Dear President Trump,

Do you think Speaker Pelosi consciously planned to hold the House vote on the impeachment inquiry today, on Halloween? Personally, I’m thinking it wasn’t an accident or merely a convenient day, whether it was a conscious choice or not. The History Channel website provides some context about the origins of Halloween that is instructive here:

“Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.

This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter.”

So Halloween rather has it all when it comes to today’s House vote on the impeachment inquiry. First, you and your props have essentially been hollering at the door of the House (and even barreling your way inside closed hearing doors) saying that you want them to pony up with a formal vote on the inquiry. Well, they’re about to give you what you asked for, but I don’t think it’s going to end up being a tasty treat. It’s not really a trick either – you all have known what’s coming for a long time so you can’t feign surprise or shock. Still, you’ll surely claim it’s a trick, that the Democrats aren’t playing straight with you.

Wait, I know what the real trick is here, or at least the attempted trick – it’s you and your props looking straight into the cameras, studiously not blinking, and trying to convince the American people that it’s perfectly normal, and certainly not an impeachable thing, to withhold military aid, a state visit, and trade privileges from a foreign ally until their president goes on record saying they are engaging in a corruption investigation targeting your political enemy. That’s the trick for the ages that you all are trying to pull off. It ain’t happening, but there you go.

Second, you’ve been claiming to be the victim of “Witch Hunts” for years now so what better day for the House to formally vote to come after your ass?

Third, referring back to paragraph #2 from the History Channel Halloween origins story, today is symbolic of the day when ghosts return to earth. It’s a little bit of a stretchy stretch, but I think this ties into the impeachment inquiry vote because while the House will be focused on your latest Ukraine extortion attempts, we all know that numerous transgressions paved the way for this day, ghosts that have haunted and beleaguered us for 1000+ days and that now, I hope, will haunt you. The Mueller report is chock full of them. Then there’s the seemingly endless list of emoluments violations that no mere mortal could track. Plus, your family’s done so much self-dealing that we’re going to be finding related skeletons in closets for years to come. So really, the House is hosting a ginormous Halloween bonfire today to flush out at least the most egregious ghosts and to give us half a chance at preventing new ones from forming.

And finally, that bit about the Celts believing there are heightened, handy abilities to foresee the future on Halloween fits in as well. The House will lay out the impeachment inquiry plan in the vote today, forecasting for us all what’s coming down the pike. Some of us will respond with a sense of relief and vindication, while sadly (and scarily), others of us will respond by sharpening our pitchforks in earnest.

May we all be safe in our volatile political world.
May we take a measure of comfort in having additional light shining on the impeachment road ahead.
May we keep a healthy distance from the hyperbole and added GOP bullshit that is to come.
May we not allow you to start a civil war.

Sincerely,
Tracy Simpson