management" (see demeanor). Related: Misdemeanors; misdemeanours. Misdemean "behave ill, conduct (oneself) improperly" is from French (and from mis- (2)), but it is attested only from 1560s and is too late to be the source of this word."