Thread by @julianzelizer

Though the odds of Republicans breaking with POTUS remain low, I don’t think the cw about this being "impossible" is correct given the dramatic information being revealed on an hourly basis./1

Let’s remember, though party polarization was not as strong in 1973-1974, it took a long time before Republicans broke ranks with President Richard Nixon—and they eventually did./2
nytimes.com/2018/08/13/opi…

Right now there are several concerns about the Trump presidency, all central to the impeachment investigation, which could move Republicans to see beyond their short-term partisan interests./3

In other words, there is a conservative case for impeachment, which I outlined in my recent @CNNOpinion column./4
cnn.com/2019/09/25/opi…

@CNNOpinion Restraining presidential power: Conservatives abandoned this key anti-government principle with Nixon. But a vote on Trump's abuse of power would allow the party to demonstrate that they still care about the executive branch having excessive authority./5
amazon.com/Presidency-Geo…

@CNNOpinion National Security: Fighting against election interference and providing aid to allies should not be conditional on governments digging up campaign dirt. 7 moderate Democrats with military experience decided enough is enough. Let’s see if the GOP feels the same way./6

@CNNOpinion Law and Order: Republicans have sat by quietly as POTUS trampled over institutions that uphold law and order, circumvented campaign finance laws, and obstructed investigations. The impeachment process gives Republicans a chance to show whether they care about these values./7

@CNNOpinion Finally, unless the revelations change dramatically, impeachment and the removal of President Trump would mean President Mike Pence. This does not change the balance of party power and it could potentially strengthen the position of the GOP./8

@CNNOpinion Once again, the odds of Republicans defecting are low. But this impeachment is not a "radical" campaign. Several core conservative values are on the line. It's possible that some Republicans see the light as well as the enormous long-term cost of being the party of Trump./end

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