‘Twas the night before impeachment, and all through the dome,
Not a creature was stirring, they’d all gone home.
The gavel was placed in its drawer for safekeeping,
And only the mice heard the janitors sweeping.
Yes, I could turn this entire well-known Christmas poem into an impeachment-themed romp. But impeachment is no laughing matter. There is no time for frivolity.
It is time to send a message to certain Democrat congressional representatives whose days in office may be numbered if they vote to impeach President Trump. First we turn to an informative article in The Hill, which concisely breaks down GOP prospects for taking control of the House of Representatives in 2020.
Max Greenwood has delivered a good summary. For numerologists, there are four numbers in play: 55 Democrat-held districts that the GOP has targeted; 31 Democrat-held districts that Trump won in 2016; 20 seats (roughly) Republicans need to take back the lower chamber; 13 Democrat-held seats in districts the president won by more than six points in 2016.
It is the unlucky 13 that go under the magnifying glass today. The following office-holders (named alongside Trump’s margin of victory) are in trouble whether they vote to impeach or not. If they go along with the Schiff/Nadler madness, their political demise will be the easiest for Republicans to effect. The defeat of only seven more like them could flip the House.
Cue the opening tolls of AC-DC’s “Hell’s Bells.”
Jared Golden (D-Maine) +10
Golden is a veteran of Afghanistan, and thus earns respect. But under “Healthcare,” his website reveals that he believes “…our country needs to move towards a universal coverage system…” Non-starter? Ask Elizabeth Warren. Remember those Trump visits to Maine for one electoral vote? Golden will.
Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) nearly +7
Another relatively conservative Democrat worthy of a smidgen of respect, but she throws a wrench in the works with her fealty to unsettled climate change theory. She believes “we need to think about environmental security the way we think about homeland security.”
Michael Moore is optimistic she’ll hold; Ted Nugent is betting Trump has a “stranglehold” on this former Blue Wall state.
Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) nearly +31
Andy Kim (D-N.J.) +6
Another centrist Democrat who supports a “big bold infrastructure plan to rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges, and tunnels.” Join the club, Andy, but if you vote to impeach while infrastructure progress languishes, you may be out of town on a rail. Governor Christie, phone home, and help beat this guy.
Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) +10
Another Democrat who waxes moderate on her website—she excludes criminal aliens from her generous positions on “Dreamers” and other immigrants–but expect full-on support for “mass sanctuary” should this first-termer survive. Not surprisingly, there were questionable vote-handling and counting practices surrounding her 2016 win.
Here’s hoping the only question after November 3, 2020, will be: Xochitl who?
Max Rose (D-N.Y.) nearly +10
One of the final moderate Democrats to come out in favor of the impeachment inquiry, this flip-flopper initially wrote an op-ed against impeachment. So much for rugged individualism. With this margin for Trump and an impeachment vote, send lilies, not roses.
Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.) nearly +7
Some things just don’t figure. One of those things his how this individual ever got elected upstate given his turn as a rapper whose lyrics included profane sexual content, rants against white supremacy, and—wait for it—the n-word. Democrats objected to a Republican ad exposing Delgado’s “musical” exploits, but they’ll stop at nothing to smear their GOP opponents.
What we need here is a rousing rendition of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) +15
On Halloween night, after holding out on impeachment in fear for his seat, Brindisi finally signaled his support for the Schiff-show. If New York voters come out for the home-state boy on election night, Brindisi will join Delgado in what we’ll euphemistically call the Democrats’ “final resting place.”
Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) roughly +13
Credit must extend to Representative Horn for usurping GOP district hegemony for first time in 40 years. Her website reads like a something out of a 1962 Republicans for Kennedy manifesto, but all voters in Trump Country need to know is that Horn supports granting citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants. This touchy-feely nonsense is exactly the reason America is in danger of being flooded by an immigrant invasion. First, it’s the anchor children, then the anchor cousins, anchor uncles, anchor BFFs…
Trump walked away with it in 2016. If Horn votes for impeachment, she’ll be taking a different kind of walk.
Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) nearly +10
As of Thanksgiving, Cartwright was hedging, waffling, and two-stepping on impeachment; Fox News anchor Leland Vittert took him apart in the linked clip.
The conceptual flop-sweat is palpable. Vote impeachment and don’ let the door hit you, Cartwright.
Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.) +13
First Democrat since the ’80s to win in this district is another tightrope walker, living on borrowed time. Republican challenger Kathy Landing has a nifty ad out claiming Cunningham’s impeachment vote was “purchased” by Schiff for a $4000 campaign contribution.
Say it ain’t so, Joe. Actually, don’t bother. Your moderate posturing won’t save you from Trump’s margin.
Ben McAdams (D-Utah) nearly +7
He unseated Mia Love in 2016 after a “prolonged vote-counting process” earned him an ultra-thin margin of victory. With an impeachment vote looming, McAdams might want to hold off on any plans for new carpet and draperies.
Perhaps Governor Romney can put in a word and help Ben survive a “yay” vote to impeach a president months out from an election with no evidence of crimes or misdemeanors. Not.
Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) +6.5
She vanquished David Brat in a shocker, and then voted in favor of Pelosi’s inquiry. She later joined several fellow impeachment-supporting Dems in this hand-wringing op-ed, but the bottom line is that none of these people are remotely interested in hearing from the “whistleblower” who fomented the latest hoax against President Trump.
Not if, but when Spanberger joins Schiff and Nadler to impeach, expect Brat’s Tea Party Brigades to muster and come out in force.
There’s the rundown of the unlucky 13. Like I said, impeachment is no fun.
But in the spirit of the season, let’s close with a return to the Christmas poem:
And they heard Trump exclaim as the Dems made their play,
“As Reagan once said, ‘Go ahead, make my day’”
Mark Ellis is the author of A Death on the Horizon, a novel of political upheaval and cultural intrigue. He came aboard at PJ Media in 2015. His literary hangout is Liberty Island. Follow Mark on Twitter.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member