Joe Klein’s favorite public intellectual has a plan:
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) appeared on Sean Hannity’s TV show last night, and gave his prediction for what a Republican Congress elected in 2010 will do to fight President Obama on health care: Shut down the government (again).
“My prediction is you’re going to get a Republican Congress in 2010 in the election. They’re going to come in and they’re going to refuse to fund any of these new offices. And they’re just kind — they won’t pass the appropriations,” said Gingrich. “Then in 2012, you get a new president. And I think probably in February of 2013, they repeal the entire bill. Replace the good parts. Because there are some things — out of 2600 pages, there are probably
Does anyone still seriously question my theory that Republicans will attempt to impeach Obama if they regain the House?
NobodySpecial
Except, of course, that’s not going to happen. Because we’re going to go out and make damn sure that doesn’t happen.
Gregory
I’ll bet good cash money that no Republican will take impeachment off the table in advance.
geg6
Because that whole shutting down the government worked out so well for them the last time, I guess.
Newt Gingrich is the Megan McArdle of political strategery.
Napoleon
Newt is just hoping that when they shut the government down Obama is stupid enough to have pizza ordered out for the interns.
ds
If the Republicans gain control of the House by one vote they’ll be drawing up impeachment proceedings by the end of January. I don’t think it’s a theory so much as CW.
Their entire base will be shrieking “IMPEACH” and throwing bricks at GOP congressional offices that aren’t on board.
Corner Stone
@Gregory:
I’ll go even further and bet $ that at least one of them runs for election / re-election by brandishing already drawn up impeachment documents.
atlliberal
That worked so well for them last time!
Just think, this is the Republican that is know ans an “ideas” man. He is the deepest thinker in the party.
Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions
No, I expect a federal investigation into whether Obama was born in Kenya, followed by impeachment.
joes527
How could you tell if the Republicans were trying to shut down the government? What would they do? Put blanket holds on everything? Shut down committee work? Introduce endless pointless amendments just to slow things down? Filibuster?
Violet
I’m fired up and ready to keep fighting to keep Democrats in control.
Whoever made the observation that the election of Scott Brown was a good thing for the Democratic party is right. It fired up the base, and look, we got health care passed. I’m still fired up and ready to work for 2010 elections. If Scott Brown hadn’t won, I think the base would still be asleep.
And yes, if Republicans gain control, they’ll try to impeach Obama. Of course they will. Disruption and distraction are the only tools they’ve got.
Bob K
O.T. Dubya’s working hard on his legacy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/24/george-w-bush-wipes-hand_n_511188.html
geg6
OT, but this shit is beyond the pale:
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/sticks-and-stones-by-digby-as-these.html
Brian J
Combined with the news (h/t Steve Benen) that the Democrats raked in $2 million since the bill’s passage, compared to the Republicans’ $1.3 million, they appear to want to make this easy for us. We now have one prominent Republican on record announcing his intention to never let the new regulations–the ones that prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of you and your children–from being enforced. We need to demand every Republican who holds office denounce Gingrinch’s intention or describe why they support his efforts.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
and Al Hunt said he expected Newtie and the Turdblossom to be Obama’s most thoughtful and compelling critics
just because so many people (not here, mostly) seem so fixated on pretending we live in some other world than the one we do.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I don’t and never did. They won’t be able to control themselves and wingnut central command from the Limbaugh Oxycontin Bunker will demand it. The GOP is full Borg nowdays and the big brains on Talk Radio rule the roost.
And since HCR has passed, I don’t think they will regain control of anything in DC, though if they did, the madness they’d generate would put the final nail in their electoral coffin. The voters were disgusted with what they did with Clinton, but gave them another chance. This time they won’t be so kind IMO. And what do they have on sqeaky clean Obama, other than presidenting while black? They can’t use our concerns about Obama on civil rights and war policy.
They won’t win however, and even Jack Welch says the GOP will be shocked at how well dems do in Nov. They won’t gain any seats probly, but won’t lose that many either, specially with the economy perking up as fears of a double dip recession recede.
Ash Can
Hell, no. In fact, they’d likely come right out and say that they were impeaching him for being black.
ellaesther
Lord knows I don’t question your theory.
