Newsflash: Rep. Adam Schiff is dithering over impeachment! On CNNs State of the Union Sunday, the House Intelligence Committee chairman claimed that grounds for impeaching President Trump are not contested but also said he wants to discuss this with my constituents and colleagues before I make a final judgment on this.
Jake Tapper, the shows host, asked how the leader of the House impeachment drive could possibly waiver. Schiff responded that he wanted to be sure that impeachment based on the evidence collected was what the founding fathers had in mind.
Uh-huh. More likely, Schiff is panicked that his unfair inquiry has been a complete flop for Democrats. The public is turning against the drive to boot President Trump from office, causing speculation that Democrats will shy away from an official vote to impeach.
Trump added to that speculation, telling the hosts of "Fox & Friends" on Friday that he didnt expect House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to authorize such a vote. Given the inability of Democrats on the inaptly named Intelligence Committee to produce a compelling case, some think Pelosi might instead consider a vote to censure the president.
Not happening. If Democrats walk away from impeachment now, Schiff and his enablers will not just have egg on their collective faces, they will have an entire omelet. After two years of trying but failing to prove that Trumps campaign had colluded with Russia, Democrats dove all-in on his purported misbehavior in Ukraine. To abandon their zealous prosecution (some would say persecution) of the president now would be devastating.
Politico reports that Democrats in Trump-won districts, anxious the impeachment drive is destroying their reelection prospects, are begging for help from the national committee. The GOP has unleashed a slew of ads targeting vulnerable Dems, with little response so far.
Guess what? The DNC is running short on ammo.
Displeasure with the impeachment push is also showing up in the polls. While early surveys indicated widespread support for the investigation into Trumps commerce with Ukraine, the tables have turned. A recent Emerson poll shows 45 percent of voters oppose the impeachment push while 43 percent support; a month earlier 48 percent supported impeachment and 44 percent were against it. Perhaps more significant for Democrats hoping to regain the White House in 2020, support among independents has nosedived. Some 34 percent approve of the push today, down from 48 percent in October.
The Emerson poll is not an outlier. An NPR/Marist poll also shows support for impeachment dropping over the past month and, even worse for the showboating Schiff, interest in the proceedings waning. Only 30 percent of the nation saying they were following the proceedings very closely, down from 37 percent in September.
Adding insult to injury, Trumps approval rating has actually gone up, not down, over the past month. And, the stock market keeps hitting new highs.
Notwithstanding these obvious red flags, Democrats are now preparing to take their case to the Judiciary Committee, chaired by the wobbly Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. Act one for Nadler was overseeing the hearings that featured Robert Mueller, after the special counsel concluded that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia.
In advance of those hearings, Nadler told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" he hoped it won't end up being a dud. It was worse than a dud; Wallace later claimed it was a disaster for the Democrats and I think it's been a disaster for the reputation of Robert Mueller.
The American people have spoken: they want the Democrats to put a stop this charade. But if they stop, they'll look ridiculous to their base. Either way, President Trump wins. ---
