Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 23, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Last night, Nancy Pelosi decided to adopt one of the dumbest strategies anyone has ever thought of in regards to how to handle impeachment. Namely, she’s threatening to not send the articles of impeachment, which passed last night in the House, to the Senate. This would mean Democrats are essentially obstructing their own impeachment push.

For some reason, the far-left has convinced themselves that this will somehow bestow upon them great leverage by which to pummel Mitch McConnell with.

https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1207697845198954496

The initial question was whether the Democrat gambit would even be possible. It appears it is, as current Senate rules prohibit the trial from starting without impeachment managers being appointed. To make a change would require a two-thirds vote and that’s not going to happen, nor are Republicans going to use the nuclear option on the matter.

https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1207746364299513856

This means Pelosi can attempt to withhold the articles of impeachment, stopping the Senate from proceeding with the trial, at least temporarily.

Mitch McConnell’s response? Make my day.

https://t.co/P6RrmH4wgu pic.twitter.com/W2dK5vN4qc

— Stacey – Collectively Guilty of Nothing (@ScotsFyre) December 19, 2019

Democrats are basically saying “Hey, let’s give Republicans exactly what they want and then pretend it gives us leverage to make demands.”

No Republican in the Senate wants this circus, although it’d probably work out in their favor if handled right. By not allowing a trial, Pelosi is just giving more fodder to Trump and his allies to further proclaim that her impeachment process is a sham. With support for impeachment dropping by the day, the Democrats come across as just playing games, which is exactly what they are doing.

Pelosi thought she could shame McConnell into doing her bidding. Instead, his response is to tell her to go ahead and do her worst. McConnell is Obi-Wan Kanobi in this calculus. Strike him down and he just becomes more powerful. Pelosi has left her party with no out and now she’s got to live with the consequences. If she sends impeachment to the Senate, Trump is acquitted and gets to brag about it. If she doesn’t, voters will conclude impeachment was nothing but a political sham that was never serious in the first place.

No matter how Democrats play this, a losing hand awaits them. McConnell calling her bluff just adds insult to injury.