Moderate Democrats warn Pelosi of impeachment obsession

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Politico

A day before the House Judiciary Committee took its biggest step yet toward impeachment last week, moderate Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi voiced his frustrations directly to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The battleground freshman told Pelosi and other leaders at a closed-door meeting that he and other centrists feared that talk of impeaching President Donald Trump was threatening to swamp the Democratic agenda, according to multiple people in the room.

“It’s very frustrating for me — someone coming from a district that was one of the districts that helped get us into the majority — having so much focus on things like impeachment or other issues that are divisive,” Brindisi said in an interview, adding that he’s been talking to fellow swing-district freshmen who have similar concerns with the fall agenda. “We should be focusing on the kitchen table issues.”

In the same meeting, another moderate in the room, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), pointed to alarming polling from the Democrats’ campaign arm, which showed that voters think the party is “prioritizing impeachment over other issues,” according to an internal summary obtained by POLITICO.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/15/moderate-democrats-pelosi-impeachment-1495832

[FBaggins]

1. She's doing the best that she can

She almost certainly would be a supporter of impeachment herself, but is going out of her way to protect those seats (at no small cost to herself).

There's little point in taking shots at her while she does it.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. The root cause of this predicament

is that American voters, in the aggregate, are too stupid to realize what has been done to their democracy, and the education system and media that have polluted their minds. We're boxed in.

[Scarsdale]

15. Dear God!

There is a laundry list of laws tRump has mowed right over. Bill Clinton had an affair with a consenting adult, just like many of the gop were at that time (Gingrich, among others) and the gop gleefully went to work destroying him. The time to impeach this slimebag is NOW, before any more damage is done.

[Kurt V.]

3. they should consult outside polling and data to verify. it wouldn't hurt. they won in 2018 bc

left leaning indies turned out in direct response to trumpism, not bc of kitchen table issues.

[brooklynite]

8. Um...no?

They won because moderate candidates pushing kitchen table issues beat Republicans in suburban swing districts.

I spoke to about 30 candidates last cycle. None of them said Trump/Mueller/Russia was an important issue.

[redstateblues]

12. Thank you for knocking down that false meme that it was hard lefties that won the House

Pelosi knows that Impeachment is not a priority with the General electorate. It is my unpopular (on DU) opinion that Impeachment will only help Trump fire up his base and will not remove him from office. Quite the contrary, it could help him win a second term.

[Scarsdale]

16. Once ALL of tRump's

misdeeds are listed, maybe even some of his fans will see things differently? After all, what has he done for the average citizen?

[Fullduplexxx]

18. Or all the impeach now dems decide not to support the dems waffling anymore

[Kurt V.]

23. you misunderstood what i said. Moderate candidates gave us back the house. who were elected

by a surge in left leaning indies who are generally moderate.

[bucolic_frolic]

29. Paradoxically

My intuition tells me impeachment is coming. In 2021. Trump squeaks in and Democrats gain seats in House and Senate. But we're still dependent on Republican patriots. Not to laugh, a few will surface if their ranks are thinned by voters, but ... we'd need 12 to 17 of them. It's still a roll of the dice.

[MosesYastrzemski]

41. Impeachment should not be a progressive/moderate...

...point of division. The fact is, Trump has committed a litany of crimes and should be held accountable for the sake of maintaining our legal and civil precedent in our Executive branch, regardless of hypothetical or potential political consequence. The question is a matter of when, not if, and I believe we will impeach this President by August 2020.

[redstateblues]

47. Trump will not be removed from office when the Senate declares he is innocent

The House will provide a short lived feel good for the Democrats. Unfortunately Impeachment will provide Trump a boost in his effort to be re-elected.

[JonLP24]

49. What are we going to do for our base while we are too busy being complacent out of fear

Of firing up Trump's base?

[Kurt V.]

34. im not sure your if you mean trump wasn't an issue with the candidates or their constituencies?

regardless, I'm sure the candidates didn't think it was an issue bc the block that surged and put them over the top weren't the ones that were going to fundraisers and rallys. also i never mentioned mueller / russia.

[brooklynite]

35. Both...

[Kurt V.]

36. ok 👍

[mcar]

13. Do you have links to verify that?

Everything I've read about 2018 says the exact opposite. Moderate Democrats won in swing and R districts because they focused on healthcare and other "kitchen table" issues.

[Kurt V.]

17. its from the woman that most accurately predicted the blue wave, rachel bitecofer.

sorry no link tho.

[rockfordfile]

40. I would say both. Americans are tired of the corruption and fascism.

[Stargazer09]

4. We need to stop playing around

We already have tons of evidence that points to impeachment. It’s time to stop worrying about pleasing the voters and start worrying about national security. And by extension, democracy.

[Docreed2003]

5. Has Trump committed impeachable offenses?

It's a simple question, right?

If the answer is no, then the push for impeachment is obviously a waste of time. If the answer is yes, is the Congress, under their duties outlined in the Constitution, not obligated to at least investigate??

