As Impeachment Movement Builds, Pollsters Silence Impeachment Talk

This week, Bush's approval ratings plunged towards record lows in every major poll.

Also this week, local activists organized over 60 enthusiastic impeachment events and began collecting 1 million signatures for impeachment. Outgoing Rep. Cynthia McKinney introduced Articles of Impeachment in Congress, while Liz Holtzman and David Swanson debated impeachment with Hannity and Colmes.

So you might think pollsters would connect the dots and ask Americans whether they support Bush's impeachment.

But you would be wrong.

A majority of Americans have supported impeachment since the Ipsos poll of 10/11/05. Two weeks before the November election, Newsweek again found a 51%-44% majority for impeachment.

So why aren't pollsters including an impeachment question in every poll they take?

A year ago, pollsters claimed "no one" in Congress or the punditocracy was talking about impeachment. Since then, there has been lots of talk about impeachment both in Washington and in the media, and at least 6 excellent books. There was also a heated debate during the campaign when Republicans tried to use the impeachment issue as a reason for voters to reject Democrats. Despite the negative attacks, Democrats swept both chambers of Congress! 

So what excuse do pollsters have now?

The obvious excuse is that Nancy Pelosi says impeachment is "off the table." But since when does one politician decide what can or cannot be discussed?

George Bush says pulling our troops out of Iraq is "off the table." He has delivered this message dozens of times since Rep. John Murtha first proposed a timetable for strategic redeployment. He repeated it after the Iraq Study Group echoed Murtha's proposal. Nevertheless, the question of removing troops from Iraq is now included in every poll on Iraq.

So if Bush can't veto the question of leaving Iraq, why can Pelosi veto the question of impeaching Bush?

Here is a list of pollsters, poll reporters and editors. Let's ask them (politely of course) why they refuse to poll on impeachment!

daniel.m.merkle@abc.com, newspolls@abc.com, ttompson@ap.org, wlester@ap.org, info@americanresearchgroup.com, evening@cbsnews.com, KAF@cbsnews.com, jeff.greenfield@cnn.com, wolf@cnn.com, bill.schneider@turner.com, info@edisonresearch.com, askfox@fox.com, comments@foxnews.com, rthomas@harrisinteractive.com, jgorman@opiniondynamics.com, david_wilson@gallup.com, darby_miller_steiger@gallup.com, david_moore@gallup.com, media_inquiries@gallup.com, rthomas@harrisinteractive.com, Info@harrisinteractive.com, timespoll@latimes.com, maristpoll@marist.edu, Mark.Murray@nbc.com, sheldon.gawiser@nbc.com, nightly@nbc.com, nytnews@nytimes.com, rich@nytimes.com, topurd@nytimes.com, adamnag@nytimes.com, letters@newsweek.com, Marcus.Mabry@newsweek.com, livingpolitics@aol.com, pcraighill@pewresearch.org, skeeter@pewresearch.org, info@people-press.org, pollinginstitute@quinnipiac.edu, Info@rasmussenreports.com, editor@surveyusa.com, spage@usatoday.com, rbenedetto@usatoday.com, editor@usatoday.com, wsjcontact@dowjones.com, morinr@washpost.com, balzd@washpost.com, ombudsman@washpost.com, abramowitz@washpost.com, newseditors@wsj.com, john.harwood@wsj.com

You can also use these forms:
DemocracyCorps: http://democracycorps.com/contact.html
Gallup: http://www.gallup.com/help/con

Here is a form letter you can personalize:

There has been serious discussion of impeachment ever since the Downing Street Memos revealed Bush fixed the "intelligence and facts around the policy" of invading Iraq. Simply put, Bush lied to start an illegal and disastrous war - a war Americans overwhelmingly oppose.

On October 11, 2005, an Ipsos poll found a 50%-44% majority for considering impeachment.
http://www.democrats.com/bush-impeachment-poll-1

One year later, a Newsweek poll found a 51%-44% majority for considering impeachment.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15357623/site/newsweek/page/2/

So why don't you include impeachment questions in your poll?

