California billionaire Tom Steyer’s latest impeach-Trump push is in New York’s Times Square. But the Democratic donor’s $20 million drive to gather petition signatures has unlikely opposition.
Democrats.
Ben Mathis-Lilley of Slate said: “Jim Newell laid out Democratic leaders’ argument against making the impeachment of Donald Trump an immediate priority. The case, in short, is that such a push would divert political capital (and literal capital) away from the more pressing goals of 1) resisting specific Trump policy measures and 2) contesting the 2018 races that will be crucial to gaining enough power in Congress to actually win an impeachment vote. It’s a good argument!”
The site’s “Impeach-O-Meter” was lowered five points “out of spite toward Tom Steyer” to 45 percent chance of impeachment.
In a New York Daily News column, NY1 News political reporter Errol Louis said: “I greatly prefer grassroots organizing to the ads-and-billboard approach. The weakness of blanket media appeals is that one’s opponent — in this case, Donald Trump — can simply come up with snappier slogans, brighter colors and bouncier music, and sway crowds in a different direction.”
Louis noted how Richard Nixon beat George McGovern in a monster landslide in the 1972 presidential vote but that “two years later, late-night comedians joked about how hard it was to find anybody who’d voted for him.”
“So even if Steyer is right, it will take some time — and the operation of key, trusted democratic institutions — before the public will be fully ready to decide yea or nay on impeachment,” Louis writes.
Typical of that strain:
RNC responds to Tom Steyer’s new impeachment ads: “At this point, Tom Steyer should just light his money on fire. Even Democrats like Nancy Pelosi are calling his baseless ad campaign a distraction.” https://t.co/D2o69Km8SZ
— Toluse Olorunnipa (@ToluseO) November 20, 2017