Before we get into the nitty gritty of this column, let’s begin with the obvious.

President Donald Trump took several days to denounce the Nazis, racists and neo-Nazis who committed violent acts over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, which resulted in the death of one woman and injured dozens more.

Yes, the President of the United States could not outwardly condemn Nazis.

Oh, but it gets better. Monday came along and he sort of, kind of denounced them as the lowlife scumbags they are. And then Tuesday came along when Trump was scheduled to give some remarks on his plans for infrastructure.

A reporter asked a question in regards to his lack of urgency to denounce said Nazis and the blubbering pile of gelatinous goo that is our president decided it would be apt to put blame on the counter protesters too, along with somehow comparing Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

I was starting to doze off in my living room chair as a I read a novel because I’m 55 at heart, and I heard him say that on MSNBC, which made me snap awake so fast I about threw my back out.

What strange times we’re living in, folks. And while they’re strange, they are by no means surprising.

Anyone who’s known Trump or covered him for the past almost 40 years has known what a shitbag of a person he is. He’s always been a con man, always been a racist, always been able to somehow make himself look the victim — a tactic that is now playing mightily into the hands of white supremacists who are using that victim card to their advantage.

Be outraged that the president cannot openly condemn Nazis. Be pissed off. But do not be surprised. As someone who has railed on Trump for the past two years, I cannot find it in me to be surprised he said this; I can only wish others had seen it when I had.

All that is revisionist history now.

Anyways, the masses on social media began calling for Trump’s impeachment once more after the “both sides” comment. Many of my Democrat friends have been banking on his impeachment for quite some time and that his removal from office will bring an end to this whirlwind past 8 months.

I hate to burst your bubble but the impeachment talk is a fantasy and delusion of grandeur that far too many are holding onto.

In other words, friends; It likely won’t happen.

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution says “The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” You can read more about those details here and here.

Nowhere in there does it say you can impeach or remove someone from office for being a racist or a shitty person, which Trump undoubtedly is and always has been.

Obviously if anything else comes to light in the Russian investigation (doesn’t that seem like ages ago?), and it can be proven that he did in fact commit a crime, then by all means impeach the bastard.

But to call for his impeachment over this aligns you with the uninformed and puts your frustration and action into areas where it will not be as effective.

There’s still a way to beat Trump, who will likely beat himself if he continues to say things in this nature. I mean, the dude could not have had an easier question to answer to gain some recognition from both parties.

Just denounce them as Nazis and the racists they are, come on, come on … Some tiny, rational part of his brain may have been saying.

“There is blame on both sides.”

What a dope.

I urge you to call your Republican representatives and tell them to publicly put pressure on Trump for his comments and lack of urgency in response to the tragedy in Charlottesville. I urge you to ask others who still defend Trump how they can still defend him when he commits the indefensible? Don’t cave into anger when people try to bait you into saying the “alt-left,” whatever the hell that is, deserves blame for this too.

It’s a dark time in our nation, darker than I can ever recall. This weekend proved that these domestic issues and tensions may only get worse before they can get better; This is one of the few instances in my life where I truly hope I’m wrong.

But when you have a president who cannot openly denounce one of the pure, visible evils in this world because he knows they are a critical part of his base and a reason why he is in office, it all seems pretty futile.

That’s what people like Trump, former KKK Imperial Wizard David Duke and others like them are banking on: They are betting on you to break, that your resiliency will die and your outrage will go quietly into the night. And with enough of it, their thoughts and viewpoints can become the norm.

Until he commits a crime (which I believe he more than likely did in some fashion with Russia) and it is proven, cease the impeachment talk. Focus on what actually happened in Charlottesville this weekend and realize that this is what Trump promised to all along.   

I still believe there are enough smart, organized and thoughtful Americans to ensure that doesn’t happen, even if on the worst days it seems otherwise.

Matt Poe is a columnist. Contact him at [email protected].