In 1998, nearly every poll asked about impeachment - even though only 26% of Americans supported it!
http://democrats.com/clinton-impeachment-polls

Why are you treating George Bush differently from Bill Clinton?

3. These MSM reporters cover political polls. Ask them why they have not covered the AfterDowningStreet impeachment polls.

wlester@ap.org, Bill.Schneider@cnn.com, sthomma@krwashington.comJohn.Whitesides@reuters.com

4. These MSM reporters have covered impeachment polls and deserve a thank-you note.

froomkin@washingtonpost.com  

Please post any non-automated responses you get below!

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Excellent idea

I just sent out my batch. I'm reposting your contacts list delimited with semicolons, because many email clients won't accept comma-delimited lists in the To: field. Here it is:

daniel.m.merkle@abc.com; newspolls@abc.com; ttompson@ap.org; wlester@ap.org; info@americanresearchgroup.com; evening@cbsnews.com; KAF@cbsnews.com; jeff.greenfield@cnn.com; wolf@cnn.com; bill.schneider@turner.com; info@edisonresearch.com; askfox@fox.com; comments@foxnews.com; rthomas@harrisinteractive.com; jgorman@opiniondynamics.com; david_wilson@gallup.com; darby_miller_steiger@gallup.com; david_moore@gallup.com; media_inquiries@gallup.com; rthomas@harrisinteractive.com; Info@harrisinteractive.com; timespoll@latimes.com; maristpoll@marist.edu; Mark.Murray@nbc.com; sheldon.gawiser@nbc.com; nightly@nbc.com; nytnews@nytimes.com; rich@nytimes.com; topurd@nytimes.com; adamnag@nytimes.com; letters@newsweek.com; Marcus.Mabry@newsweek.com; livingpolitics@aol.com; pcraighill@pewresearch.org; skeeter@pewresearch.org; info@people-press.org; pollinginstitute@quinnipiac.edu; Info@rasmussenreports.com; editor@surveyusa.com; spage@usatoday.com; rbenedetto@usatoday.com; editor@usatoday.com; wsjcontact@dowjones.com; morinr@washpost.com; balzd@washpost.com; ombudsman@washpost.com; abramowitz@washpost.com; newseditors@wsj.com; john.harwood@wsj.com

- Surviving Bush one day at a time. Politics Plus

gore '07

you don't have to be in the house to be speaker...if impeachment gains momentum...and god knows we all believe no president has ever deserved it more...pelosi can step aside, and al gore can be elected speaker...making him 3rd in line to the presidency with the dual impeachment of bush and cheney. that would unify the country in a way no other candidate to take over from bush would...and we could be rid of this cancer on our democracy and on the world.

Oswald S'merck
Minneapolis

How can Gore be elected Speaker? He is not a member...

of the house, neither is he connected to government in any way at this time.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.

Louis Pasteur

Grinch, I believe that our

Grinch, I believe that our friend is referring to this bit of vagueness in the Constitution:

The office of Speaker was created by the Constitution of the United States. The Speaker is elected by the House of Representatives, and is its highest-ranking officer. Although the written text of the Constitution does not state that the Speaker must be a member of the House, every Speaker has been. In the past, he has always been a member of the majority party, and was that party's leader, outranking the House Majority Leader.

Article One of the United States Constitution provides, "The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker and other Officers..." The Speaker has always been a member of the House of Representatives…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Repre...

Electing a non-member to the position of Speaker has about as much chance of success as medical science finding a cure for neoconservative greed and stupidity, or neoliberal neocon-enabling "centrism."

Bill, I firmly believe that 'pigs will fly' before house ...

members vote a non-member into the Speaker position.

Further, if they were to do so, they would put Bill Clinton in the slot, not Gore. Think about that one.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.

Louis Pasteur

LOL! All speculation aside,

LOL! All speculation aside, Nancy Pelosi will be the next Speaker, and third in line for the Presidency. Done deal...

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