There's nearly a Nixon '74 level of public support for impeaching Trump

[yallerdawg]

42% of Americans say President Donald Trump should be impeached and removed from office.

Source: CNN, by Z. Byron Wolf

What makes it remarkable is that he's on par with President Richard Nixon, who 43% of Americans said should be impeached and removed from office in a March 1974 Harris poll. That was after the scale of Watergate came to light, but months before the House started to move against Nixon, who would go on to resign in August 1974 rather than be impeached.

The 43% supporting Nixon's impeachment in that Harris poll, by the way, is much higher than the 29% who supported impeachment for President Bill Clinton in 1998. Or, for that matter, the similar number who wanted Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush impeached. As CNN's Grace Sparks writes, there's basically "a baseline of pro-impeachment sentiment for a modern president" and Trump far eclipses it.

Read it all at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/22/politics/impeach-trump-nixon-support-bill-clinton-poll/index.html

[choie]

1. It's ironic that you should

Post this right now, Yallerdog - I just did a Google search to see if there are any impeach Trump groups that I could join and I only came across one.

[yallerdawg]

2. 8 out of 10 Democrats polled support impeachment.

"I am not a member of any organized party - I am a Democrat." - W. Rogers, humorist


Links to two major impeachment drives:

https://www.needtoimpeach.com/

https://impeachdonaldtrumpnow.org/

[dalton99a]

3. +1

[yallerdawg]

4. Front page on national news, google searches, and msncom.

'Meh' on Democratic Underground.

I don't get it.

[choie]

5. I think it's because the "mainstream"

Dems like Pelosi and Schumer will never support it. Just like they didn't support impeachment of Bush - even if we take Congress back.

[yallerdawg]

6. "Never support?"

Schumer: "We need to get all the facts and then we'll come to conclusions."

Pelosi: "Again, if the facts are there, if the facts are there, then this would have to be bipartisan to go forward."

The political calculation is that the Senate would need to have a fair number of Republicans get on board to remove the Dotard. The White House is working that calculation by smearing the investigation, and giving R's cover.

We are beseeched by Democratic politicians - "Make me!"

Republicans hear us, too. Do you think they really care about immigrant children?

[choie]

10. Yes, never

If war crimes weren't enough to get them to start impeachment against Bush (impeachment's off the table) why would we think they'll support it if they get back the congress?

[yallerdawg]

16. The American people didn't get behind the 'war crimes' impeachment.

42% now is hitting Nixon polling territory at a comparable time (Harris Poll - 43%).

30% of the time, the 'other' party supports impeachment. That's straight-up partisanship.

Our opportunity rises when we start to get to majority levels!

[MoonRiver]

13. I think what they both mean, is if we take back both the House and Senate.

Impeachment, conviction and removal of that vile POS can't happen otherwise.

[yallerdawg]

19. I think what they are both saying is...

we need evidence that will persuade Republican senators if the House impeaches on that evidence.

If half or more of America says we are persuaded, then THAT becomes a political consideration regarding 'high crimes and misdemeanors.'

[Initech]

7. What Trump did this week was an impeachable offense.

And not only that, he acted like a total fucking asshole on top of it with the Melania incident. Really he has to go.

[yallerdawg]

11. I agree.

This isn't remotely 'politics as usual.'

This guy is dismissing and diminishing multiple branches of our government, and taking 'imperial presidency' to unimagined levels.

Impeachment and removal from office. Then try and convict him for treason and conspiracy. Nothing less.

[OliverQ]

8. A poll came yesterday that said half of Americans would support

impeaching him if he pardoned himself, so he's on the verge of higher support than Nixon.

Of course it's disgusting that half wouldn't impeach him over a such a blatant dictator move.

[lame54]

9. But support for Mueller is down

[Volaris]

12. thats cause its been a while since the frogs got put in the pot.

as manafort and cohen roll and start tuurning over information, more indictments will come down form the Grand Jury, and support will go back up.

[brooklynite]

14. The issue is NOT whether people support impeachment...

...it's whether they support impeachment ENOUGH to pressure enough legislators to act. Otherwise, it's a huge mistake to take this survey as an initiative to take action.

[BannonsLiver]

15. Colonel Buzz Killington here to set all us straight

[brooklynite]

18. Based on the 50 years of politics I've been engaged with...

I've learned that reality is a much better framework than emotion and imagination.

[yallerdawg]

23. Are you arguing that he hasn't done anything illegal?

Or that he is above the law?