But I agree with @NobodySpecial: (who must be someone very special indeed, if s/he knows that we are not going to let the party of Newt take back the legislative branch).
ds
Digby mentioned a crazy meme out there that somehow Obama wants to lose Congress in order to make his reelection easier.
If Republicans take over the House he’ll have special prosecutors up his ass every waking moment of his remaining term, and our beloved liberal media will start referring to him as “embattled president Obama.”
We’ll have Michelle Obama crack pipe controversies all over the news. They’ll be paying every woman who took a tour of the White House to testify in Congress that she was sexually harassed.
It would be insanity. This is the only reason why I don’t recommend going on a jihad against reactionary Blue Dogs. They might not vote for us on anything, but at least they’ll vote to keep Pelosi Speaker, and that makes a massive difference for the country.
joe from Lowell
You’re kidding. This isn’t the Onion?
Newt can’t be serious. This is just one of those media stunts they pull for a couple days, and then drop.
The Republicans aren’t going to appropriate money for any Greek columns, dammit!
beltane
My prediction is that the Republicans are as predictable as the movement of the earth around the sun.
In case anyone was wondering how things are going over in Firebagger land, Cenk Uyger has a diary up at GOS that claims the health care bill is Obama’s “Mission Accomplished” moment, and that he’s just like George Bush. Thankfully, he’s getting lambasted.
Xenos
Has anyone proposed any theory or grounds for impeachment yet? I have yet to hear any wingnuts openly state what high crimes or misdemeanors they are accusing Obama of.
mistermix
This is, unfortunately, why the strategy of making examples of guys like Arcuri is a bit risky. Every member of the Democratic caucus who’s an unreliable vote on anything else is still a reliable vote for the majority on key chamber-holding votes.
joes527
He’s BLACK.
Kyle
What’s the matter, Crybaby Newt — someone made you sit in the back of Air Force One again?
Chyron HR
@Xenos:
First degree sociamalism. He’s a terrorist also, too.
ds
@joe from Lowell:
If they take control of the House, this is exactly what they will attempt. Obama would obviously refuse to sign any budget that zeroed out health care funding. Their response? Government shutdown.
Rick Massimo
GOP 2012: We didn’t do anything! And we’ll continue to not do anything!
Smells like a winner.
And I love the pure tribalism in “We’re gonna REPEAL the parts we don’t like and keep the parts we do.”
Um, that’s not repeal. That’s called getting a majority, having the votes and changing stuff.
But that admits that this is the law of the land. And it doesn’t have the same “Fuck you, ni%%er” ring to it.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@Xenos:
They don’t have any…yet. Remember that the only way the Rethugs got any dirt on Clinton was the fact they controlled both houses and could appoint special prosecutors and such investigations using tax payer money to endlessly poke thru Clinton’s garbage until they found something, anything, that would trip him up.
They eventually found nothing but in the process, got him into a sworn statement about the blow job and used that.
Thus, if they get back in, you can bet they’ll start opening endless investigations to find something that might stick.
Waynski
We need to work hard and give generously to keep this band of rabid fucknuts out of power. Until they come to their senses, they are incredibly dangerous people. Of course, they’d impeach Obama. It would be their first order of business.
cleek
impeachobamacampaign.com says:
in other words: grounds? we don’t need no steenking grounds. we’ll do it because we can.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@ds:
Nothing is too crazy for Naderites and PUMAs. I will never understand the bone-deep hatred of Obama from some people who (I believe) are not racists, not especially leftier-than-thou (except when Obama is concerne), not gender-fixated. There is just a weird obsession out there that somehow the Clintons are magical and sacred.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@ds: I fully agree, but we are the minority here. The exceptions may be Stupak and Ben Nelson in the senate. But I was wrong that Stupak wanted to kill HCR and was using abortion as the weapon. And his floor speech and subsequent contrition has almost made me change my mind on him. Almost.
Fuck Ben Nelson however, he has appointed himself as Zell Miller’s successor/
ds
@Rick Massimo:
Within two days after passage the Republicans have given up arguing against the benefits of health care reform.
Now they’re arguing “We’ll give you the same benefits! But with no taxes, and no Medicare cuts!”
Predictable from the party of fiscal responsibility.
