Democrats will muffle their criticisms about impeachment if the Committee is very aggressive...

[kentuck]

...in questioning witnesses in their investigation.

Their disappointment and criticism has been because they are not happy with the lack of effort from the House up to this point. They don't see an impeachment process and they don't see any progress at getting any testimony from witnesses in the investigation? They appear to be standing still, just spinning their wheels?

But if they are successful in getting a couple of witnesses before them and getting them to answer questions, then most of the base will stop their demands for an immediate impeachment, in my opinion.

It is not enough to do nothing. They must show that they are attempting to get to the facts and are making a serious effort at getting the truth to the American people.

The Judiciary Committee must show progress or the criticisms will grow much louder.

[Hortensis]

1. Says you as you rush to complain about your imaginings. nt

[kentuck]

2. Yes, that is my opinion.

And you disagree. So predictable.

[Hortensis]

5. "Public sentiment is everything." That's an Abe Lincoln

quote that is reportedly never out of Pelosi's mind on on the matter of impeachment.

These are anxious times, and I often forget that's a lot harder for some to deal with than others. Unfortunately, Abe's advice doesn't mean appeasing the anxieties of the few who are distressed and ignoring the wishes of the electorate. 200 million. Rather, it's about strategically shaping opinion of a majority of the electorate over time to achieve the predetermined victories. Real victories, not pretend.

Yes, life is hard, and critical time factors especially that can't be just ignored suck. Polls will let us know as support builds, though.

SSRS polls conducted for CNN from March through May showed impeachment favorability increasing slightly from 36 to 41 percent. The Mueller report was released in March. The former special counsel himself testified before Congress in July, but a Politico/Morning Consult poll showed little change, with 37 percent support for an impeachment inquiry. A Monmouth University poll last month found that 59 percent of people opposed having him impeached.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. Do the right thing with fervor and conviction and the public

will follow. They would have for sure on April 4. Now they have lost interest

[Hortensis]

12. Yes. That the Mueller Report did not present a case for

conspiracy against the U.S. or involvement with Russia that simply couldn't be ignored was extremely unfortunate. We wouldn't have done a Comey-type snow job, though, remembering how he made a national address, burying his conclusions of finding absolutely nothing and disproving virtually all accusations under condemnation of sloppy State Department procedures. One party has to keep to the ethical standards and procedures they're trying to destroy or they win.

So we continue.

[mopinko]

3. they need a john dean.

cohen almost did it, but he was too tainted.
get mcgahn to sing, and it will be all over the teevee machine for days.
get someone like mcmaster to not only sing, but to testify that he is nuts, and i think impeachment is a foregone conclusion.

but i sort of agree that people at least have to see him beaten bloody.

it's not a choice of impeach or defeat, imho. the important thing is to get to the truth, and do it in a way that cant be spun.

[empedocles]

4. Some Dems may muffle their incessant criticisms if . . .

wish some Dems would think about why trumpers would love to have the formal impeachment done with already, or at least get over it soon.

[EffieBlack]

6. Lol

A contingent of Democrats who were screaming for the House to stop talking about how bad Trump is and DO SOMETHING are now whining because the House is actively DOING SOMETHING but Nancy Pelosi isn’t SAYING what they want her to say.

Would that be the same Nancy Pelosi who just a few months ago was so old, so out of touch, so much of a West Coast elite liberal whom moderates hated, so much of a lighting rod that she needed to not be seen or heard lest she singlehandedly cause every Democratic candidate to lose every race in the country and who definitely didn’t need to be a Speaker because it was time for fresh faces and new blood?

Certainly it couldn’t be THAT Nancy Pelosi who now many of the same people who were demanding she shut up and go away are now trying to tell us that unless she utters certain words and phrases on national teevee, none of the activity they’ve been calling for her to allow counts worth a damn because she is the end all and be all who must speak or everything is meaningless.

It seems like it is the very same person, which is really odd since that would mean some people don’t really care about impeachment but are just trying to start some mess.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. Actually rumors are spreading she will pull plug on

Impeachment inquiry.

[EffieBlack]

13. Rumors are being spread? You don't say!

Who on earth would spread such rumors and what would their reason be for doing it?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. People who are afraid she will?

[NCLefty]

9. How hard is this? Republicans held hearings for every damn thing.

He's unfit, and has a solid track record of corruption as president. What are we scared of?

Start some hearings, and keep them going right until the election.

“Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened, had we not fought.” -Kevin McCarthy (current House Minority Leader), back when Republicans were in charge

[leftstreet]

20. +1

[PufPuf23]

10. Had a sickening tought for the first time today regards Pelosi

What if Nancy Pelosi has recognized that she has misplayed the impeachment issue and is simply buying time and will continue to delay until the Fall 2020 election?

There is much to gain politically if the House has hearings and impeaches even if the Senate never goes to a vote or if the Senate fail to convict.

Pelosi seems to be grasping at straws.

[EffieBlack]

15. Or what if the people who've been claiming Pelosi was trying to block impeachment were just wrong

and are frustrated they can’t keep making that argument because it is and always was bull but now everyone can see through it, and they have egg all over their faces, but they still refuse to admit they were wrong because that would mean backing off their non-stop Pelosi-bashing because the bashing is the whole point?

[PufPuf23]

22. Think about how some people have been consistently wrong and thus we are in the national mess

that we are currently experiencing.

Some people should be embarrassed and perhaps should look in the mirror instead of defending and projecting their own errors.

Have you taken an inventory about how many times you have been wrong?

Pelosi bashing is not the whole point as you claim.

Doubt if there is anyone at DU that does not want Pelosi to succeed in general.

[meadowlander]

11. Aren't they still waiting on court decisions to compel witnesses (Don McGahn, etc)?

Once those come through, things are likely to pick up.

[kentuck]

14. Why are they still waiting on court decisions?

Are the courts on the side of the White House or are they impartial?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. Reminds me of an opinion piece on Vox when it

first became apparent trump would out lawyer on this. It said to just present the Mueller report segments as evidence on its own merit. I would think a statement saying so and so refused to appear to corroborate what they testified to Mueller about because trump won't allow it would have an effective impact.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

18. Btw... remember someone here posting that the

milestone for non-committal Dems would be when a final court decision is handed down and trump et al defy it.?

[kentuck]

19. Can the Democrats get a court decision in their favor?

It would be a red line if Trump et al were to defy a court order, in my opinion.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. Yes. It would be interesting to see what exactly is

pending. Know getting unredacted report and underlying evidence. It's amazing they are withholding all that. But read that classified info in the hands of an Impeachment committee has a whole set of other issues on useuability.

Forcing McGahn to testify, another. But if they decide exec privilege is not applicable, can't they just appeal that up the chain?