The Saga Continues

Somehow it seems appropriate that the resolution on a formal impeachment inquiry passed on Halloween. Everyone involved will have to wait and see whether it is a trick or a treat.

If this were a poker game, you could say that the Democrats are all in. They have declared that this session of the House is all about one thing: impeaching President Trump. That means it will be the primary issue when they run for reelection next year. They have chosen to ignore issues such as jobs and healthcare.

I think this is a huge political mistake. It will energize the Left but will have far less appeal from moderates and independents. This isn’t like the Nixon and Clinton impeachments where widespread lawbreaking and a juicy sex scandal grabbed public interest. A phone call with the Ukrainian president and a rehash of Russian collusion are not all that exciting.

What remains to be seen is how Trump and the Republicans respond. They will continue to hammer Democrats. The big question is whether they will follow them and make impeachment the only issue. Assuming that the economy doesn’t falter, it should be their primary focus. Reaching out to ordinary Americans was very effective in 2016  and would likely work again.
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We have never had an impeachment effort in an election year. The next twelve months will be very interesting.