Independent voters and US population still not convinced about Impeachment of Trump

Politico

Over the past few months, House Democrats have been building support for impeachment within the caucus. But they haven’t brought the American people with them.

Even as nearly two-thirds of Democratic members favor impeaching President Donald Trump or at least opening an impeachment inquiry, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows they haven’t made the sale to voters. Only 37 percent support beginning impeachment proceedings, while half oppose it. Just 12 percent of voters are undecided.

Since the release of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report in the spring, overall support for impeachment has fluctuated between 35 percent and 38 percent, while opposition has ranged from 46 percent to 53 percent.

Among Democrats, however, 7 in 10 support beginning impeachment proceedings. Only 18 percent of Democratic voters oppose impeachment. Among registered voters who said they intend to participate in a Democratic presidential primary or caucus in their states, 68 percent want Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, while 20 percent do not.

Republicans are in near-lockstep in opposition to impeachment: Only 6 percent want to begin proceedings. But independents tilt heavily against impeaching Trump. Only 31 percent want Congress to begin impeachment proceedings, compared with 50 percent who think Congress should not begin impeachment proceedings.

“Initiating impeachment proceedings against President Trump remains a popular move among the Democratic base, but it won’t necessarily help them win voters across the aisle,” said Tyler Sinclair, Morning Consult’s vice president. He added that the “numbers have marginally changed from July following Robert Mueller’s testimony on Capitol Hill, after which 34 percent of independents and 8 percent of Republicans supported impeachment.”

Last week, the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to establish the parameters of an impeachment inquiry. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has downplayed the possibility that Democrats would move to impeach Trump, given the realities of public opinion and the Republican-controlled Senate.

While less than 40 percent of voters support impeaching Trump, the president is still in severe political peril, the poll shows. His approval rating is 43 percent and has been mired in the low 40s for most of the summer.

Just 37 percent said they will “definitely” or “probably” vote to reelect Trump next year, while 53 percent will “definitely” or “probably” vote for someone else.

The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll was conducted Sept. 13-15, surveying 1,994 registered voters. The margin error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

While I'm at it, here is an excerpt from a USA Today article from a month ago...

WASHINGTON -- A majority of Americans oppose impeaching President Donald Trump, according to a new poll by Monmouth University released Thursday.

The data point -- with 59% of those surveyed responding that Trump should not be impeached and compelled to leave office -- comes as Trump’s approval rating remains at 40% in the same poll.

In the poll, there is a clear partisan divide on whether the House Judiciary Committee should pursue an impeachment inquiry. While 72% of Democrats believe such an inquiry is a good idea, only 39% of independents and 8% of Republicans share that belief.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. confirmed the launch of an impeachment inquiry by his House panel earlier this month in an interview on CNN.

Additionally, Nadler sent a letter Thursday asking four other Democratic House committee chairs currently leading investigations into Trump to share documents to aid his committee’s investigation into possible obstruction and other abuses, which could lead to potentially filing articles of impeachment against the president.

Nadler wrote to Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

He asked for “documents and testimony, depositions, and/or interview transcripts that you believe may be relevant to the Judiciary Committee's ongoing impeachment investigation relating to President Trump.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., so far has resisted growing interest from House Democrats in opening a formal impeachment inquiry. Pelosi has preferred instead to continue the investigations various House committees have already launched into the president's finances and business dealings along with further inquiry into the evidence compiled during former special counsel Robert Mueller's nearly two-year investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Oh boy... too bad so many impeachment supporters (of the really obsessive kind) will ignore this. They'd rather go all "Eric Andre/Hannibal Buress" on those they disagree with, even if they are cautious impeachment supporters (like I am).

Trump won't be impeached, no matter how much he deserves to be (obvious obstruction). Do or don't. Don't half ass anything like the spineless party they usually act like.

Don’t you have to do something glaringly wrong to be impeached for? Trump is a no-filter tweeter that I guess offends some - but is it impeachable?

Democrats should focus on 2020 candidates and squelch some of their congress members. Because presently, both are disasters.

Instructing your WH Counsel to obstruct justice is glaringly wrong, at least to me.

As someone who grew up with a mountain of Fox News every day I can tell you exactly why it's still so high. Part of conservative media propaganda is hardcoding political ideals into ego. So for their audience of the clueless, which is far too many people, having to accept that your president you voted for might be a raging dickbag or criminal dumbass is something that's out of the question. Unless the economy crashes and we start losing too many jobs, or perhaps until video evidence that Trump eats babies shows up, they're going to kick and scream and yell the whole way no matter how obvious and pathetic it all seems.

These are the death throes of the Republican party, after all.

But to be fair, the Democrats in the House trying to play benefit of the doubt or procedures is making them and the case look weak. Lewandowski's testimony this week perfectly demonstrated that the time for slow rolling decor and candor has passed. Of 3 lawfully subpoenaed witnesses, only one showed up, citing privilege that doesn't exist, and Lewandowski himself was a belligerent, smarmy jackass the whole time (right up until the staff lawyer nearly had him crying from full character obliteration, at any rate.) Lewandowski is the perfect kind of shill to throw in prison for contempt, and it's time they start showing they're not fucking around. Otherwise this isn't going anywhere, and that number is staying the same.

One of the reasons for that is the lack of education by the population at large.

Trump is something we have to endure, not defeat, I am afraid to say. The country is already divided as it is, I'd rather just be a gracious loser this round, and win the next round, than risk militarizing the Trump fanatics.

@nintendoboy16: Impeachment requires something criminal not just feelings, so while the democratic members may "feel" that Trump is a bad person.

They have yet to prove anything so of course no one sensible is for impeachment.

