Democrats Must Not Put All Eggs in Trump Impeachment Basket
By: Dr. Munr Kazmir
Tags: Politics, Economy, Democrats, Trump, Election 2020

Democrats are completely distracted by their latest attempts to end the Trump presidency via impeachment proceedings. Meanwhile, Trump’s numbers keep coming up roses.

If Democratic attempts to impeach Trump fail, which they are likely to do, what is to become of House Democrats and their majority?

Whistleblowers are interesting, no doubt about it. They just aren’t very considerate to district constituencies, or the Congressional schedule. They don’t brake for election years. Well, perhaps they do.

Meanwhile, Democrats are forgetting a key principle of scaling-up, which is vital for success in a Democracy like ours; there are far more poor people than there are wealthy elites.

Everyone wants to shop at Bloomingdales; everyone actually shops at Wal-Mart. That is why hawking your merchandise at Wal-Mart is where the big money is. At least, that is where it was. Just ask billionaires Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.

They didn’t retire billionaires on a former child-star’s salary.

Democrats need to wake-up and pay attention: Something interesting has been happening in the last decade, a demographic shift has taken place that has almost escaped our notice.

According to a 2019 Bookings study, Democrats, once the party of the working-class, defender of the everyman, now control 26 of the 30 wealthiest congressional districts in the country. While Republicans only control 4 of them.

In 2008, Democrats controlled 18 of the wealthiest districts, Republicans 12.

This trend is true in reverse as well: In 2008, Democrats controlled 22 of the nation’s poorest districts, Republicans 8. In 2019, the poorest districts are evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.

This is sea-change.

It is due in part to the progressive-activist wing of the Democratic Party, ever more vocal since seat wins in 2018 gave Democrats the House majority. These liberal firebrands are pushing the party ever more leftward. That they are doing so at the expense of moderate Democrats is without question.

Just who these moderate Democrats being pushed out of the party are, is another matter entirely. Progressive-activists are far more likely to be wealthy, educated to a post-graduate level, and overwhelmingly, white. Only 3% of progressive activists are African-American, for instance.

One of the major problems with a wholesale party embrace of identity politics is the danger of falling victim to the monolithic voting block idea; that entire swaths of certain demographics think alike, and will vote alike.

Hispanic immigrants, for instance, have a higher tendency to be religiously observant, a factor that favors largely into behavior at the voting booth.

Then there is the largest voting block of them all, which isn’t monolithic in any way save one:

Poor people, working-class people, and the middle class care about the economy. Deeply.

Democrats competing for the Democratic nomination for President may have left the economy and economic growth out of their last few debates and campaign speeches; that will not make it go away.

A press friendly to Democrats can posit on the likelihood of a recession, but no journalist can trick our economy into one.

The September jobs report was another robust one, with numbers for the previous months revised upward. The U.S. is looking at the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years.

Wage growth has benefitted wage-earners on the lowest end of the pay scale more than any other group. Key demographics that have traditionally voted Democrat, like Hispanics and African-Americans, are seeing all-time record low unemployment at 3.9% and 5.5% respectively.

The unemployment rate for women has fallen to 66-year low of 3.1%. With the new North American Trade agreement likely to pass soon, these numbers are only likely to get better. A partial trade agreement with China, announced today, will likely help even more.

Consumer confidence and sentiment, as we move into the all-important retail holiday season, is also surging.

As a result, Donald Trump is enjoying the highest approval rating of his presidency, with a higher rating than former President Barack Obama at this time during his own reelection campaign.

The Ukraine kerfuffle doesn’t seem to be hurting Trump’s numbers as much as some polls seem to suggest. Then again, these are the same polls which predicted a Hillary Clinton landslide in 2016.

There doesn’t seem to have been a clear quid pro quo on the Ukrainian call in question, as Democrats have suggested. No threats were made. Even the Ukrainian President himself has stated that he was not being pressured.

More news outlets seem to be reporting on the conduct of the Bidens, which many Americans seem to believe was inappropriate, if not illegal.

In worse news for Democrats hoping the impeachment gambit will pay off, Trump and the RNC have been fundraising hand over fist since news of the House impeachment inquiry broke.

Together, they have raised over $125 million last quarter, including 50,000 new small donors; more than all the Democratic hopefuls combined.

Democrats in swing districts, as well as Democratic voters hoping for a return to Obama-era normalcy in politics, should hope that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats in leadership have a backup plan in case impeachment fails.

(contributing writer, Brooke Bell)