The push for President Donald Trump's immediate removal from office is not quite what it claims to be. It is not an attempt by senior Democrat leaders to punish the president, nor is it an effort to stop a last-minute nuclear war, as indicated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). In fact, the whole theatrical maneuver appears geared toward one outcome: stop President Trump from getting back into office.
On Jan. 11, Democrats failed to get unanimous Senate consent to proceed with the immediate removal of the president, but this is just a bump in the road. Not to be dissuaded, Pelosi said that she would move immediately to another avenue of impeachment and removal.
Despite four years of media carnage and almost two impeachments, the president remains a political force who could severely damage Democrats in 2022 and 2024. Job approval polling since the Nov. 3 election for Trump has not remained steady -- it has increased!
According to Rasmussen Reports, in the weeks before and after Christmas, the president's approval hovered around 46%; it is now at 48%. On top of this, his total disapproval rate has dropped by three points since New Year's Eve. Naturally, the majority of this support comes from Republicans, of whom 79% were in favor of supporting Trump during the Electoral College certification.
An Election Machine
Many Republican lawmakers may not see Trump as their party's future, but they didn't in 2016, either. After failing to make much of a dent in the early primaries and despite a studied lack of enthusiasm from the GOP, the New York businessman went on to claim a roaring victory. And he could do it again.
There is little doubt that he would have the automatic backing of at least some of the primary voting pool; with his extraordinary ability to fundraise, much of the early field would be whittled away in short order. Assuming the GOP would allow him in their sandpit, polling suggests 2024 could be an easy nomination for Trump.
Polarizing Numbers
It is not, however, all sunshine and rainbows for the president. According to Scott Rasmussen, a sizable number of voters believe Trump should be behind bars. He writes:
"But the deep and growing divide in our nation today was highlighted by a polling question I never expected to ask: Forty-three percent of voters believe that President Donald Trump should be arrested after he leaves office. A nearly identical number — 44% — disagree. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure."
In fact, polling results do show a fractured nation, but more importantly fractured parties. Over 70% of Republican likely voters feel that Joe Biden did not win the election fairly, which is not a major surprise, but 14% of Democrat voters agree with this sentiment.
Nowhere to Run to, Baby
Trump's political opponents will likely launch lawsuits aplenty with the hopes of either putting him away or moving him off. Because it is not that the Democratic Party needs to avoid mere failure during the next Congress, it needs to show success.
Having the trifecta of House, Senate, and White House may be a dream come true for a newly inaugurated president, but it comes with a caveat: Everything that goes wrong will be the Democrats' fault.
Should the Constitution take a beating during the first two years of the Biden presidency, it seems almost a certainty that the Democrats' favorite bogeyman will be on hand not only to point out the flaws in their governance but also to make political hay.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
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