The fact of the matter is, despite what seems to me to be really poor messaging, the Democrats in the House are doing a good job of balancing "kitchen table issues" with their investigations. The real issue is a Senate which refuses to take up any of the legislation that passes through the House. None of that seems to be sinking in with the electorate at large who only seems to see the investigations. Whether that's an issue with messaging from the Dems or framing from the Media I suppose is up for debate.

Regardless, it seems that Dems have their work cut out for them if they want to convince the American public these investigations are worthwhile, which I think the are.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

11. Hmm, Obstruction of Justice is an impeachable offence isn't it?

[Docreed2003]

14. I agree completely...

I absolutely think it is, and I think the Mueller report was intended as a roadmap for impeachment.

The fact that some of our reps are too afraid of public pushback tells me they aren't winning at messaging. That has to change if this is to be successful.

[turbinetree]

6. Give me a break .............................

[ananda]

7. Sheesh

They might as well be Reeps.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. K&R

[The Liberal Lion]

10. Swamp the democratic agenda? Swamp the democratic agenda!

Praytell what the fuck is this so-called agenda if it isn't DOING YOUR FUCKING JOB Mr. Brindisi?

And Ms. Murphy, where the fuck did you get that poll, out of your fucking ass? I personally have seen ZERO priority attached to removing that orange scumbag from our White House!

FFS, you have GOT to be fucking kidding me. When did the word moderate become synonymous with spineless and dereliction of duty? If this violates DU policy I'm sorry but I'm saying it. Flag it if you want.

[not_the_one]

20. we kowtow to the cowards at our nation's risk.

Hatred of the turd is what got the blue wave, not more of the same milquetoast centrism.

That hatred of the turd has only grown. If we exploit THAT we will get the blue tsunami.

There is a concerted effort to frame the "kitchen table" crap as the sole way to be not considered left wing. But that kitchen table crap like healthcare, school debt and JOBS... All our solutions are painted as "left wing". So we can't win, period.

Meanwhile, if we DON'T win, we no longer have a frigging democracy.

I think the hate is what we should galvanize. And we should DROWN them in their OWN hate.

[Fiendish Thingy]

19. They are cowards who put party before country and are forgetting their oath nt

[LiberalLovinLug]

38. And ironically, putting party ahead of country may just lose the election for the party as a whole

The Blue Dogs may even still win their own races. But if Democrats don't turn up and vote out of exasperation at the paralysis of the party, as well as independents, it will all come crashing down anyways. Better to at least be on the right side of history.

[CaptainTruth]

21. I SOOO wish "journalists" would take 15 minutes & learn how impeachment works.

Case in point:

Pelosi "stressed that only the full House has the power to launch proceedings — a statement that seems to conflict with the Judiciary Committee’s position that it is currently engaged in an impeachment investigation"

Duh. House Judiciary can initiate an impeachment investigation. Only the full House can actually impeach. 15 minutes with Google & the writer could have known that but NOOOOO! It's much more fun to spin the narrative of "Democratic conflict."

I'm really tired of the "Dems in Disarray" BS.

Where is this "liberal media" I keep hearing about?

[Mr.Bill]

22. Does anyone think that if Hillary Clinton was innaugurated in 2017

republicans would not have impeached her because it would be "too divisive"?

[Maxheader]

24. Get rid of stumpy and ..

Some of those kitchen table issues would go away..

We should be focusing on the kitchen table issues

[cstanleytech]

25. On one hand I want Trump impeached and out of office but on the other hand I know we should focus

our energy on the election more and seek impeachment only in the event that he would win another term.
Regardless how it plays out the DOJ should open an investigation on Trump once he is out of office and those in his administration for their conduct and seek criminal prosecution where evidence shows they committed any criminal acts.
This should NOT be swept under the rug like how it was done for Bush as the age of turning the other cheek is over as far as I am concerned.

[Cary]

26. It has to play out

[asiliveandbreathe]

27. We can do both, sir..why don't you D-Brindisi, and DMurphy stay focused - earn your stripes..

Talk about the issues most important to the Democratic voters - you just came back from your districts, and should have had plenty of time in your town hall meetings to address the issues..bet impeachment was high on your constituents minds as well..yes, impeachment is high in the agenda...the investigation will move forward, the bills sent to the Senate by Pelosi and the Democratic congressional house need to be address by moscowmitch…

All of the House committees are fully engaged...

GOTV...

[Freethinker65]

28. Bullshit. Once again Democrats let Republicans define the Democrats and control the message.

The Democratically controlled House has investigated, discussed, debated, and even passed much legislation not related to impeachment!! Mitch will put absolutely nothing up for vote in the Senate except Trump's judicial appointments and an occasional pre approved by Trump bill. This is NOT the way the legislative branch is supposed to work.

Pelosi was right to be pissed off at that reporter when she told him to ask and blame Mitch for all delays and myopic behaviors! The Democrats need to hammer that to the voters.

[SergeStorms]

30. Absolutely.

I scrolled down to see if anyone had touched upon that salient point, and I'm glad you did. Anything the democrats pass in the House just sits on Moscow Mitch's desk forever. I think House democrats should impeach Trump then send it to the Senate. Senate republicans have had it too easy. Make them go on record as to impeachment. There is enough evidence of Trump's crimes, and if these chicken-shit republicans have to go on record as to their vote on impeachment they might sing a different tune. They have constituents to answer to.

