Memo: GOP seizes Pelosi's position on dismissal

Republicans seize the president Nancy PelosiNancy Patricia D'Alesandro PelosiDeVos asks religious groups to provide federally funded services to private schools Night health care – presented by CMAM – Dems pleads for a bill authorizing federal funding for health care. abortion | Key Republican says Dems has ruled out talks on the price of drugs | US Court upholds Ohio law to reduce funding for Planned Parenthood | Trump hires FDA acting chief, Dems, in Pelosi, during the removal of Trump PLUS'S (D-Calif.) Comments on curbing indictment proceedings President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Governor of New York, Cuomo, asks the FAA to stop the Boeing 737: the Pentagon signs a directive to implement the military ban on transgender DeVos authorizes religious groups to provide services funded by the federal government to private schools. – and their reaction could exacerbate democratic tensions on the issue.

Some of the president's supporters argue that Pelosi's comments in an interview with The Washington Post amount to admitting that there is insufficient evidence to initiate impeachment proceedings.

Other pro-Trump voices congratulate Pelosi for recognizing – in their view – the political reality that an impeachment effort could easily turn against the Democrats, while the GOP campaign against President Clinton had undermined congressional Republicans in the 1990s.

"I think she is aware of the political mistake that would be to tackle Trump," said Barry Bennett, senior advisor of Trump's 2016 campaign. "There is no way the Senate can do anything and [Democrats] would look like a group of leftist extremists. "

Another Trump supporter, Brad Blakeman, echoed Pelosi's comments in the Post that an indictment would divide the country and that "it's just not worth it".

"When the leader of the Democratic Party says it's not worth it, it's not worth it," said Blakeman, a senior staff member of President George W. Bush's White House. "It's not because she gives him a pass. This is because there are no serious crimes and offenses. They are just deflated so there is nothing left.

The fact that Pelosi's words were greeted with such a warm welcome from Trump supporters will only aggravate the democratic malaise.

The President has a needle that is difficult to put on. The inflammatory members of his conference and a sizeable segment of the democratic base hate Trump, consider him ethically unfit to be president and want to overthrow him as quickly as possible.

More moderate and pragmatic figures, including most congressional leaders, are wary of the impeachment procedures, partly out of fear that such an effort will harm centrist voters.

In particular, it is to be feared that the Democrats can not be considered as an attempt to defeat Trump for revenge, having failed to do so at the polls in 2016.

The president's relatives are seeking to exacerbate democratic tensions.

Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary for Trump's bid for the 2020 re-election, issued a statement Tuesday in which he was urged by Democrats to say they "agreed with the president" that Trump should not be dismissed, or ready to "risk fracturing the country by bowing to radicalism". members of their party who want to deprive the American people of their rights and reverse the legitimate and legitimate outcome of the last elections? "

Pelosi's remarks, however, left room for interpretation. She was clear about the fact that she was not favoring dismissal at this point, but she seemed to leave the door ajar to allow such movement along the line.

"The impeachment is so divisive for the country that, unless something so compelling and damning and bipartisan, I do not think we should go that route," she told La Poste .

It is possible that the investigation conducted by a special advocate Robert MuellerRobert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud Mueller's choice to lead the investigation on Russia, or one of the many Congressionally led and Democrat-led polls in Trump, could produce something attractive and overwhelming enough in Pelosi's mind to justify after all an incitement to impeachment.

Pelosi could also play his own political games, now telegraphing his reluctance, only as a pretext to defend later the cause of the dismissal.

Meanwhile, other voices in his conference insist on a harder line.

representative Al GreenAlexander (Al) N. GreenDems flock to Pelosi for the removal of Trump Texas Dem promises to force the vote on the dismissal, defying Pelosi Ocasio-Cortez does not think the removal of Trump is withdrawn MORE (D-Texas) told reporters Tuesday that he would continue to seek Trump's indictment, saying "it's really not so much the president that counts as what he does." This is his harmful behavior for society. "

The biggest new star on the left, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezGreenpeace distancing itself from Ocasio-Cortez's criticism Ocasio-Cortez says democracy may have a "Facebook problem" Putting things straight on GND and modern monetary theory MORE (DN.Y.), stated that she personally thought that Trump should be dismissed, although she pointed out in an interview with Bloomberg that she had not interpreted the comments of Pelosi as an effort to "interrupt the conversation".

Ocasio-Cortez said, "If we do not agree, we have the responsibility to put forward our arguments and take this argument into account."

More cautious voices within the Democratic Party note that, for the moment, support for Trump's dismissal remains a minority opinion.

In a survey conducted by Monmouth University between March 1st and 4th, adults were asked if Trump was to be "deposed and forced to leave the presidency". Forty-two percent of respondents were in favor and 54% were opposed.

A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University with registered voters on the same dates has created a larger gap, even if it simply asked them whether Congress should "start the process" to remove and possibly eliminate Trump.

It found 35% of people in favor and 59% of opponents – a finding virtually unchanged from the last time Quinnipiac answered this question, about three months ago.

Independent observers also question whether an impeachment effort may complicate the efforts of the Democratic Party to reclaim the White House in 2020 – not only because it could provoke a brutal reaction, but also because it could absorb a much of the available political oxygen.

"If they fail to send it back, they will simply distract everyone's attention," said Grant Reeher, professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.

Referring to the divisions within the Democratic Party, Reeher added, "This is a discussion among some Democrats who might have a better sense of strategic thinking about the election and who think there are good reasons to go ahead with the dismissal, [for whom] it is the principle of the thing. "

In this respect, at least, Republicans feel that the weather is good for them.

Blakeman, the veteran of the Bush administration, argued that as the 2020 elections draw near, the less likely it is for Democrats to try to dismiss Trump.

"They do not have the time to impeach and the 2020 elections on a double track," he said. "Either they will beat it at the polls, or they will find themselves in a political stalemate. … they do not have time.

The memo is a column of Niall Stanage, mainly devoted to the presidency of Donald Trump.