Will Impeachment Be a Blip Compared to the Economy for North Carolina in 2020? | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's note: This post, by Ray Nothstine, was originally published in Civitas's online edition.

    Impeachment is all the rage in Washington D.C. It's the focus of the pundits and most news outlets and even President Donald Trump amps up the noise with his Twitter storms concerning impeachment. For a while, many Trump supporters have surmised that impeachment will be a big electoral boon for Republicans, and more specifically Trump himself. Some on the left, including Van Jones, think impeachment is a losing issue for Democrats as well. The thinking, of course, is former president Bill Clinton benefited in part from impeachment and an overreaching Republican Congress. Clinton was assisted from a booming economy and left the Oval Office in much better shape popularly and politically than when he came into office. But like the stock market, past results in politics are no guarantee of future returns.

    North Carolina could be shaping up to be more of a swing state than Ohio or Florida, yet while Trump is far from dominant, he is fairly stable here from a reelection standpoint. An October New York Times / Sienna Research Institute Poll has Trump leading former vice president Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The poll is not too different from the August Civitas Poll that shows Trump leading all Democratic challengers polled by a slim margin.

    Support for an impeachment inquiry is fairly split in North Carolina as Civitas President Donald Bryson notes below from a recent Civitas Poll:


    Despite partisan naysayers and politicos trying to talk down the economy, the stock market hit a record high on November 5. Unemployment remains historically low, wages for lower-income earners are rising, and consumer spending remains robust. Overall, North Carolina is experiencing a lot of economic growth and good news as well, despite small gains in unemployment compared to last year.

    It's easy to believe that the economy, whether strong or headed towards a downturn for 2020, will overshadow any impeachment talk. Trump's antics may test some pocketbook voters but if the economy remains strong Trump may not be as vulnerable as many speculate.

    Part of the problem for Democrats is they have been talking about impeachment long before any alleged law-breaking or a quid pro quo related to Ukraine. Back in January before even taking office, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib said they are going to go in there and "are gonna impeach the mother ****er." (Warning explicit language at link). That plays into the partisan nature of impeachment and our bitterly divided politics. Many Americans may not be looking for a unifying type of candidate. They are entrenched within their tribal politics, and neither Trump or the Democrats appear to be offering anything outside of that. A strong economy may swing enough independents to Republicans and vice versa.

    While it's much too early to say whether impeachment will be positive or negative for Trump, I still expect economic indicators to play a much bigger role than even the continued talk over impeachment, which is starting to feel more and more partisan as time drags on.
Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




Architecture Programs Need a Change: Put People First—Not ‘Art’ Civitas Institute, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics Is Cooper Choosing Corporate Handouts and Tax Breaks Over NC Teachers?


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

President Joe Biden took direct aim at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during a recent interview, referring to him simply as “the guy who likes to spend a lot of time on yachts.”
The best way the county and city can help hold down inflation is to resist all tax increases
Pope Francis lambasted leftist gender ideology during an address this week, warning that it presented an extreme danger to mankind.
amnesty would just encourage more illegal aliens to storm our borders
The Christmas candy was barely off the shelves when the Valentine’s candy appeared. Red and pink hearts with caramel and nut-filled chocolate goodness caught our eye. We are reminded of how we love love. Young love, especially.
far left sugar daddy has also funded anti-Israel groups and politicians in US
Be careful what you wish for, you may get it
America needs to wake up and get its priorities right

HbAD1

Former President Donald Trump suggested this week that if he becomes president again, he might allow Prince Harry to be deported.
It's a New Year, which means it's time to make resolutions — even for prominent evangelical leaders. The Babylon Bee asked the following well-known figures in the faith what they hope to accomplish in 2024:
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic, reportedly the first time a president or vice president has visited an abortion facility.
An eight-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville has been temporarily closed due to a string of “human and bear interactions,” the National Parks Service announced.
University of Wisconsin tried to punish conservatives for the fact that liberals regularly commit crimes to silence opposition
most voters think EU officials not doing a good job on illegal immigration
Come from behind by GOP candidate is a blueprint to 2024
Biden spending and energy policies to blame

HbAD2

 
Back to Top