One year ago today, Chris announced the MyDD Polling Project:
Ever since the 2003 primary season, the notion of political blogs conducting or commissioning their own telephone polls has flickered to the surface every now and then. A few months ago, Impeach PAC became the first blog to actually go through with it, raising enough money to commission Zogby to run a poll on impeachment.
That was really cool and impressive stuff by Impeach PAC, but now here at MyDD we are going to take things at least one step further. As our first move in what we hope will become a semi-annual series of netroots commissioned polls, MyDD is going to commission a comprehensive nationwide poll that will ask twenty questions that most polling firms, especially those attached to commercial news organizations, seem unable to ask themselves.
The questions concerned Impeachment, and the results back then were that a plurality favored Congressional consideration of impeachment. Unfortunately, those polls are no longer being done, so any possible present desire (fervor?) for impeachment on the part of the electorate can be oh-so-conveniently ignored.
Ah, what to do? ....
Well, we seem to be at the same place today that we were at a year ago, so perhaps the same solution is applicable?
Unfortunately, Chris seems to have recently changed his mind on impeachment:
I'm not really sure why I am writing this piece, because I haven't seen much talk about it on MyDD. Also, I can't imagine people on either side of this issue changing their minds even a little bit based upon what I write. However, I would like to say a few things about why impeachment is not going to happen, and why I don't think the new Democratic majorities in congress should pursue impeachment:...
He then gives several reasons why impeachment is not the pragmatic thing to do right now.
But there are some here who are changing their minds on this:
Until today, I have not supported, given present circumstances, the impeachment of George W. Bush.
This must be clearly understood. I have always been in the pragmatist camp when talk of impeachment rolls around, and I remain unabashedly in that camp. To me, Markos was and remains 100% correct in his arguments against the impeachment of the President:
the future is much more important than the past;
the American people elected us to fix this country, not to involve ourselves in mind-numbing partisan imbroglios;
The Democrats have for the next two years an opportunity to show the American Public what we stand for and what we are made of, and to frame ourselves for a change;
impeaching the President would only leave Cheney in his place--and impeaching both of them to install Pelosi would be a grave miscarriage of American Democracy.
On all these things, I have changed my mind not a whit. I remain a proud and unashamed pragmatist. Allow me to explain, therefore, my change of heart and newfound support of impeachment below the fold.
If you didn't see that diary by thereisnospoon, at the top of the rec list a few days ago, I suggest you give it a look.
I just want to point out here that it is clear that the democrats in congress will not do enough, soon enough, to stop the train-wreck-in-progress that is the Bush "administration". He is in power, and he doesn't have to do anything that they (or we) want him to do. There is only one way to stop him from continuing to wreak havoc on the world, and the democrats won't do that because of a variety of reasons that I find to be less and less compelling as the Bush train plows through yet another heavily-populated stretch of track.
The people need to make their voices heard. They tried, with the last election, to be heard but the democrats apparently weren't listening carefully enough. Furthermore I have no doubt that there is considerably more public support for impeachment since it has become clear to all that Bush is not listening to them and never will.
Since there is no election in the near future and, besides, the demos seem to be a bit hard of hearing lately, there is only one way the people can speak: A Nationwide Poll on Impeachment. Since the major polling organizations won't do it (just like a year ago), we will have to do it (just like a year ago).
But this time things are a bit different. We have a democratic majority in both houses of congress, first of all. Impeachment is, at least, a possibility now. Equally importantly though, Bush has had an additional year since the last time the netroots commissioned its own polls to screw the pooch (and the country as well as the rest of the planet) even worse. Presumably that will add up to more support for impeachment.
But why listen to me? Why talk back and forth between each other on the blogs, telling ourselves that congress should or should not impeach Bush (and Cheney)? Why not get the message from the horse's mouth?
Hey kids, Let's Do a Poll! No, not in this diary. A real one!