2 out of 10 Democrats don't support impeachment. A good place to start?

[brooklynite]

24. Answer: I don't know

If you do, name the specific law he's broken, and we can pass it on to Robert Mueller.

One other thing I don't do is engage in "we all know he's guilty" supposition.

[yallerdawg]

25. Pass it on to Congress - not Mueller.

Donald Trump's 8 Impeachable Offenses

[NCTraveler]

28. "and we can pass it on to Robert Mueller. "

What would Mueller have to do with it?

50 years does not male one infallible. That was made clear here.

[brooklynite]

30. Abset an indictment or indictable charge by Mueller, there will not be a consensus to Impeach...

...and certainly not to convict. If you Impeach Trump and fail to convict him, you've done far more damage than doing nothing at all.

[NCTraveler]

31. "Abset an indictment or indictable charge by Mueller"

There is no factual basis for that. Impeachment can occur for a wide variety of reasons. Mueller isn't some God nor is he the only game in town. That said, I don't see Trump being impeached before his first term is up.

[brooklynite]

36. I disn't SayvImpeachment can't happen...

I said that, absent a report of indictable behavior, there won’t be public consensus in support on conviction.

[yallerdawg]

17. My two US senators KNOW I and my voting family members back impeachment and removal!

One's an R, one's a D.

Neither one of them argued against it!

[Drunken Irishman]

20. You're right...

It's also not smart to compare political eras. The 1970s was a different time - Nixon was coming off a landslide election where he won 61% of the overall vote. The partisan gap, at least at the presidential level, just wasn't there like it is today - no candidate, I can say without reservation, is going to win 60+% of the overall popular vote nationally in today's climate. What that means is that the partisan divide, while there with Nixon, wasn't as wide as it is today.

Because Democrats and Republicans have so polarized at the national level, these numbers are hyper-partisan. I'd wager most Republicans opposed the impeachment of Nixon - but the gap was made up significantly, most likely, by both Democrats and Independents.

The fact is, in July, 2014, 33% in this same poll, said Obama should be impeached (looking at the actual poll results).

That's not as many as with Trump, but also not significantly different.

But the margins were huge in the partisan gap - Republicans wanted him impeached, Democrats didn't.

More Americans thought Obama, in 2014, should be impeached than Bush in 2006 and Clinton in 1998. What does that tell you? The partisan gap has only grown.

So, how's the partisan gap play into this poll?

77% of Democrats believe Trump should be impeached.

Only 38% of Independents believe Trump should be impeached.

Only 9% of Republicans believe Trump should be impeached.

There's no incentive for the Democratic Party to push impeachment RIGHT NOW because only a majority of Democrats want it done. November is going to be won by those independent voters who oppose impeachment by a total of 56%. The reason the 42% sticks out is similar to the reason the 33% stuck out in 2014 - it's driven entirely by partisan politics. Until more independents, who made up 45% of this poll (Democrats only 30%) shift here, it's a losing issue and will only embolden Trump.

Focus on the wrongdoings and awaiting the Mueller investigation. Then maybe those numbers will shift.

http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/06/21/rel6f.-.russia.investigation.pdf

[Garrett78]

21. Back then members of Nixon's own party were willing to take action.

That ain't the case today.

[brooklynite]

22. ...AFTER the smoking gun tape was revealed.

There is no hard evidence to go after Trump with at this point.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

26. I remember Nixon Era

feeling. The Vietnam War gave him a bigger edge of people who would go to the mat for him. I think it's worse now. But then, I don't hang out w repubs or watch fn. Just my opinion. fact based on what I remember I guess.
At the end of the day it doesn't matter bc if someones broken the law, their prosecution for it, doesn't rely on public opinion.

[yallerdawg]

29. Impeachment and a senate trial is very dependent on public opinion.

Partisanship can get a majority impeachment decision, but swinging 67 senators requires a political will.

That's where we come in!

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

32. I was told 67 is the wrong number and has been all along.

I was told its more like 51. I don't know though.

[yallerdawg]

35. Two/thirds of Senate to convict.

Today, that would be 67 out of 100.

Not a single Democrat voted to convict Bill Clinton. Majority Republicans crossed over, too.

[Initech]

27. Waiting for the cry of "FAKE NEWS" in 3... 2... 1...

[ProudLib72]

33. Waiting for GOP congress critters to show up wearing

"I really don't care. Do U?" jackets.

[Initech]

34. No that's the Christian fundamentalists' jobs.

Somewhere Jesus is doing this:

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