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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLaurence Tribe: Poorly timed talk of impeachment could backfire
"Even in the face of clearly impeachable offenses by a monstrous president, its vital to understand how ill-timed talk of impeachment can occasionally backfire. If we want to save our democracy and not just vent, we must think very carefully."
Link to tweet
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/08/us/politics/trump-impeachment-midterms.html
WASHINGTON As Republican leaders scramble to stave off a Democratic wave or at least mitigate their partys losses in November, a strategy is emerging on the right for how to energize conservatives and drive a wedge between the anti-Trump left and moderate voters: warn that Democrats will immediately move to impeach President Trump if they capture the House.
What began last year as blaring political hyperbole on the right the stuff of bold-lettered direct mail fund-raising pitches from little-known groups warning of a looming American coup is now steadily drifting into the main currents of the 2018 message for Republicans.
The appeals have become a surefire way for candidates to raise small contributions from grass-roots conservatives who are devoted to Mr. Trump, veteran Republican fund-raisers say. But party strategists also believe that floating the possibility of impeachment can also act as a sort of scared-straight motivational tool for turnout. Last week, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas used his re-election kickoff rally to introduce a video featuring a faux news anchor reading would-be headlines were conservatives not to vote in November.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer announced the impeachment trial of President Trump, one of the anchors says.
SNIP
Eliot Rosewater
(31,112 posts)Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)Liberal Propaganda Media Outlet or outlets. Tribe is right. Let the Rethugs or Mueller take this Guy out.
He would have to have Republicans turn on him for this to occur anyway, so let's let them stew in their inability to do their jobs, which entails oversight of the executive branch.
struggle4progress
(118,295 posts)Takket
(21,577 posts)"if mueller's probe returns charges of criminal activity against drumpf, we will impeach."
That's all they need to say about impeachment. There is no sense in demanding it right now since they don't have any charges to serve as a basis for impeachment.
kentuck
(111,103 posts)Then let the Republicans defend him. We should encourage them to do so.
ananda
(28,866 posts)It has been obvious from day one and even before the election
that 45 was unfit for the job and would be the most corrupt
president ever!
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,414 posts)for gross incompetence alone. However, I harbor no illusions that it is going to happen, even if Democrats take the House and Senate, so I don't think it's politically wise for Democrats to propose it and/or run on it unless it can somehow actually be achieved. The case that Mueller is putting together may or may not create the groundswell of support needed for a conviction to be secured in the Senate. At any rate, if Democrats win control of one or both chambers in Congress in 2018, they can at least start REAL investigations into things that demand accountability and put the pressure on him to resign and/or get the Republicans to turn on him (though they probably won't). "Worst case scenario" is that he spends the next two years limping along as basically a "lame duck" President and we beat him in 2020.
Girard442
(6,075 posts)But the hornets are swarming around us and stinging us right now. I don't think they're going to get any more provoked than they are already.
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)Let's not give them a reason to vote.
elmac
(4,642 posts)throwing the bum out doesn't matter, what matters is the amount of Dems voting, that is the key.
Progressive dog
(6,905 posts)but even if not one Democrat mentioned impeachment, Trump and his colluders would claim they did.
Democratic candidates should run against the Trump party, not for impeachment of the psychopath.
Gothmog
(145,318 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)gratuitous
(82,849 posts)The most reckless statements by Republicans are never ever poorly timed or ever backfire against them. Only one party has to act like adults, and when they do, they have to be extra careful or it will backfire because of poor timing.
Gothmog
(145,318 posts)Gothmog
(145,318 posts)Gothmog
(145,318 posts)pnwmom
(108,980 posts)didn't act to impeach Bush. And then when Obama became President, they were furious he didn't spend the first couple years prosecuting Bush people. They didn't seem to have any understanding that that would have prevented Obama from accomplishing anything (and he had a whole country he had to save from a depression).