Mollie Hemingway of the Federalist explores the impact of presidential impeachment on the 2020 election campaign.
Democrats’ impeachment effort was never about removing President Donald Trump from office. If it had been, it would not have been rushed through the House of Representatives without a proper predicate or investigation.
No reasonable person expected the Republican-controlled Senate to remove a sitting president for anything Rep. Adam Schiff repeatedly alleged, no matter how unfairly he characterized Trump’s thoughts, words, or actions.
Impeachment was about satisfying the corporate media and Democratic base that had demanded it for years. And since removal was never a realistic outcome, it was about harming Trump in an election year.
By that standard, it could not have gone worse. …
… 1. Donald Trump’s Numbers Went Up, Not Down
The latest Gallup poll of registered voters shows that Trump’s approval rating is the highest it’s been since his inauguration — 49 percent. That number went up from 39 percent in October, which was during the House’s impeachment process, such as it was.
During that same time, approval of the Democratic Party fell from 48 percent to 45 percent and approval of the Republican Party shot up from 43 percent to 51 percent. …
… 2. Joe Biden’s Candidacy Was Irreparably Harmed By Impeachment Facts …
… Democrats alleged that the concerns President Trump expressed amounted to 2020 election interference requiring immediate removal from office. But no one ever offered a non-corrupt explanation for the Biden family’s lucrative entanglement in Ukraine, making the argument much more difficult.