Xenos
@comrade scott’s agenda of rage: Surely the media would not let them get away with something like that!
Menzies
@Kyle:
Well, the tanning tax will probably make Boehner do it.
Sly
FDR thought his best critic was Hoover. Of course, Hoover’s competition for that role was Huey Long and Al Smith.
Newt’s place as the Republican “idea man” is something I’ll never understand. His main idea for Health Care is having it “work more like air travel”. In other words, he’s a fucking moron who uses oversimplified analogies that make absolutely no sense in reality.
Shutting down the government (again) makes sense. It is the logical conclusion of an obstructionist approach. It’s also the political equivalent of ritual suicide, because it alienates the vast majority of the electorate who actually want a functioning Federal government, but I’m sure they’ll just ask Frank Luntz to turn that shit into sunshine for them.
Robin G.
Honestly, I still don’t think it’s a given that the GOP takes back the House in November. I’m curious to see what DKos’ weekly polling looks like on Friday.
The public has the memory of a goldfish. If we go for financial reform next, and tie the Republicans to Wall Street in every statement… I really don’t think they’ll be all that popular come fall.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: I don’t know about a jihad against Blue Dogs. Hell, I plan on sending Besty Markey a hundred bucks as soon as I can afford it. But besides Nelson, I’d like to see Dems give up on Blanche Lincoln. All the polling says she’s toast anyway, and I think scarce resources are better spent on Ohio (though I admit that’s a leap of faith on my part since I don’t know anything about either candidate), New Hampshire and (even though she has made some not just blue doggy but abjectly stupid comments) Robin Carnahan in MO.
Bill E Pilgrim
This is why we should all become tea baggers:
Or at least encourage it as much as possible.
The Grand Panjandrum
I think Newt’s just pissed and trying to get his name in the news because he didn’t get picked as a celebrity contestant on Dancing With The Stars.
kay
I just loathe the idiotic arrogance on the Right. They’re out there saying they’ll keep the “good regulation” and throw out the “bad”.
If any politician on the face of the earth could have forced insurers to take on people with pre-existing conditions without a mandate or huge cost increases, they would have done that.
If they could have “tweaked” the health care system and gotten to universal coverage, they would have done that.
It doesn’t make any sense to think Obama and the Democrats deliberately added unpopular elements, just to be contrary, or because they’re stupid.
It takes a special kind of arrogance to be a conservative, it really does, and it must border on pathology.
Everything is “simple” and it’s just a matter of putting the words in the proper order in the slogan.
They didn’t even get tort reform done when they in the majority, and they’ve successfully brainwashed the country that people suing for damages after they’ve been harmed is the reason health care costs are rising. They couldn’t even pass the easy stuff. Now they’re health care experts?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@The Grand Panjandrum:
Can we start a petition to draft him for Celebrity Fit Club?
Menzies
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I would rank New Hampshire first out of those. A proper Democrat could last a long time coming from that state, at least until the Free State Project takes over and secedes from the Union. Ohio and Missouri would seem more volatile to me, but like you I don’t know much about the candidates in either state – though Robin Carnahan does scare me a little.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I would just like to say, there has been some first rate discussions lately in the comment section from some first rate threadposts by our overlord bloggers. That is all.
AnotherBruce
@Xenos:
They don’t need a theory, they’ll go on a fishing expedition just like they did with Clinton. Remember what Whitewater was about? Me either, except that charges were dropped when they found Monica.
wrb
Orley Taitz majority counsel, Judiciary committee.
Or maybe they’ll just make her a special prosecutor.
Martian Buddy
@Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions: Considering the recent nostalgia on the right for the glory days of Tailgunner Joe, I don’t think it’s farfetched to expect the House Committee on Un-American Activities to make a comeback. Hello, blacklists (no pun intended.)
Rick Taylor
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I suppose I do, but since they are not going to retake the house, the question is moot.
kay
@wrb:
No. They’ll install one of their discredited Federalist Society hacks who wrote the torture garbage, as a pay-back, and as a chance to rehab their tattered reputations.
