Congress, the Constitution, and Impeachment

CATHEDRAL CITY — Democrats of the Desert (DOD), the Valley’s largest Democratic club, will focus on Congress, the Constitution, and the pros and cons of impeachment at its June meeting.

The free meeting is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 22, at Date Palm Country Club, 36200 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City.  The meeting is open to the public.

“People are worried.  The President is refusing to turn over documents and telling witnesses not to testify; the House may soon vote to hold the Attorney General in contempt of Congress; and, those who read the report realize that Robert Mueller and his team did NOT clear the president of obstruction of justice,” DOD President Dori Smith said in a prepared statement.  “For those reasons, many are wondering whether the U.S. is in a full-blown constitutional crisis, and what can be done about it.  And, many Americans – including California Senator Kamala Harris, a Democratic presidential candidate – are calling for the president’s impeachment now, while others are unsure.”

To shed light on those concerns, specifics of the  June 22 program are:

• A panel on “Congress and the Constitution,” by Julie Bornstein and Philip Drucker, attorneys who team-taught constitutional law at the California Desert Trial Academy in Indio.

• A debate on the pros and cons of impeachment by David Hamlin, a former ACLU executive director, and Anita Rufus, an attorney, activist and talk-radio host.

Following are a snapshot of the speakers’ bios:

Bornstein, currently executive director of the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, is a former California Assemblywoman and former State Director of Housing and Community Development. An attorney, she has served on numerous public boards and commissions dealing with affordable housing, and has taught constitutional law at the California Desert Trial Academy.

Drucker, a recently retired attorney, earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from UCLA. As an adult, he attended night classes and earned his juris doctorate (J.D.) degree in 1999 from the University of La Verne. In 2012, his growing interest in education led him to the classroom where he continues to teach constitutional law at the California Desert Trial Academy. In 2014, he ran for California State Senate, 28th District. Drucker also is an author, guest lecturer, topical speaker and writes the “Today’s Rant” political column for the LA Free Press.

Hamlin, a cum laude graduate of Nasson College in Maine, was an executive with the ACLU in two states, and then partner in a successful Los Angeles-based public-relations firm.  He also is an author of novels and a first-hand account of a controversial free-speech case:  The Nazi/Skokie Conflict (1980).

Anita Rufus, J.D., is a constitutional rights scholar, teacher, former Congressional candidate, and known locally as “The Lovable Liberal” on iHub talk radio.

DOD is a community-based political organization, which studies local and national issues and makes recommendations to members and/or other individuals in the community.  On the basis of knowledge, verifiable information, and consensus, the club seeks to influence decision-making and the electoral process by educating the electorate, and supporting qualified Democrats who wish to run for office.

For more information, send an email to democratsofthedesert@gmail.com.