The Impeachment Process: Partisanship, Polarization, Partisan Press, and the Integrity of the Presidency

Abstract

The impeachment process in the United States has only been used five times against presidents in its history, with only four resulting in proper impeachments and none resulting in convictions. Since its inception in the Constitution, Framers like Alexander Hamilton expected the process to be marred by partisanship and polarization. For the most part, the process has been used as a partisan instrument, unless members of Congress have chosen to break the hold partisanship has on the process. Concern for the integrity of the office of the presidency and democracy can break the partisan hold, overcoming polarization and partisanship. The press in the U.S. has been affected by partisanship throughout its time, with some newspapers self-identifying with a political party. As the press evolved, partisanship stayed fairly the same but self-identification halted. The biased press could affect the bias of Congressional members and therefore the impeachment process.