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Impeachment is a political tool we often refer to as a last resort. When we feel as though the president has taken advantage of, manipulated or abused their power in office, impeachment is a statement — often from the opposing party — that the president is not above the law.

Impeachment is not something we should be proud of or strive for. It’s a failure not only of the president, but of the administration as a whole, the citizens and the electorates that put power in incapable hands. Citizens, and students specifically, are negatively affected by President Donald Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial.

On the Republican side, the impeachment is a crack in the administration that will be considered by voters in the 2020 election. For the Democrats, they face speculation that they are attacking any Republican that dares to enter public office. As Trump put it on Twitter, he believes that “This is an assault on America and an assault on the Republican party.”

My colleague Alexandra MacDonald argues that the impeachment provides students with a real life example of political turmoil that they can use to strengthen their opinions and educate themselves. 

While that is true and a fair point, I wouldn’t say an impeachment is “great news” at all, even for students of higher education. Sure, it’s a learning opportunity, but it will still negatively affect the 2020 election, an election I would argue is primarily about and for college-age students.

Major issues in this election, such as climate change, student debt and gun violence, affect students the most, and I bet most students would say they would rather not have an impeached president running to stay in charge.

As a student considering who to vote for in the 2020 election, weighing your options is going to be a delicate balancing act. On one hand, you have a potentially impeached president and an arguably corrupt administration that don’t have your best interests in mind. They have ignored the issues that students care about most.

On the other hand, you have a loud table of chaotic Democrats that all seem to think they have the golden policies to combat climate change, gun violence, the current healthcare system and America’s less than stellar interactions internationally.

While Trump’s upcoming Senate impeachment trial is well deserved, it does not mean the door to the Oval Office has been unlocked for Democrats. The negative impact of impeachment here is the precedent it sets for the next election.

MacDonald’s idea is merely attempting to look at the ‘bright side’ of impeachment but doesn’t really argue that the impeachment is beneficial or positive.”

Some angry supporters and Republicans may be working overtime to get what they believe is an unfairly treated president reelected. Other voters may think that if Trump is not meant to be in office, he will not be elected into it again, and impeachment is the Democrats’ way of trying to ensure a win in an election they may be nervous about.

The impeachment inquiry was legitimate, and it was kicked off based on a phone call with the president of Ukraine where Trump asked him to dig up information on 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden. He was not impeached for the abundance of other violations and accusations against him before he entered office.

However, impeachment is never positive. While MacDonald argues that it is a learning opportunity, every political event is. Watergate was also a historical and political learning opportunity, but that does not mean we would have chosen for it to happen in the first place or that it was positive experience.

MacDonald’s idea is merely attempting to look at the “bright side” of impeachment but doesn’t really argue that the impeachment is beneficial or positive.

Katrina Leibee can be reached at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @KatrinaLeibee.