I guarantee it. They owe those people, and they need their loyalty.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
From David Kurtz at TPM, one of the most depressing sentences I’ve read in a long time:
Seriously? They admire people who came up with the “no viagra for child molestors” amendment? they’re not offended by this kind of cheap demagoguery being used to make campaign commercials? But I guess its true. It’s the entire conceit behind Hardball, as Tweety gets all breathless and excited about such manly daring from Republicans. Though in fairness, I have to say, this is the kind of thing he might call them out for.
Rick Taylor
@kay
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It makes me smile. Newt only said that because he felt compelled to say that; the wingnut base will not be satisfied with repealing the “bad parts” of what they consider to be the end of freedom in America. The bill hasn’t even been implemented yet, and a few Republicans are already feeling they have to make noises to assure people they won’t repeal the “good” parts of the bill.
FlipYrWhig
@kay:
I’ve had the same complaint about a lot of the firebag gripes about the bill too. They would say that Obama and the Democrats deliberately added unpopular elements because they’ve been bought off, or they’re “corporatists,” or they’re just plain malevolent. Or they just want to spite firebaggers because they never liked them anyway [exit flouncing].
Bill E Pilgrim
@Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions: Sometimes you just gotta say, WTF, and make your move.
That was actually the last movie I enjoyed Tom Cruise in. I think mainly because he always strikes me as a high school kid, which was good casting for that one but not for anything since.
Uloborus
@Robin G.:
A given? Last I heard the electoral math people (who don’t work for Fox) were saying the Dems would just have smaller majorities in both houses, and weren’t particularly in danger of losing either.
I mean, I don’t follow these things closely, that was before HCR passed, and the election is months away, so nothing’s reliable. That was the estimate from people looking at the midterm party-in-power-loses trend and counting the seats that weren’t solid.
Violet
@Robin G.:
Do financial reform next, so it’s what’s talked about over the spring/summer. Get the Republicans on record defending Wall St. and the bankers. Excellent soundbites.
Then in the fall start immigration reform. Around the time of the elections, the tea partiers will braying about how awful the brown people are and the Republicans can either defend them, and lose brown people’s votes forever, or repudiate them, and lose their base. Win-win.
Bob K
Oh, Newtie, still out there trying to prove your opinions are somehow relevant. So Brave – Keep F****ing that chicken, you pathetic excuse for a human being.
O.T. – but still good for a laugh
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154912/?tag=Republicans
Pigs & Spiders
@Violet: Yeah. You definitely don’t make immigration reform a banner subject until you’re much closer to the elections.
mcc
Worth noting, it currently appears we will be seeing big steps forward on both financial reform and DADT *this week*. (I’m assuming that Gates’s announcement on DADT will be positive.)
Now that health care is done it sounds like the democrats are done wasting time.
Xenos
Whitewater was an obvious fishing expedition. I remember one talk radio personality going on about how the the sales contracts for the Whitewater development proved they were awful people because of the strict foreclosure clauses. I guess he was unaware the every land installment contract west of the Mississippi has the exact same language.
Robin G.
@Violet:
Eeek. That one makes me squidgy. It’ll bring out the latent racism in a huge number of people who don’t consider themselves teabaggers, and let’s face it, we’ve got the brown people in the bag anyway. It would increase Latino turnout, but I’m not sure it would be enough to overcome the wave of “Teh Mexicans are gonna take my job!!1!1!!”
Let’s stick with getting our Wall Street hate on for now (maybe with a little Job Bill expansion at the same time), and start tackling immigration come January.
Rick Taylor
@kay
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To be fair and as someone else just pointed out, some liberals have been as guilty of this as conservatives.
Socraticsilence
I question whether even a majority Republican Senate would go along with impeachment- I mean they do remember what happened the last time they tried it right? That it basically pushed Bill Clinton through the roof in terms of approval, that it somehow made a guy who acted in the very least unethically (even if consensual, a relationship with an employee that subordinate is sketchy) appear to be a martyr for Democracy (put it this way people in this country generally hate legalistic reasoning, but Clinton going on about the meaning of “is” and “sex” had people cheering the guy) and flipped Clinton’s image from that of smart, competent, sleazy guy, to lovable rogue who keeps America a float and fights off the puritans. I also wonder what tactic they’d try to impeach him on Clinton had some really sketchy things that were investigated prior to him being elected- Obama’s luggage what little their is of it has basically been examined and been found clean (basically I see 3 avenues: Rezko, election funding, ACORN- the first one is semi-plausible but odd given investigation has already occured and nothing was found linking Obama at all, the second laughable, and the third something the GOP doesn’t really want to examine because doing so would result in exoneration) .
