Thread by @ElieNYC

My Twitter morning highlights an essential point I've been trying to make:
By not starting impeachment, Dem leadership has only accomplished making Dems fight with other Dems over... impeachment. INSTEAD OF FIGHTING THE REPUBLICANS.

We should be focused on whether REPUBLICANS will uphold the Constitution, but we can't get to that part, because we have to fight over whether Democrats will uphold the Constitution first.

If we were holding hearings, all these "should we start impeachment hearings" questions would be MOOT. Reluctant Dems would be getting on board with trying to hold a criminal President accountable.

Instead, leadership strategy is to tell the base to SHUT UP and accept defeat.
Then, once the base has been sufficiently ignored, Dem leadership will turn around and say "hey base, we really need your passion and energy for 2020!"

If we don't take back the Senate, we are lost, even if we win the White House. RIGHT NOW, there are vulnerable Republican Senators. Have we spent 6 weeks asking Susan Collins if she will acquit a criminal President? No, we've spent the time asking Pelosi if she will indict one.

Can you IMAGINE how the Republicans would be handling this in the reverse? They'd all be on ONE message "The most unpopular President in modern history is also a criminal, tune for tonight's Impeachment Games to see his lying sons squirm."

But whatever. Keep shouting at people like me for wanting to follow the Constitution. I'll keep shouting at Democratic leaders who will not. Mitch McConnell will cackle at all of us, as once again our diversity of thought metastasizes into an inability fight.

PS: 6 Republican Senators up for reelection who I would like to see run while voting to acquit a criminal President:
Collins, Susan M. (R-ME)
Cornyn, John (R-TX)
Ernst, Joni (R-IA)
Gardner, Cory (R-CO)
McSally, Martha (R-AZ)
Tillis, Thom (R-NC)

MAKE. THEM. VOTE.