Democrat Memo: Tell Voters Anti-Impeachment Lawmakers Are ‘Failing to Fulfill Their Oath of Office’

Democrat leadership is encouraging caucus members to tell voters that Republicans who oppose an impeachment inquiry are “failing to fulfill their oath of office,” according to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) memo summarizing its internal pollster’s findings on impeachment sentiments in key congressional districts.

The results of the DCCC’s internal polling did not show overwhelming support for impeachment in key congressional districts, spelling trouble for Democrats in those vulnerable districts. According to the DCCC’s pollster’s findings, an impeachment inquiry is only “slightly favorable,” 49-48 percent.

The internal poll also found that, nationally, “voters back a Democrat who supports an impeachment investigation over a Republican who opposes an impeachment investigation by 11 points.” That stands in stark contrast to the results of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) internal polling released this month, showing voters favoring a Republican opposing impeachment over a Democrat supporting impeachment.

Voters were asked:

And, thinking ahead to the next election, would you be more willing to vote for: A Democratic candidate for Congress who believes that President Trump should be impeached and removed from office … or … A Republican candidate for Congress who believes that President Trump’s actions do not rise to an impeachable offense and that voters should be allowed to decide for themselves in next year’s elections.

Fifty percent chose a Republican, and 42 percent chose a Democrat. The results were even wider in Trump-won, Democrat-held districts, with 54 percent choosing a Republican and 38 percent choosing a Democrat, giving Republicans a 16-point advantage in battleground districts.

There is, however, a similarity between the two internal polls. Both show that voters are not overwhelmingly sold on the Democrats’ impeachment efforts.

DCCC chairwoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL) sent Democrats a memo outlining a series of talking points in hopes of bolstering support for their impeachment-driven agenda. The memo encourages Democrats to repeat that Trump “abused his power” and “put himself above the law.”

“Abuse of power” happens to be one of the original Pelosi-approved keywords Democrats are encouraged to repeat to drive home the impeachment narrative.

The memo also encourages Democrats to accuse GOP lawmakers, who oppose an impeachment inquiry, of “failing to fulfill their oath of office.”

Per the memo:

1. When discussing Trump’s actions, keep the language simple, direct and valuesbased: President Trump abused his power and put himself above the law when he asked the Ukrainian President to interfere in the U.S. election.

2. Emphasize the core value that no one is above the law. Incumbent members who support the inquiry are simply working to uphold the rule of law and Republicans who oppose the inquiry are failing to fulfill their oath of office.

3. The whistleblower did the right thing by coming forward – members of Congress have a duty to protect this person, and Trump is wrong to threaten this person and impugn their character or motives.

4. Demonstrate your constant focus on the biggest issues facing families in the country, specifically health care and wages. These issues continue to out-rank impeachment as priorities for voters, especially swing voters. By focusing on these and
local issues, you can show voters that you know how to focus on their top priorities, while also navigating the impeachment inquiry.

The internal poll also indicated that Democrat messaging on the impeachment inquiry resonates better with voters. However, the messaging used for Republicans was not necessarily worded in the GOP’s favor.

For example, one of the Republican arguments was as follows: “Democrats are sore losers who can’t accept that Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the last election, so now they are trying to impeach Trump to steal the next election”:

The memo sent to the Democratic caucus tonight also details message testing for Democratic and GOP messages on impeachment, finding Dem messages more convincing pic.twitter.com/ZjzAPXSZW9

— Bridget Bowman (@bridgetbhc) October 18, 2019

The impeachment battle continues to fester in the nation’s capital and could come to fruition before the holidays, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warning GOP senators on Wednesday to gear up for an impeachment trial in the Senate.