Impeachment was all the rage from the left when Donald Trump was first elected to the Oval Office, but apparently there’s no more gas left in that rig as a new poll now shows.
According to a recent Marist poll, around 30 percent of Democrats aren’t too interested in impeaching President Donald Trump and find it to be a demotivating factor for the upcoming midterm elections:
Notably, three in ten Democrats say they would either definitely vote againsta candidate who favors impeachment (18%) or are unsure (12%). 70% of Democrats would definitely vote for such a candidate. Among Republicans, 84% would not back a candidate seeking to impeach President Trump. A plurality of independents (47%) say the same.
“If the question of impeachment dominates the news this fall, like so many other voter concerns, it breaks along partisan lines,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “But, because nearly one-third of Democrats are not eager to open up this debate, it is one potential campaign issue that advantages the GOP.”
And Republicans are definitely cashing in on the impeachment aspects of their campaigns. According to the New York Times, Republicans are making impeachment a drum they’re willing to play in order to gin up voters to appear. If the Marist poll is any indication, it might play well for them.
That said, we’re already seeing signs that impeachment isn’t playing well for Democrats who try it.
Sen. Ted Cruz’s opponent in Texas, Beto O’Rourke, made a promise to help get Trump impeached should he be elected by Texans to the Senate. Besides the fact that the Senate cannot vote to impeach a President, and can only try the impeachment already voted on by the House, O’Rourke struck a note that sounded very out of tune to Texas voters.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is also shying away from the impeachment talk, and attempting to take the Democrats with her, much to the dismay of billionaire Tom Steyer, who has threatened to help primary Democrats who won’t toe the party line when it comes to demanding Trump’s impeachment:
From Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:
…Nancy Pelosi, and other national party leaders have issued public statements saying that impeachment isn’t on the front burner, but they haven’t exactly shrugged it off until now. They need the activist base engaged in the effort to take back the House by generating turnout in battleground districts to push Republicans out of the majority. Until now, they’ve had no problem playing footsie with Steyer and the radicals. However, as the NYT’s Alexander Burns reports, Democratic leaders have discovered that Steyer is serious about that litmus test, too. He’s rallying progressive activists to his cause and threatening primary fights against Democratic incumbents who won’t demand impeachment, which will threaten Democrats’ ability to convince swing voters that they’re normal enough to trust.
Much like fighting the GOP tax breaks, tossing out Trump is just a losing issue. It remains to be seen, however, if the Democrats as a whole will be smart enough to drop it.
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