Personally, I tend to agree with Pelosi's view that pursuing impeachment at this point is not the way to go. The unfortunate fact is that despite all of Trump's obstructive antics, at the end of the day a conviction in the Senate isn't going to happen and the public already knows it. If impeachment hearings are initiated now, it is likely do two things: 1) create the impression congress is wasting their time given the foregone conclusion there will be no conviction and Trump will not be removed from office; and 2) the likely timeline for impeachment proceedings would end the process later this year, leaving Trump a full year to campaign without that cloud over his head anymore. Dems should want to see Trump bleeding heading into fall of 2020. It's wiser to hold lots of oversight hearings keeping the public informed of all of his fraudulence and misdeeds, and further cement the public perception that Trump is as corrupt as they come and doesn't care a whit for the rule of law. Then pick at least an adequate candidate and administer an arse whooping at the polls in 2020.
I'm confident we'll have a new President in 2021. We shouldn't make the mistake, of course, of taking his defeat for granted in 2020, but recognize Trump barely eked by in 2016. After assuming office, he enjoyed the shortest honeymoon ever seen, and his approval numbers have
consistently lingered in the low 40's. Trump doesn't appear to see it yet, but the biggest threat to his re-election is not from any democrat, but rather, from within his own party. He's done absolutely nothing during his time in office to broaden his appeal. He's now facing a primary opponent in his own party (Bill Weld) and it's quite possible others may throw their hat in the ring as well. Incumbent Presidents that have faced primaries in their own party during the modern era have
consistently lost reelection bids. When the
el Guapos,
michaelskis, and
bubbas of the world aren't busy oppressing minorities and yearning for the return of Jefferson Davis (

), they're occupied with thoughts of being principled conservatives. Principled conservatives represent an appreciable portion of the electorate, and they are NOT amused by things like massively increasing federal deficits, alienating historic allies, fawning over autocrats, and
blatant disregard for rule of law. Trump will likely win his primary but if/when that happens it's not unlikely that many real conservatives that might have been willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt in 2016 are going to sit out 2020.