[DeminPennswoods]

31. I know for a fact my "moderate" rep

Conor Lamb is being pressed hard by his constituents, most, if not all, of whom voted for him, to support impeachment. But he is scared of alienating voters who didn't vote for him anyway. He spent his entire 6 week district work period assiduously avoiding holding town halls, going so far as to visit PA-1 in Bucks Co instead of holding an extra town hall or two!

[Deb]

32. A freshman seeking clout from across the aisle? Shocked I tell ya.

With his N.Y. district it's a no brainer. I'm sure the Speaker gets it too.

[Mazeltov Cocktail]

33. Impeachment is a priority! ! !

Kitchen table issues be damned, the blue wave was elected to wash this shit out of the White House - now do it and quit whining.

[BumRushDaShow]

37. "We should be focusing on the kitchen table issues."

Democrats in the House passed piles of bills as soon as they were sworn in January 3rd (and all this past spring) that dealt with "kitchen table issues"... and those bills sit DOA in the Senate.

What more can be done other than "talk about it" since the legislation was already completed?

[Paladin]

39. Chickenshit Democrats will be the death of this nation. Impeachment NOW. (nt)

[Bradical79]

42. What my strategy would be

1. Always mention what has passed the House, then subsequently shut down by Moscow Mitch (and yes, use that nickname).

2. Say the Judiciary Comittee is handling the impeachment inquiry/investigation into Trump corruption, while the greater House is focussed on addressing those issues most important to American's daily lives. For impeachment inquiry questions, refer to the House Judiciary comittee.

3. Always mention Trump corruption and how it is standing in the way of real progress.

4. Try to get everyone on the same page when it comes to substanceless smart ass comments about fellow Democrats. Disagree, but maintain a higher level of discourse than a typical Twitter burn.

5. Don't promote a counterproductive anti-impeachment message. We all know for a fact Trump deserves to be impeached. If worried about Conservative constituents, pivot. Part of the problem has been Pelosi's public messaging in the past, and being overly scared of the impeachment issue. It's been a bit nonsensical at times.

[Gore1FL]

43. Moderate Dems should be warned that the Constitution isn't a sometimes thing.

If we aren't going to use impeachment on Trump, then we need a constitutional amendment to remove the possibility of it ever being used for any purpose.

[Bradical79]

44. Also, what issues aren't divisive?

I'm struggling to think of any.

[athena]

45. Not impeaching Trump will set a terrible precedent.

As Eric Holder said, if Trump loses the election, it'll be politically very difficult to prosecute him for the crimes he has committed.

Americans (including liberals) don't see what is happening to this country. They've heard all their lives that they're special and superior to everyone else, so they think that all this is chaos and craziness is just a temporary phenomenon and that in 2021, the U.S. will go back to being a respected leader and the greatest country in the world. In fact, if you've lived in certain other parts of the world, you can see that what the Trump administration is eerily similar to what happens in dictatorships. When the president is able to change what NOAA says by threatening to fire top NOAA officials, this is a sign that the country's systems are crumbling. It may hurt Democrats to impeach Trump, but not impeaching him will open the door to third-world-level corruption in the United States. And once that happens, you can kiss democracy good bye for a very long time.

[standingtall]

46. Does Trump deserve to be impeached?

Yes he does. Was there not a Mueller investigation? Haven't there been and still on going investigations into his corruption by the house? answer Yes! So if we don't impeach Trump than they were all pointless other than us trying to bullshit voters. Maybe we can pretend the investigations never happened? That way we don't make his 35% base mad. Which we are so scared of. Sense we already know they'll be mad if we impeach him.

As far as claiming moderates claiming they won, because they focused on healthcare. They ran against the sewer on healthcare. Saying we are better than repukes on healthcare is like saying we are taller than the tallest short person. They didn't get elected to pass legislation with a republican senate. They were elected to be a check and balance on Trump and republicans. To stop bad republican legislation and to hold Trump accountable. They weren't elected to prove they could rival republican cowardice by not impeaching Trump. We don't impeach Trump we really haven't got much business complaining about republican complicity, because we would've been complicit too. Just because republicans have shrugged of their constitutional duty. Doesn't mean we should be absolved if we do the same.

[PufPuf23]

48. "Alarming polling from the Democrats' campaign arm, which showed that voters think the party is

“prioritizing impeachment over other issues.”

Where are these mythological Democratic voters that when polled think that impeachment has been too high priority?

There are a few but not many, certainly not as high a percentage as indicated by a small cadre of posters at DU or as stated by Democratic leadership or the MSM.

[RandiFan1290]

50. Do 'moderates' ever tire of being wrong? nt

[brooklynite]

52. Do 'progressives' ever tire of losing?

The best way to re-elect Trump is to Impeach him on a partisan vote, have the the Senate "exonerate" him, and have him frame the election as him vs. a politicized Democratic House.

[Gothmog]

51. I trust Speaker Pelosi

[Omaha Steve]

53. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

NOT important news.