Loneoak
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I agree that ditching all Blue Dogs is not a great idea. As happy as I am about HCR finally passing, the process itself was pretty toxic and the Democratic leadership needs to own up to that. Without a doubt, we would have had more Blue Dog votes last summer before the townhalls and Tea Partying. But because Nelson and Baucus had to play with their taints while the cameras were on them, Democratic cohesion was much lower than it could have been. I trust Pelosi when she gives junior members in conservative districts a pass.
But we should let Lincoln and Nelson drift away for being so venal and stupid with their kickbacks. And strip Lieberman of any seniority. I wouldn’t shed a tear if Stupak vanished, but he did do the right thing on Sunday.
kay
@FlipYrWhig:
I mean, Jesus Christ. Have they been asleep for 16 months? I know more about health care in America than I ever wanted to know, and I’m not a Senator. It has interlocking parts.
“Why didn’t we think of that? Just do the popular ‘n easy stuff!”
cleek
you don’t need evidence of a crime to impeach. you only need votes.
mistersnrub
Who gives a flying fark what this skidmark has to say. His place in history is already cemented: an irrelevant loser.
kay
@FlipYrWhig:
They basically get away with it. Judd Greg was on with moronic budding neoconservative Campbell Brown spouting this nonsense, and she couldn’t come up with any good questions.
Like, “okay, tell me how that works?”
They ended agreeing that the Democrats had made this very, very complicated, because, ya know, they’re like that.
Johnny B
I reached the conclusion awhile ago that Republicans are going to impeach Obama if they gain a majority in the House. The fact that Republicans do or do not control the Senate will not factor in the equation. Quite frankly, they’re more likely to impeach him if Republicans don’t control the Senate as it will simply be a symbolic gesture not resulting in the removal of the President from office (sort of like the repeal movement on health insurance reform). Republicans love symbolic gestures, rather than actual governing. Culture wars, anyone?
That said, I have a plan for upcoming town halls of GOP congresspersons in my area who are running for reelection. At those town halls, I will ask the following question, and film the answer: “Do you support the impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama? Can you tell us why, in your opinion, Barack Hussein Obama does or does not deserve impeachment?”
I seriously doubt there is even one brave Republican running for the House this fall who will has the fortitude to answer “no.”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@kay:
A lot of lefty bloggers are saying the same thing. “If Obama has just put forth something simple and popular…” which I suppose is the public option or Medicare buy in. I think Dems should keep up the fight for the buy-in, but nothing in this a country of 350 million is ‘simple’, especially when the economy is in the tank.
Socraticsilence
DS- Part of me hopes they actually do that, it’d be incredibly irresponsible but eliminating the mandate while preserving the ability of an individual to get Insurance regardless of their current health would almost certainly bankrupt the Insurance Industry (after it spiked premiums- as companies tried to compensate for free riders gaming the system) – which would in the result in either Single Payer or a public-private hybrid (or a massive cash bailout, that would be repeated every so often).
Zuzu's Petals
Is there much reliable info out there re the actual possibility of losing 34 seats in the House and 10 seats in the Senate? Even over two election cycles?
Just curious as to the various scenarios.
Martian Buddy
@cleek: 67 in the Senate–a paper cat would have a better chance of catching an asbestos mouse in Hell.
kay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
The public option isn’t any less complicated than anything else. I assume it was to be an option on the exchange.
I completely disagree with liberals who claim insurance companies killed the Medicare buy-in at 55. I think any rational insurer would love to punt off the segment of the population that actually uses health care, and concentrate on that lucrative younger set. I think providers killed Medicare at 55. I think that because they held a press conference after Lieberman killed it and said so. I’m not relying on any speculative Rahm Emanual theory, or the fact that a lot of insurers are headquartered in Connecticut. I’m relying on the fact that they said so.
