OPINION:
House Democrats are so blinded by hate and money that they ignored the early warning signs showing their highly partisan impeachment scheme would be such a loser with the voters. Sure, their base loves it, but independent voters in key swing states are turned off and Republican voters have finally woke up.
Ironically, liberal obsession with impeachment could actually cost them a shot at winning back the Senate, protecting the House and defeating the president. While Democrats and many in the media (often indistinguishable) seem to obsess with national polls, the real clues to the outcome of the 2020 elections can be seen in the polling done in swing states and districts.
President Donald Trump defeats every Democrat in the latest polling by Firehouse Strategies, with Optimus in the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The president won by an average of 6 percentage points in hypothetical match-ups against all current Democratic candidates in the latest poll. It also showed that a majority of likely 2020 voters surveyed do not support impeaching and removing the president from office.
Even The Washington Post acknowledged that polls in battleground states show that support for impeaching the president is lower than in national polls. They looked at polls in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin and found, on average, that 51 percent of those surveyed opposed impeachment with 44 percent supporting it. The average in national polls shows that 43 percent oppose impeachment while 47 percent support it.
These polls are consistent with the one Marquette University Law School conducted in Wisconsin last month. The president finally pulled ahead of the major Democratic contenders in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups. The poll also showed showed that 79 percent of the voters who responded thought the economy got better or stayed the same over the past year vs. just 18 percent who thought it got worse.
This feeling should only continue to grow as new job numbers from the Labor Department last week showed that 266,000 jobs were created in November, which was far better than the 187,000 expected by economists. The national unemployment rate ticked back down to 3.5 percent. Before this year, that was the lowest unemployment rate since December 1969. Plus, average hourly earnings rose by 3.1 percent from a year ago, which is slightly above expectations. More good signs of a strong economy.
The president’s re-election campaign should focus on his work to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of every American. This is a stark contrast to the obsession of the left on impeachment. Ads should focus on how Mr. Trump is fighting for the American people and winning — all while Democrats are stuck fighting over a rigged impeachment process.
Voters, particularly independents, are growing increasingly weary of partisan impeachment hearings. Every day House Democrats focus on scoring political points is a lost opportunity for them to connect with the voters on real issues.
It is my belief that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi realized this early this year when she tried to put up roadblocks to the impeachment process going forward. In the end, her House Democratic colleagues and the activists who support them were blinded by their hate for Mr. Trump and their love of the money that is coming in from liberal activists who demand impeachment.
Much as it was in Wisconsin during the Capitol protests and recall election, the liberals could not control themselves and ended up turning off the majority of independent voters while also motivating the Republican base. The same thing could very well happen in 2020.
I believe that Mrs. Pelosi knows this, too. That is why she announced a deal to move forward with the trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada on the same day as they announced articles of impeachment against the president. Her vulnerable members need something to point to as evidence of a broader agenda than just partisan impeachment hearings.
After a year of House Democrats sitting on the trade deal, I am happy that it is moving forward. In states like mine, the benefit to manufacturing workers and family farmers is tremendous. Many of them are eagerly waiting for this deal to move forward to expand their trade with our North American neighbors. Canada and Mexico are the two largest trading partners with Wisconsin as they are with many other states. This is a huge win for Mr. Trump and, most importantly, for the American people.
In the end, however, most independents can see the vote for what it really is: A cynical attempt to cover up their shameful waste of time and money on a partisan witch hunt. While independent voters may not always approve of the president’s style, they do prefer getting things done over the Do-Nothing Democrats.
• Scott Walker was the 45th governor of Wisconsin. You can contact him at swalker@washingtontimes.com or follow him @ScottWalker.
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