Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Bad History Informing the Impeachment Debate
The Bad History Informing the Impeachment Debate
David Atkins
April 22, 2019
Cautious Democrats seeking to avoid impeaching Donald Trump are making a mangle of the past and misreading the present.
snip//
We now live in a very different era culturally and politically, faced with an entirely new category of presidential lawlessness. First and foremost, impeachment isnt merely a political consideration: As Greg Sargent notes, its a matter of moral imperative regardless of the political consequences. Given what was revealed in just the redacted Mueller report, the gaze of history will not look kindly upon a Democratic Party that so clearly shirks its moral and constitutional duties. Even if its true that Senate Republicans will refuse to convictand it isfuture generations are unlikely to forgive House Democrats for using such an excuse to avoid impeachment.
The caution might be forgivable if the political consequences were more certain. But there is no guarantee that pursuing impeachment would carry a negative political backlash, and many reasons to believe that failing to impeach might be more detrimental to Democratic electoral chances in 2020.
There have never been fewer persuadable voters in the electorate than in todays hyperpartisan political environment. Base turnout demands voter enthusiasm, and the base will be more enthusiastic about their partys politicians if they are seen as putting up a fight against their opponents. While polling on the issue has been scattershot, some evidence suggests a clear majority of Democrats want to impeach the president, plus a growing number of independents.
Perhaps more importantly, there is ample evidence that the few swing voters who remain in the electorate are more motivated by populist anger than cant we all just get along? anti-partisanship. Studies have shown that, while swing voters may decry partisan anger, they cant stop being angry themselves. It makes sense: Suburban Romney voters who crossed over for Clinton because they found Trump distasteful have only moved farther from him in the years since. Many ObamaTrump crossovers in the upper Midwest now regret their decision and voted accordingly in the 2018 midterms. Those voters didnt swing to Trump in the first place because they wanted to vote for someone nice. Insofar as it wasnt for deplorable reasons, they desired a strong and forceful leader to shake things up. Democrats who shrink from holding impeachment hearings out of political caution will not endear themselves to voters who long to change the status quo.
Trump, meanwhile, is unlikely to garner sympathy for what he calls a political witch hunt. Welcoming Russian help in his campaign, campaign-finance violations to cover up multiple trysts with adult film stars, payoffs to tabloids to spike stories, and open corruption and obstruction of justice are not relatable actions. Further legal and congressional investigations are very likely to expose even more criminal wrongdoing, in particular about the Trump Organizations business practices. An impeachment inquiry would likely damage Trump month after month with damning revelations. Plus, Trumps own caustic personality, combined with authoritarian impulses and promises to prosecute his own FBI investigators for treason, will immunize him from sympathy from anyone but his already devoted base. Indeed, while more polling may be necessary to confirm the finding, at least one poll shows that in the wake of the redacted Mueller report, Trumps approval has cratered to a record low 37 percent.
more...
https://prospect.org/article/bad-history-informing-impeachment-debate
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
5 replies, 613 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (14)
ReplyReply to this post
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The Bad History Informing the Impeachment Debate (Original Post)
babylonsister
Apr 2019
OP
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)1. +1 Rudy G: "It's OK for Trump to get help from Russia"
BigmanPigman
(51,430 posts)2. The fake prez will play the martyr card no matter what the Dems do.
We need to ignore his BS and move ahead with an impeachment probe, then televised hearings the take a vote. This is about checks and balances and the job of Congress to maintain it. The constitution and Founding Fathers were pretty clear. We likely will lose votes from Dems if we do not move on this. There are more reasons for moving forward with impeachment than not. We do not have a choice in my view. We must do this for our country and to set a precedent for our country's future.
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)3. tens of millions of Americans don't vote. this is where the smart ppl should be looking.
H2O Man
(73,321 posts)4. Recommended.
world wide wally
(21,719 posts)5. Thank you for posting this. It is exactly how I feel.