Democrats are deliberately and significantly downplaying the likelihood they will impeach President Trump should they win back the House this fall.
Take this brief but revealing line in the Friday edition of Politico’s Playbook: “As the president said last night in Montana, Democrats are already talking about impeachment. And in our private conversations every single day in the Capitol, Democrats tell us two things: They know they can’t publicly say they’ll impeach Trump, but most acknowledge that the temptation will be completely overpowering if they take control of the House. The stakes couldn’t be higher for either party.” (Emphasis mine.)
That’s a huge story.
Yes, this is one line in a newsletter, but the implication is quite serious, and substantiated by other reports as well. While Democrats are out campaigning for your votes, especially in swing districts, many if not most of them are misrepresenting their positions on impeachment. (This guy comes to mind.)
That’s smart as a strategy. But the question of impeachment is remarkably significant, and voters in those districts deserve straight answers on it. Of course, that’s always asking way too much of politicians on either side of the aisle.
If only for the sake of their re-election bids (but it wouldn’t be bad to help voters make informed decisions, either), Republicans should be pressing their Democratic opponents to reveal their positions on impeachment. And if Democratic candidates are inclined to vote in favor of it, they should be honest and explain why. Should they win control of the House, it’s extremely difficult to imagine impeachment proceedings will not be initiated. That’s the reality, and voters deserve to know it.
[Trump: Democrats can’t impeach me because I’m doing a ‘great job’]
