Democrats were so serious about impeachment being necessary to “save the country” that just as soon as their inevitable defeat became obvious, they all suddenly stopped caring about it. It was the most partisan impeachment in history – and in that light, it’s hardly surprising that everything we witnessed was merely political theater.
In early May, Rasmussen reports asked voters “What should the Congress deal with first.” At the time, 30% of Democrats said impeachment. The same question asked in October yielded an increase in the perceived “urgency” of impeachment, with 36% of Democrats prioritizing it as the number one issue.
And then, as Acquittal Week began, the same question found that over two-thirds of Democrats who previously prioritized impeachment as their #1 issue suddenly no longer cared. Only one in ten Democrats cared about impeachment anyone as soon as the reality of their forthcoming loss became apparent.
Of course, if they believed that President Trump had legitimately done something wrong, their current political failure shouldn’t make a difference.
We could only be so lucky if Democrats attempted to tempt the nation’s patience with another impeachment circus. After all, it was a greater asset for Trump and the GOP than Democrats.
Just two weeks ago the Gallup poll found that impeachment is increasing public approval for President Donald Trump. The poll, taken after the House vote on impeachment and before the Senate trial, found the president’s approval ratings were “among the highest of his presidency.” Then, the day before the Senate was set to acquit President Trump, his approval hit its all time high in the Gallup poll at 49%. Gallup’s ratings of Trump tend to be lag those of other pollsters, so the true figures are likely higher.
Gallup Also found the GOP’s approval rating at its highest point since 2005.
Then, the day of Trump’s acquittal, the odds of Trump’s re-election soared to the highest point on record in betting markets.
Impeachment has only made things better for Trump and Republicans (except Mitt Romney) – and perhaps Democrat voters took notice. Meanwhile, Jerry Nadler, Nancy Pelosi, and Adam Schiff don’t seem to have gotten the memo.
