Alwaght- The US House of Representatives intensifies its push to collect information and evidence regarding President Donald Trump’s call for the Ukrainian counterpart to deliver information around alleged corruption of the Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden as the Trump impeachment case unfolds. Over the past few months, many figures were subpoenaed and there have been reports about Trump administration’s employees accepting to cooperate with the inquiry. The developments have been making a splash on both mainstream and online media and heavily attracting public attention.
On Tuesday, Gordon Sondland, a crucial witness in the impeachment inquiry reversed himself and acknowledged to investigators that he had told a top Ukrainian official that the country would most likely have to give President Trump what he wanted — a public pledge for investigations — in order to unlock military aid. He earlier had said he knew nothing of this message from Trump.
Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, in largely revelational comments said that Sondland told her to praise Trump in tweets and media if she wanted to save her job position. According to her testimony, she was told by Sondland to “go big or go home” in support of the president. She adds that he told her to praise Trump in tweets. However, even though the House is tightening its encirclement of the president, there is no consensus between the American experts and lawmakers on the conclusion of Trump's impeachment.
Big Democratic gamble, small chance of success
The success of Trump's impeachment requires the two-thirds affirmative vote of the Senate. The Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, which means an anti-Trump consensus is highly unlikely. A victory in the impeachment will undermine the Republican chance to win the 2020 presidential elections.
From another aspect, the reality continues to pose to the Democrats that a majority of the middle-class voters care about the economic conditions. Since Trump assumed the office in 2017, the American economy grew acceptably, the inflation rate come to meet the Federal Reserves lines, the employment rates decreased, and the unemployment for African-Americans and Hispanics have been in their “lowest level in history.” This situation motivated an increase in worker salaries, making them break with the tough days of the post-2008 economic recession. Democrats, thus, do their best to block Trump’s way to the 2020 elections.
Some may think that if Trump weather’s the impeachment, he will no longer see an obstacle ahead to win the presidential race. But this is not all of the story.
Propaganda campaign: Democratic counterattack to “America first” slogan
The observers and analysts circulate the idea that the elections in the US are directly tied to the injection of money and propaganda into the campaigns. In other words, a costlier campaign brings a bigger chance of victory. In the meantime, the Democrats by launching the impeachment inquiry can grant themselves free pre-election campaign as they call the media attention, even if they fail to win the case.
Additionally, the impeachment inquiry can serve as an appropriate tool to challenge Trump’s most important electoral slogan “America first.” His critics have repeatedly accused the president of employing the government resources for financial and political interests. This was glaringly apparent, they say, when Trump in October said he will host next year's G7 summit at his gulf resort in Miami.
Now and in Ukraine-gate case, Trump is accused of tying the military assistance to Kyiv to Ukraine’s investigation of Biden and his son’s corruption case. This, the critics argue, is the brazen abuse of foreign relations and the Department of State for personal interests. This can provide the Democrats with a viable pretext to challenge Trump’s America first policy.
And Trump’s efforts to drag the foreign countries into the elections not only raises afresh the Russian meddling worries but also instrumentalizes the American nationalism for the Democrats against Trump.
The doors are not closed yet to the Democrats. Their retaking of the House from the Republicans in November 2018 midterm election despite Trump’s show of strength by improving the economic conditions bears witness to this.
