NYT: Republicans seize on impeachment for edge in 2018 midterms
WASHINGTON — As Republican leaders scramble to stave off a Democratic wave or at least mitigate their party’s losses in November, a strategy is emerging on the right for how to energize conservatives and drive a wedge between the anti-Trump left and moderate voters: warn that Democrats will immediately move to impeach President Trump if they capture the House.
What began last year as blaring political hyperbole on the right — the stuff of bold-lettered direct mail fund-raising pitches from little-known groups warning of a looming American “coup” — is now steadily drifting into the main currents of the 2018 message for Republicans.
The appeals have become a surefire way for candidates to raise small contributions from grass-roots conservatives who are devoted to Mr. Trump, veteran Republican fund-raisers say. But party strategists also believe that floating the possibility of impeachment can also act as a sort of scared-straight motivational tool for turnout. Last week, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas used his re-election kickoff rally to introduce a video featuring a faux news anchor reading would-be headlines were conservatives not to vote in November.
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And when Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, the chairman of the House Republican campaign organization, convened about two dozen party strategists in February for a private dinner at a French bistro here, the attendees were surprised when he raised an issue not included in his formal PowerPoint presentation: the threat of impeachment against Mr. Trump, which he said fired up the party base.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/08/us/politics/trump-impeachment-midterms.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur
I've seen this become a hotly contested issue here at DU. Some believe that Trump's actions warrant impeachment no matter what, should be done as soon as Democrats have the advantage in the House again, and failure to do so would be missed opportunity to make it known that nobody, including the President of the United States, is above the law.
On the other hand, this article highlights the opposing viewpoint, that the threat of impeachment would fire up the Republican base to vote in 2018 when current special elections are showing severely depressed Republican turnout, especially when it's fairly unlikely impeachment would be followed up with a conviction in the Senate.
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