Do Both Parties Plan to Use Impeachment?

I agree with Scott Holleran that the rush to impeach President Trump is symptomatic of a more general decline in America. In fact, much of what is unfolding now is neatly summarized by the following paragraph:

Today, President Trump released a transcript of his conversation with the president of the Ukraine -- the supposed flashpoint for the Democrats' grounds for impeachment. If and when the Democrats pursue impeachment on these flimsy grounds, the contrast between a president who takes America and its interests seriously -- and, whatever his vulgarity, stupidity and errors, Trump does -- and the party that wants the government to control every aspect of every individual's life will be inescapable to the most disinterested, apathetic and asinine American voter. [bold added]

Both parties crudely understand the above. First, this explains why the cynical Nancy Pelosi suddenly wants to rush the job -- after fending off proponents for so long:

Top to bottom: The Proverbial Bus, Joe Biden (Image by Niko Lienata, via Unsplash, license.)

The answer is simple: the absence of impeachable offenses makes no difference whatsoever, because the outcome is pre-determined, and Pelosi's options are stark: start the impeachment now, and retain control of the narrative, or start a month or two from now, and lose control completely, with the impeachment hearings dragging on into the primary season.

Pelosi understands perfectly that an election where the Democratic Party is framed as a single-issue party, whose sole concern is ... impeaching a president over two casual sentences in a phone call, will be catastrophic. But she has run out of rope. [emphasis in original]

And later:

Pelosi also understands quite well that the first Democratic casualty of all this will be Joe Biden. His sputtering campaign will not survive months of scrutiny of his son's shady dealings with Ukrainian-Russian gas companies while he was handing U.S. taxpayer money to Ukraine. But Pelosi can live with this. If she has to toss Biden overboard, then so be it.

In other words, Pelosi wants impeachment to be not even in the rear-view mirror come election time next year because she thinks -- correctly, I hope -- that impeachment will make her party look bad to persuadable voters.

Second, some on the right have picked up on this and are considering the idea of drawing out the impeachment trial in the Senate:

However, during the trial, and this is what no one is thinking about right now, the President's attorneys will have the right to subpoena and question ANYONE THEY WANT. That is different than the special counsel investigation, which was very one-sided. So, during the impeachment trial, we will be hearing testimony from James Comey, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Bruce Ohr, Glenn Simpson, Donna Brazile, Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Christopher Steele, Hillary Clinton, John Brennan, James Clapper, and a whole host of other participants in this whole sordid affair and the ensuing cover up activities. A lot of dirt will be dug up; a lot of truth will be unveiled. Finger pointing will occur. Deals will start being made, and suddenly, a lot of democrats will start being charged and going to prison.

All this, because, remember, the President's team will now, for the first time, have the RIGHT to question all of these people under oath -- and they will turn on each other. That is already starting.

After reading the above at the Federalist, I briefly checked on whether odds for impeachment might have dropped, but they're still pretty high. The same Federalist article offers an interesting theory as to why this is the case -- that the far left might actually want that result. I'm not sure I buy it, but it's plausible.

-- CAV