Thread by @julianzelizer

At least for now, polls suggest that the @realDonaldTrump impeachment is not playing out like the Clinton impeachment/1
washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-…

@realDonaldTrump The predictions that the two would unfold the same way were based on several misleading comparisons/2

@realDonaldTrump Trump is not Clinton. The substance of the charges being leveled against Trump are far more serious. Furthermore, the record of how Trump has abused presidential power is greater than his predecessor. Peeling back the onion on this one keeps making things infinitely worse/3

@realDonaldTrump The Mueller Report was not the Starr Report. Mueller’s weighty report laid the groundwork to understand the Ukraine scandal, from Trump's willingness to look overseas for campaign support to obstructing an investigation. Unlike Starr, Mueller never came to be seen as partisan/4

@realDonaldTrump @SpeakerPelosi is not Gingrich. She has been judicious entering into impeachment, to the frustration of liberals, and continues to handle the process in deliberative fashion. In 1998, Americans responded as much to the way that Republicans handled the process as the substance/5

@realDonaldTrump @SpeakerPelosi Democrats have been openly divided about impeachment until recently, making this decision appear much less partisan/6

@realDonaldTrump @SpeakerPelosi Yes the world of the news media is more partisan and fragmented. While that means that Trump can count on ongoing support from Fox News, it also means there are more media outlets that will be supportive of the process/7

@realDonaldTrump @SpeakerPelosi Trump’s willingness to obstruct is unlike his predecessors—even Nixon. Mueller made this clear. His lack of respect for institutions, norms, and process means he will do almost anything/8

@realDonaldTrump @SpeakerPelosi Each impeachment is unique. The three previous cases played out in a distinct historical context. The process of impeachment is also unpredictable given that we don’t know exactly what will come out of the investigation/9
politico.com/magazine/story…

@realDonaldTrump @SpeakerPelosi Finally, some analysts were correctly skeptical about whether the Clinton impeachment hurt Republicans as much as some people argued/10
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

@realDonaldTrump @SpeakerPelosi We have no idea how this will play out politically. The impeachment could end up backfiring on the Democrats. We don't know. But right now a majority of the public seems to support House Democrats./end

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