Runningart2004 wrote:
So, should the House begin impeachment proceedings?
As a strict duty bound constitutionalist they should. It is their duty IF they think the Mueller Report shows high crimes and misdemeanors. Then they can debate it all they want during the impeachment hearings. That’s what the hearings are for. Debate of the facts. Take the report and argue each side.
As a purely political process should they? No. The 2020 debates start this summer. A long drawn out impeachment process that ultimately results in acquittal in the Senate would overshadow the Dems fighting for the 2020 nomination and embolden Trump’s supporters. IF you can get more than 50 Senators to agree with impeachment, even though it’s not the 2/3rd required it does send a message that can be framed in the 2020 Dems favor.
Alan
The exact opposite of what you claim—embolden Trump supporters—occurred in the 2000 elections. Clinton was acquitted in 1999. Bush won in 2000—with an assist from the republican Supreme Court. There are not enough Trump supporters to give Trump a boost. Republican voters who dumped him are not suddenly going to vote for him. They will not vote for a president in 2020, or they will not vote at all.