NEWS AND OPINION:
When and if the time comes for a House vote in the impeachment of President Trump, many wonder if there will be a few unconvinced Democratic lawmakers who will, uh, side with the Republicans and stand against the vote. It is the moral dilemma of the moment among those who sense that Mr. Trump has not committed any impeachable offenses — particularly those vulnerable Democrats in swing states full of Trump fans. Even The Washington Post is now addressing this phenomenon, and the potential risks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faces in her zeal to impeach the president.
“Pelosi may have signed a political death warrant for moderate Democrats in Trump districts,” the news organization said.
Well all right then. A spate of Republicans lawmakers now are keeping a keen watch on who might be on the fence as the impeachment melodrama continues in endless, often biased media coverage — even as the economy and stock market soar. Voters may have a hard time reconciling these two contradictory forces, and boil their concerns down to a simple question: If the Democrats go forward with impeachment, will our good times go bye-bye?
There is some history here to consider. Two Democrats are now test cases of sorts.
In recent days, Democratic Reps. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey publicly broke with their party and said they plan to vote against impeachment. Mr. Peterson says he is skeptical about the way the inquiry has been conducted, Mr. Van Drew is concerned that the process will tear the nation apart and ultimately fail in the Senate. He includes this tweet on his feed: “Republican or Democrat, we are all Americans.”
In the meantime, the press is busy assembling lists of Democrats who might be vulnerable in their districts if they join the effort to impeach.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has offered a succinct analysis of the current worry list that might plague Mrs. Pelosi — who some say appears to be rushing the impeachment process forward, prompted by the fast approaching presidential primary elections and caucuses. Leading Democrats have a growing list of concerns, which includes weakening support for impeachment deep within the party itself.
“They’re worried about the election coming up,” Ms. Grisham tells Fox News. “I think another reason they might be rushing is that they might be losing some of their Dems.”
DO YOU APPROVE OF PELOSI?
If you do not feel giddy about the job House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doing, you are not alone.
According to a new Economist/YouGov poll, 50% of voters now disapprove of her job performance — that includes 42% who “strongly” disapprove. See more numbers and a partisan breakdown in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
Other pollsters have also recently revealed less-than-promising numbers for Mrs. Pelosi. She landed a 52% unfavorable judgment from a USA Today/Suffolk University poll and a 50% unfavorable in a Politico/Morning Consult survey. Real Clear Politics gives the House Speaker a 48.9% unfavorability rating, based on an average of seven polls that have tracked her ratings in the last month.
VOICING THE IG REPORT
Yes, the inspector general’s report on President Trump’s possible involvement in “Russian collusion” is due to be released on Monday. There might be a spate of “insta-books” based on the report released from assorted sources in the near future, just as there were when the Mueller report was published with much ado in April. One Hollywood conservative wants to make sure the public will understand it, and understand it immediately.
Upon the release of the hefty document, actor Adam Baldwin will read the report aloud in its entirety, with the subsequent recording released as a series of podcasts. It is an effort, Mr. Baldwin says, “to reveal the truth behind the unprecedented decision of the FBI to investigate a presidential campaign during an election.”
Among many other things, the report is expected to be critical of some aspects of the investigations and, according to some select media reports, possibly recommend criminal charges against some of the FBI operatives.
Mr. Baldwin’s verbatim reading of the report will be released as a multi-episode podcast, produced by the creative team of Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer, the two independent film producers behind “Gosnell,” the 2014 docudrama based on the trial of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell. Both say they want the truth about the IG report to be “easily accessible” and available to all.
“Adam Baldwin is an award-winning narrator and he is the perfect person for such an important task. Most people don’t have the time to read 500 pages but they do have the time to listen to it by a skilled professional,” says Mr. McAleer. “People can now get the truth unfiltered by the mainstream media on demand, where and when they want it.”
The first installment of the podcast will be available at HeartheIGReport.com on Monday.
ANOTHER CONSERVATIVE HOLLYWOOD VICTORY
The free speech docudrama “No Safe Spaces” featuring comedian and podcast king Adam Carolla and radio talk show host Dennis Prager and produced by Mark Joseph has emerged as the nation’s No. 1 documentary in theaters at the box office. The film features an eclectic cast of thoughtful folks on both sides of the aisle — including Van Jones, Tim Allen, Cornel West, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson and Alan Dershowitz.
The film has earned high praise from such news organizations as the Chicago Tribune, which called the project “profoundly important,”and Variety — which praised the film for its “engrossing multimedia verve.”
“Adam and I would like to thank everyone for the support this weekend across America. This film has been a labor of love that continues to reward us and people across the country,” says Mr. Prager.
POLL DU JOUR
• 42% of U.S. voters “strongly disapprove” of the way House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is handling her job; 78% of Republicans, 34% of independents and 7% of Democrats agree.
• 8% of voters overall “somewhat disapprove”; 6% of Republicans, 10% of independents and 7% of Democrats agree.
• 23% overall “strongly approve” of her job performance; 6% of Republicans, 9% of independents and 41% of Democrats agree.
• 19% overall “somewhat approve”; 5% of Republicans, 16% of independents and 33% of Democrats agree.
• 8% overall are unsure; 5% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 12% of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,188 registered U.S. voters conducted Dec. 1-3.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.