Joseph Nobles
Gateway Pundit doubles down on failure. Now they’ve got five videos of no one using the N-word as Congresspeople walk through them. Unfortunately, all videos are shot at the same time, and the racial taunting occurred when the representatives were walking OUT of the Capitol. These videos are when the representatives were going INTO the Capitol.
Violet
@Robin G.:
Saint Ronnie did the amnesty thing. It can’t be all bad because Saint Ronnie can do no wrong.
It’ll all depend on the economy, anyway. If things are looking up with the economy people will be more favorably dispose toward Democrats. If not, well….
Short Bus Bully
Of course they will impeach!
You CANNOT have a nigra in the White House. Goes without saying to these people.
That’s the whole game. Nothing else matters.
ET
‘Cause that worked out well for Newt and the GOP the last time…..
JCT
@kay:
Exactly– the Republicans are much more simple (simpletons?)– just reduce taxes on the wealthy and deregulate banking. Simple and works every time. AHHHHHHHHH.
kay
@JCT:
And, look who appears just in time….
It’s a politicians dream, right? All ice cream and no spinach.
What would have Obama and the Democrats have given to be “non-controversial” ? A LOT, I bet. They loved those lunatics screaming things at them at Town Halls.
They reached adulthood without growing up.
jron
You mean there are people who question your theory that Republicans will attempt to impeach Obama if they regain the House?
The man took away our right not to have a black president. Of course he must be impeached!
Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion
@Martian Buddy:
I am soooooooo stealing that! Just remember, plagiarism is the highest form of praise.
PaulW
Points of order:
1) I can’t see the Republicans gaining enough seats to seize control of the House: they’d have to win, what, 38 seats? there can’t be that many won by Dems in +R districts, not to mention the fact that retirements by both sides have seats held by both sides up for grabs.
2) People need to realize that if the Republicans DO get control of the House it will be because they pandered to their teabag base… and that teabag base is gonna INSIST on impeachment proceedings no matter the cost, no matter the excuse. So just remember, moderates, DON’T VOTE REPUBLICAN! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T!
gnomedad
@Bob K:
This would make an awesome tag.
Remember November
Wasn’t Newt ostracized by his own party? Does he hold office anymore? What does he do for a living anyway?
Same with Rovie…
get off your fat jowled asses and sweat for a buck ya useless hucksters!
Randy P
@Xenos:
Isn’t pretty much every single Democratic policy branded as “treason”?
That would make what, 290 bills passed by the House (albeit stuck on hold in the Senate) that become Articles of Impeachment.
Martian Buddy
@Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion: I stole it from Fallout. ;-)
Rick Taylor
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If Reagan were alive and campaigning today, he’d be denounced as a Rhino.
LD50
I think he means ‘keep the parts that the insurance industry likes, and remove all the bits that pay for it’.
Original Lee
Since the VA legislature just passed, and the governor just signed, a bill prohibiting the individual mandate from being enforced within the state, I would not take your bet on impeachment proceedings.
I’m shocked, shocked, I tell you, that state’s rights are an important issue in Richmond.
Cacti
Special Prosecutor Orly Taitz.
I wish I was joking.
Cacti
@Original Lee:
After a brief flirtation with sanity, Virginia appears to have rejoined the Confederacy.
Maybe they’re trying to replace Loving v. Virginia as the most odious case bearing their name.
The Chief
@Zuzu’s Petals:
Yeah, I’m curious about that too. It seems to me that despite the Republicans’ talk about winning back both houses, they’ve just lost SO MANY seats over the last 4 years (largely because they screwed up so much for the previous 6 years) that it would be extremely hard to actually win back a majority in either house.
Nellcote
@Rick Taylor:
You’ve missed the Raygun Legacy ads all over the teevee lately?
eyelessgame
I think people are missing the point. Impeachment worked very well for Republicans — along two fronts:
1) The most successful president of the last forty years is now, to most people, a sex joke and nothing else. Virtually nothing of his significant policy, legislative, international, and executive accomplishments are remembered.
2) Amid peace and prosperity in large part due to a Democratic Administration, the Republicans were nevertheless able to take the White House in the next election, by forcibly tying the next candidate to the impeached President, regardless of whether this made any sense.
That’s what it’s about. It’s not about whether they make him more popular. It’s whether they can humiliate him, define his legacy downwards, and take power.