Reply #27: take a closer look at the poll you cite and you'll see where DK went off the track

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The poll asked a specific question: Do you favor or oppose the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney?

There is a difference -- a significant difference -- between "beginning" impeachment proceedings and doing what DK tried, which is to move, without an inquiry and public hearings before the Judiciary Committee, to a vote on impeachment (after a mere hour's debate).

Historically, the first step in an impeachment proceeding has not been the presentation of resolutions to impeach for a vote by the full House. It has been the presentation to the full House of a resolution authorizing and directing the Judiciary Committee to conduct an investigation and report back to the House with a recommendation regarding articles of impeachment.

Neither of DK's resolutions (the one languishing in the Judiciary Committee since the spring or the one he presented yesterday) followed the historical course. Both called for going straight to a vote on impeachment without the initial step of having the entire House consider whether to authorize an inquiry. The fact that a bare majority (not even within the margin of error when you focus on registered voters) support "beginning" impeachment proceedings does not mean that there is majority support for impeaching Cheney without going through the public hearing process used in prior impeachment proceedings.

Now, I recognize that even if DK had crafted his resolution(s) more in line with historical precedent the outcome likely wouldn't have been any different. That's because there is unanimous opposition among repubs to moving forward in a meaningful way on impeachment and there are more than enough red-state Democrats who aren't going to support a purely partisan vote to commence impeachment proceedings. So the leadership, rather than put to a vote a traditional resolution that would fail, would try to bottle up that approach as well.

But DK made it easy by showboating with an approach that is out of line with recent historical precedent.