OPINION:
After two years of President Donald Trump, a midterm election and a Russia collusion investigation that’s led nowhere, you’d think Democrats would’ve found a new rally call.
But nope. It’s “impeach Trump” in 2016, before he even took office; it’s “impeach Trump” in 2018, just as the clock’s about to strike 2019.
Sunday’s news shows were filled with the call.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, referred to the latest Michael Cohen-tied movements and said that if it’s proved Trump directed his one-time aide to provide hush money to women — well then, it’s I-Time for the president.
“They would be impeachable offenses,” Nadler said.
Fellow Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, jumped to agree.
“There’s a very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office, the Justice Department may indict him, that he may be the first president in quite some time to face the real prospect of jail time,” Schiff said. “The bigger pardon question may come down the road as the next president has to determine whether to pardon Donald Trump.”
And right on cue, there comes Rep. Maxine Waters,
“Well, I hate to say it,” she said on MSNBC, “but it’s like I’m going to say it: I told you so. Remember I started out talking about this president even before the inauguration. I talked about him being a despicable character. I talked about him not being worthy of the presidency of the United States of America. … I do believe that the Congress of the United States of America have not assumed their responsibility that’s given to us by the Constitution of the United States by way of impeachment. This president in my estimation has been everything possible to certainly be eligible for impeachment. I really do think that it should be started.”
Impeachment, impeachment.
That’s all the Democrats have; that’s all they’ve been saying since — as Waters pointed out — the leadup to the inauguration, before Trump even took office.
Before Trump even had opportunity to commit an impeachable offense.
How exactly do Democrats define impeachable offense? The phrase has lost meaning under the Dems. Fact is, the left’s used “impeach” so frequently for fundraising that it doesn’t even register in voters’ minds any more as something of importance — never mind something to gasp.
If Democrats, come January, when they take over the House, want to spend their newly found political capital trying to impeach Trump, so be it. The Republicans won’t be able to put a stop to it.
But voters living outside the partisan Beltway bubble won’t like it. And the Senate won’t convict. And there’s a good chance a Democratic impeachment attempt will backfire and help bring Trump back for a second term — as well as sweep into office a new batch of Republicans in Democrat-held seats in the House.
So maybe “impeach Trump” is a good thing, after all.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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