Ds plot impeachment as Trump rallies Rs

DTrump returns to Las Vegas today for a campaign rally. Even though his name won’t appear on the ballot until 2020, this fall’s election will have a large impact on his presidency.

Every president has an easier time advancing his agenda if his party retains control of Congress. For Trump, though, there’s more at stake this November than Republican policy goals.

Impeachment is a top priority of Democrat voters, even as Democrat leaders urge their candidates not to mention it. Last week, a CNN poll found that 78 percent of Democrats want to impeach Trump.

“There’sadifferenceinhow some of our leadership talk about howweshouldhandleallofthis,” Rep. Maxine Waters, D-calif., told a crowd recently. “They say, ‘Maxine, please don’t say impeachment anymore.’ And when they say that, I say, ‘Impeachment. Impeachment. Impeachment. Impeachment.’”

Subtle she isn’t, but at least she’s honest. So is Steven Horsford, the Democrat running in CD4. He supports impeachment. Democrat Susie Lee, running in CD3, dodged the question, telling the Review-journal that “discussions of impeachment are a distraction.” After trying to avoid answering, Senate candidate Rep. Jacky Rosen eventually said she doesn’t support impeachment — yet.

Expect those stances to change if either Lee or Rosen is elected.

Democrats have yet to articulate coherently a specific law that Trump has broken. They seem to view impeachment as a way to undo the results of the 2016 election.

Those are the stakes in November. Republicans will lose if their voters are apathetic. This is where Trump comes in. He holds an enormous appeal to a significant chunk of the electorate. He must convince them that they need to get out and vote for Republicans. Trump’s victory in 2016 didn’t guarnetee anything for the midterm election. Just ask Barack Obama. Today’s rally will undoubtedly help that cause.

But high-profile speeches aren’t enough. Die-hard Trump supporters aren’t a majority nationally or in Nevada. Trump must simultaneously rally the base and allow Republican candidates to woo moderate voters by establishing some distance from the president without losing his support. Showing more discipline on the presidential Twitter account would help too.

If congressional elections are about issues, like a booming economy and security, Republicans stand a good chance. If the election becomes a referendum on Trump, Democrats will dominate — with impeachment topping their agenda.