NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSBORNE) -- Tennessee Congressional Rep. Steve Cohen continues to agitate for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, but nearly a month after taking charge in the U.S. House of Representatives there’s no sign his fellow Democrats plan to oblige.
Longtime mid-state poll watchers from both sides of the political divide say that’s the right move.
Middle Tennessee State political scientist Kent Sylersays Democrats like Cohen should take a page from history. He notes Republicans lost seats in Congress after trying to oust then President Bill Clinton. He believes voters punished the GOP for overreaching.
“Even though they didn’t approve of what President Clinton did, they didn’t see it as something that warranted removal from office. I think that’s a lesson that Democrats can learn from as they talk about impeaching President Donald Trump.”
Syler says voters will need to see clear evidence of a crime before they’re likely to support impeachment. In addition, he says it would be a mistake for Democrats to proceed unless they have Republican support.
Nashville based Republican operative Tom Ingram agrees on both counts. He says politicians on the right and left are misjudging the mood of the nation.
“They don’t realize just how seriously tired and frustrated people in the hinterlands are with them just being partisan politicians, instead of working together to get things done.”
Ingram says that in spite of the heated political rhetoric and discord, Democrats have not yet convinced voters that the president has committed an impeachable offense.