Two Democratic members of the House of Representatives, Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, voted against a resolution passed on October 31 calling for an inquiry into the impeachment of President Trump. And — as was noted in an article posted by The New American on November 25 — “an increasing number of Democrats in swing districts are getting ‘cold feet’ about going through with an impeachment vote on President Donald Trump.”
Van Drew said in an October 31 statement: “Today, I voted Nay on H. Res. 660. Without bipartisan support I believe this inquiry will further divide the country tearing it apart at the seams and will ultimately fail in the Senate.”
Four days after the vote, Peterson released a statement that said: “This impeachment process continues to be hopelessly partisan. I have been hearing from my constituents on both sides of this matter for months, and the escalation of calls this past week just shows me how divided our country really is right now.”
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In an interview with USA Today published on December 1, Van Drew said he dislikes the president’s “rudeness” at times, but agrees with some of his positions and doesn’t consistently rebuff the president as some of his Democratic colleagues have.
“My job isn’t really to like or dislike him,” Van Drew said in the interview. “My job is to exact as much goodwill and help for my district and for this nation and for this world that I possibly can while he’s president.”
After the impeachment resolution passed the House, USA Today quoted Peterson as saying that he had “some serious concerns” about the way the closed-door depositions have been handled and that he was “skeptical that we will have a process that is open, transparent and fair.”
“I have been hearing from my constituents on both sides of this matter for months, and the escalation of calls this past week just shows me how divided our country really is right now,” he said.
Peterson’s rural district in western Minnesota voted for Donald Trump by over 30 percent in 2016.
Every Republican in the House voted against the impeachment resolution, although former Republican, now independent, Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan voted in favor of it.
The November 25 article in The New American observed that as the Democrats in the House have held impeachment “inquiry” hearings, a YouGov Survey has found that an eight-point increase in Trump’s approval rating and support for impeachment has been falling.
The article noted:
Attempting to remove a duly elected president via the impeachment process tends to energize the members of his political party, unless the other party can unearth some solid reasons to impeach.
That is one reason why Democrats in the 31 House districts that are presently held by a Democrat, but which Trump carried in the presidential contest of 2016, are getting worried. If Trump was able to win a district in 2016, there is a good chance he will carry a Republican House candidate into that district on his coattails.
Photo: Toshe_O/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Warren Mass has served The New American since its launch in 1985 in several capacities, including marketing, editing, and writing. Since retiring from the staff several years ago, he has been a regular contributor to the magazine. Warren writes from Texas and can be reached at [email protected].
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