It´s funny though that the democrats still run around with this thought and hope even though they have yet to actually build a legal case.

I know this is probably a crazy concept, but you can listen to 6 hours of hearing while doing something else and form a legitimate opinion on some things, instead of yet again shitposting an ignorant alt-right youtube vlog taking 2 minutes out of context. Like a shill does.

Edit: Here I have provided a real link, it's the last 30 minutes of the hearing, unedited, the part where they actually got some good material out of Corey, as he perjures himself is forced to admit he lies to media. You can't watch the part where the Republicans offered their own staff lawyer, because it doesn't exist. They didn't do their homework for the hearing.

2 minute video is most likely to be seen. Right wingers make full use of it.

If one cares and is being honest there is enough obstruction facts to make a case. Unfortunately personality is more important than the country. Which is a damn shame.

"Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors". Now, the constitution gives no definition of High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and over the years that term has developed a pretty broad legal definition. It doesn't even necessarily have to be criminal conduct. Basically, the only real bar for impeachment, is convincing a majority of people on the House of Representatives to vote in favor of doing so.

Anyway, I came here to say Democrats need to stop trying to impeach Trump. If they want to beat him they need to spend more time developing a clear party platform, and less playing politics.

Yes let's leave a corrupt president alone. No one should ever try to avoid that. smh

So what you are saying is that our socialized system is failing large segments of the population?

@Fuhrer_D: My opinion may differ from lj's, but I see this particular as a misinformation and cultural issue than an education issue. Our education system is actually fairly good in my experience, but we as students fail to take advantage of it while we're in it and we have vast misinformation campaigns constantly working to undermine it.

Why are you citing a literal fake news troll?

That's not wise.

They might be able to impeach, but removing Trump from office will require convincing 13 republicans to vote for it in the senate. They would need something absurdly egregious to make that happen. I think going through the impeachment proceedings allows Trump to play the victim to his base, and has almost no chance of getting him removed from office. Their time would be better spent on other things.

More like 20.

If Trump is out, does that mean Pence is in? Not sure how the chain o' command works in cases of impeachment but I assume it stays the same.

Maybe this is why a lot of people don't want impeachment? Trump might be a colossal asshole and idiot, but so far he has been a giant do-nothing as well (relatively speaking). Pence, on the other hand, is pretty savvy and actually has the respect of his peers (as opposed to be thought of as a giant tool by his party). Pence could actually do damage. Who here wants to go back to the 1950s? Not me.

As I said before, it might just be better to endure this nonsense, then when America wakes up from it's drunken stupor and regrettable hookup with the far right, we will go through the "I am never drinking again" phase and make some rational decisions.

*Also I'd rather see him face justice as a civilian when we can actually throw him (and his family, too!) in jail for the rest of their lives. If he were impeached now, the worst he'd get is kicked out of office.

Its pointless with Moscow Mitch.

Republicans have traded morals, ethics, and integrity for money.

I don't totally disagree on your education system point, though we probably disagree about the leads of the misinformation campaigns that work against it; the ones that fall short of acknowledging that personal and parental responsibility make up 90% of the problems are the real issue.

So you actually blame the liberals for the failure in the education system? considering that the liberals pretty much rule the campuses in almost all universities/colleges

Glad you finally see the light in that regard.

Education on the issues. Not forming opinions based on talking heads.

@Jacanuk: "So you actually blame the liberals for the failure in the education system? considering that the liberals pretty much rule the campuses in almost all universities/colleges"

How did you get that out of my post?

Obstruction is pretty glaring though I doubt Congress will do their jobs. The Senate sure as hell won't.

Well, it´s what you said.

So either you blame the students for being "dumb" in your opinion. which is primarily liberal students, or you blame the teachers for not being able to convey the "truth" to the students, which is again primarily liberal.

Either way, you blame the liberals.

So you're saying conservatives don't go to college and are in fact uneducated.....okay then.

No, what I am saying is that considering the majority of liberals in the education system, put the blame where it should be

And it´s good to hear Matt finally sees the light.

You can't have it both ways. If liberals are educated and are the majority in college...….conservatives are a minority and thus uneducated as a group.

Ah, LOL. You're lumping in the group "students/educated" altogether as liberals.

Fair enough, if you want to boil a complex issue down into a black and white situation, I'll speak the language you're forcing this into.

The liberals (students) tend to take education less seriously than they should because we culturally assign a negative "nerd" connotation around school. The conservatives (purveyors of misinformation) constantly undermine education efforts by passing off misinformation around scientific consensus and mathematical models as legitimate counter-viewpoints.

Yup... again, good luck explaining this to the super pro-impeachment crowd.

Looks like Trump committed an impeachable offense by withholding aid to Ukraine in order to get political dirt on Biden.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49800181

Too bad we're in so bad of a bind on impeachment, he's getting away with it thanks to Mitch McConnell (or Nancy depending on what side of the debate you're on) and the conservo Supreme Court judges.

@Vaasman: I can attest to this as well. The modern Republican or conservative thinks that being a dick is an ideology, it's like shitting your pants just so the person next to you can smell it. Their mantra has been and always will be, "It's only bad if a Democrat does it." Until then, they can lie, cheat, obstruct, and stonewall, just as long as they remind people that they read the Bible and say the pledge of allegiance every day.

Nancy is flirting with impeachment now by asking her fellow Dems in Congress. Barely anything from the GOP though.

The party of law and order, my ass.

Laws for thee, none for me.

What on earth does the supreme court have to do with impeachment? also there needs to be a lot harder evidence than 3 "high placed sources" they need to come forward with name and proof.

And lastly, Don´t know why you think 1 senator can do anything? Mitch can yell all he want considering it´s up to the sitting house to impeach.