Inside the Beltway: Uh-oh: Media fails to impeach Trump

NEWS AND OPINION:

Maybe it’s just a temporary glitch in the big media machine, but some observers are now saying that the liberal press is getting tense and/or mournful that President Trump may not be impeached on schedule — or he may never be impeached.

“Exasperated liberal journalists are convinced the only way to save the republic is to impeach Donald Trump and yet increasingly hosts, reporters and pundits are clearly worried they and the Democrats might have missed their shot,” writes Geoffrey Dickens, deputy research director for the Media Research Center who has been tracking this trend for a month on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC and in several print news organizations.

Those he cited include “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd, who on Sunday compared the impeachment inquiry to the trial of O.J. Simpson.

“He was innocent but everyone knew he was guilty,” the host told his guests.

Mr. Todd also coauthored an NBC News column which asked this question: “Would Richard Nixon have resigned from office in 1974 if there had been a Fox News back then?”

The press, however, is not likely to dwell on passing disappointment, or the prospect that even if the House impeachment vote passes, it could fail in the Senate. They are not done with Mr. Trump by any means.

’Don’t expect Trump to get the friendly pass a decent chunk of the news media and presidential historians have given Bill Clinton over the years despite his impeachment. Trump is much more likely to get the Nixon treatment; where his impeachment will be brought up as regularly as Nixon’s resignation and the Watergate scandal,” writes CNBC columnist Jake Novak, who says impeachment ultimately gives the president “more assets than liabilities.”

He credits a mix of timing and the “unique nature” of the Trump presidency.

“But as much as historical legacy clearly matters to this president and all presidents, a flawed legacy was probably guaranteed for Trump long ago. As it stands now, the future negatives seem like a small price to pay compared to the multiple ways this impeachment actually works for his political present,” Mr. Novak notes.

TRUMP REASSURES PENNSYLVANIA

President Trump, a master campaigner, will be in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday for another happy, jumbo rally with some 10,500 fans at a local arena, reminding them to “Keep America Great” — and to remember that the state has added 158,000 jobs since Mr. Trump took office. Vice President Mike Pence will be at his side.

Voter support in the Quaker State is vital. Mr. Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate in almost three decades to win Pennsylvania, which offers a hefty 20 electoral votes. He won by 44,292 votes in the state, which now has a 3.8% unemployment rate, its lowest in 43 years.

“The bottom line is he needs the state. He’s going to fight for Pennsylvania perhaps more than any state in the country,” Muhlenberg College political science professor Chris Borick told The Patriot-News, a local news organization.

And of course, there’s never a dull moment. Among the groups poised to protest the rally: Capital Region Indivisible, Cumberland Valley Rising, Indivisible York and Refuse Fascism.

“All eyes will be on Hershey, and it matters tremendously what people see. People around the world are counting on us to stand up to this,” predicts organizer Sam Goldman.

THE BLOOMBERG TOUCH

Democratic presidential hopeful Michael R. Bloomberg has donated millions of dollars to cities which are likely campaign stops, according to a New York Post investigation of the candidate’s tax filings from 2017 and 2018.

“There’s evidence of the Bloomberg philanthropic footprint nearly everywhere he goes,” writes analyst Carl Campanile. “The Mike Bloomberg Family Foundation has poured money into a slew of programs in cities where the presidential candidate is now stumping for votes.”

A few examples: The Bloomberg Cities Climate Challenge doled out $70 million to 25 cities — including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta — all in key Democratic primary states. Boston got $32 million for a new art center, Baltimore received $5 million for public safety while Jackson, Mississippi, got a $1 million art grant. Mr. Campanile says the total amount of donations “over the years” has reached $8 billion.

Mr. Bloomberg, however, has already rejected claims that he is trying to “buy” the election, a possibility cited by several of his Democratic rivals.

“I’m not buying anything, I’m doing exactly the same thing they’re doing, except that I am using my own money. They’re using somebody else’s money and those other people expect something from them. Nobody gives you money if they don’t expect something, and I don’t want to be bought,” Mr. Bloomberg told CBS News.

The Bloomberg camp agreed, telling the Post that these donations “have nothing to do with running for president.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTY: THE REALITY CHECK

“In an attempt to bolster his campaign, Joe Biden keeps insisting that Democrats aren’t leftist enough to nominate Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders. Is he really that out of touch with his own party?” asks John Merlin, editor of Issues & Insights.

“His party has been drifting leftward for many years, to the point where it now fully embraces socialist policies that it never would have considered when, say, Biden first ran for president,” Mr. Merlin writes, noting that the shift began as early as 2013.

“Why are Republicans routinely depicted as the party of extremists, and not Democrats? For the simple reason that the press, the entertainment industry, and academia — the forces that shape and direct the national conversation — are far more leftist than they once were. To them, talk of a government takeover of health care, free college, $40 trillion spending plans, is mainstream,” Mr. Merlin observes.

“The more Joe Biden tries to pretend that his party isn’t comprised mainly of radical leftists today, the more out of touch he appears. Not to us. But to those who identify as Democrats.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 60% of small business owners approve of the way President Trump is handling his job.

• 58% expect their revenue to increase in the next 12 months.

• 53% say current business conditions are “good.”

• 48% expect “positive effects on their business” due to technological change.

• 39% say the impeachment of Mr. Trump would have a “material impact” on their business.

• 24% expect positive effects on their business due to changes in U.S. trade policy.

Source: A CNBC/SurveyMonkey poll of 2,081 self-identified small business owners conducted Nov. 12-18 and released Friday.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.