To put it mildly, House Democrats' impeachment scenario hasn't gone as planned. According to the Real Clear Politics polling aggregation, since the end of October, Trump's approval rating has ticked up a little, while his disapproval has ticked down. And according to FiveThirtyEight, support for impeachment has declined slightly over the last month.
These small shifts might not seem earth-shattering, yet the failure of the hearings to dump Trump seems to have been shattering to some Democrats. Hence this November 22 headline in Politico: “Vulnerable Democrats panic amid GOP impeachment ad onslaught.” We should note that the headline was later softened, such that “panic” became merely “spooked.” Still, Trump foes have been disappointed to discover that “Ukraine-gate” hasn't been the Watergate II they were hoping for.
To be sure, the Democrats and their allies fervently believe they have made their case, that President Trump attempted to manipulate U.S. foreign policy for political advantage—even if, of course, he ultimately delivered to Ukraine the very military aid that the Obama administration had denied.
Read Full Article »