House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) refuses to budge on impeachment — but defeat is setting in as House Democrats jump ship. The number of Democrats supporting an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump continues to grow on a weekly basis and now includes some allies of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the Washington Times reported.
This begs the question: how long will Democrats tolerate a leader whom no one wants to follow?
Democrats Abandon Pelosi
80 House Democrats now say they support an impeachment inquiry, and Pelosi supporters Reps. Janice D. Schakowsky (IL), Joseph P. Kennedy III (MA) and Eric Swalwell (CA) have said in the past few weeks that they support an inquiry.
Pelosi’s reluctance comes from a few realities that will need to change before it makes sense to move for impeachment. A majority of the American public turned against impeachment after the release of the Mueller report, and she doesn’t want to chance angering them.
Furthermore, moving on impeachment seems futile as long as a Republican majority rules the Senate. Even if a few Republicans turn against Trump, which isn’t likely, there’s no way the needed two-thirds of votes can ever be reached.
Democrat Support for Impeachment
In the House, about a third of Democrats have publicly supported impeachment. It’s understandable that Pelosi, who surely wants to see Trump impeached, would hold back from doing so in the current climate. She hasn’t stayed in party leadership for decades by acting in ways that are doomed to futility, and also violate public sentiment.
Democrats supporting impeachment have ulterior motives for doing so. In addition to the symbolism inherent in sticking a thumb in Trump’s eye, some believe it will lower his approval ratings and give the eventual Democrat candidate a better chance to win in 2020.
And then there’s the leverage it could give them to get their hands on financial records and tax documents that they have so far not been able to get. If they can just get those records, many feel, they will have what they need to take Trump down, either by removing him from office or by turning the public against a billionaire who may not have paid taxes in decades.
Democrats Rely On Ignorance
In so many ways, today’s Democrats have come to rely on the ignorance of their constituents to gain favor and maintain what power they have. Democrats know that some people won’t look further than their accusations to decide what they think about Trump.
They know that the few people who still watch and read the mainstream media don’t question the way it twists facts and always makes Trump the bad guy, regardless of the truth. In fact, they count on it.
Pelosi may eventually move to impeach Trump. She may just be waiting until it gets closer to the election. On the other hand, she may get removed from her leadership position for having the common sense to realize that impeachment will have a backlash that Trump could ride right back into the White House.
What Democrats continue not to see is that Americans aren’t as ignorant as they have come to believe. More are seeing through their false narrative, which is evident in the poor ratings of left-leaning cable channels like CNN and MSNBC. Whether they realize it or not, this may determine their grip on power for years to come.
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