With the bulk of the Senate impeachment trial to begin on Tuesday, now is the time for the Democratic nationwide message to be that we call on Trump to resign.
This would exactly echo Nixon’s resignation, forced by his own Republican Party at the time. Now, as they did then, the Republican Party needs to show that they are willing to put the best interests of the country ahead of their own politics, by avoiding a divisive and ugly impeachment trial.
Democratic leaders need to be on every Saturday night news program, every Sunday front page and editorial column, and on every Sunday morning political program, and on all the airwaves until Tuesday, calling on Trump to resign.
The evidence of his guilt is inescapable, regardless of if McConnell will allow its inclusion in the Senate trial or not. So by continuing to defend Trump, and even moving forward with a Senate trial even if he avoid being removed, this will all serve to damage his re-election chances in November, a prospect that the Republican Party has to take seriously. Even if they can keep witness testimony and documents of Trump’s guilt out of the trial itself, it will make its way into the attack ads, the debates, and all the political rallies to drive out the vote, leading up to November. They would be better off having Trump resign now, so they can get together a reasonable Primary process for a replacement.
As it stands now, even if the Senate trial goes McConnell’s and Trump’s way, the ugliness that it is sure to bring, will not only seriously threaten Trump’s re-election, but the re-election of several GOP Senators, such as Susan Collins, Cory Gardner, Martha McSalley, and Thom Tillis. Forcing Trump to resign now, may not avoid one or two of them still going down in defeat, but it will give McConnell and the GOP their best chance at retaining a Senate majority.
Setting the Democratic message now that Trump’s resignation is best for the Republicans, and best for the country, also serves the Democrat Party’s best interests. As shown by how Pelosi has leveraged impeachment, this saga is proving to damage Republicans all up and down the ticket this year. Trump has been the primary reason the Republican Party has lost significant and key seats in multiple midterm elections now. The impeachment process is going to make it so 2020 will likewise result in Trump dragging the GOP further down. One thing swing voters are known to do, after all, is punish corruption when they see it. Sending the message now that Republicans have a choice of removing Trump themselves, but are choosing not to, explicitly puts their whole contingent in the camp of supporting and having a hand in the corruption in DC.
By sending the clear message that the Democratic Party demands Trump resign, we can set the framing of the story that we are doing what is best for the country. The trial is sure to bring much division and unrest to the country, and has already proven to have done so. Voluntarily resigning, Trump can also send the message that he is doing what is best for the country — but likewise, continuing to take us down this dangerous path proves that he is putting his own personal self-interests and grip on power over the interests of the country.
Again, this message is not for Trump’s rabid base, but for the larger and more effectual collection of swing and undecided voters, who strive to put the country’s interests ahead of pure political ideology.
Either Trump resigns, and spares the country and his own Party a huge amount of political damage, or continue to back Trump, and risk losing their own seats, not just Trump’s. That tradeoff that the Republican Party is making, needs to be highlighted and amplified.
That Republicans have been allowed to largely shape the impeachment narrative is regrettable. But with this change in the Party’s stance — calling on Trump to resign — the political scales will decisively lean back in the Democratic Party’s favor.