The Democratic Party is continuing down the haphazard impeachment trail, which they hope will lead to President Trump’s removal from office. Or something. The American public is no doubt puzzling over the process, which has stalled over the prospect of a Senate trial. Democrats and Republicans at odds over who gets to call witnesses, the identity of impeachment managers and other details.
On Wednesday, the House votes on whether to send two articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump to the Senate. So that’s something, anyway. Meanwhile, the media have been left hanging like everyone else — which hasn’t stopped news organizations from sending out important-looking live news alerts or speculating on the murky process which appears to be underway. A few headlines from the last 24 hours:
“The stage is finally set for impeachment’s dramatic, divisive endgame” (CNN); “Who might argue the case against Trump in the impeachment trial?” (U.S. News & World Report); “White House expects GOP defections on calling witnesses in Senate impeachment trial” (CBS News); “GOP leadership: There aren’t 51 votes to dismiss Trump articles of impeachment” (The Hill); “Senate may pass new trade deal before impeachment trial starts” (Politico); ” Nancy Pelosi gamed the impeachment trial brilliantly” (The Washington Post); “Trump impeachment trial for John Bolton testimony echoes Monica Lewinsky” (Reuters); and “John Bolton’s testimony is not the smoking gun Democrats need” (The Federalist).
COUNTING THESE UNITED STATES
The U.S. Census reported Tuesday that it will spend $500 million on a public outreach campaign for the upcoming census count. The massive push to get the word out includes 1,000 ads in a dozen languages, designed to reach 99% of U.S. households.
It’s a big population, which stood at 330,222,422 people as of Jan. 1 — up by 21,476,884 or 6.96% in the last decade. But 12 languages is not quite enough to reach everybody on the finer points of the big people count. The federal agency also will offer consumer information about the 2020 census itself in 59 languages before the tallying begins in mid-March.
“We want to make sure that everyone can respond to the 2020 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau provides translated web pages and guides in 59 non-English languages, including American Sign Language, as well as guides in braille and large print,” the agency advised.
Those languages include Gujarati, Igbo, Navajo, Sinhala, Tigrinya and Yiddish, and many others.
If a community speaks a language “beyond those supported by the Census Bureau,” there’s also a template and language glossary available for those who want to make their own guide.
“We are extremely committed to reaching those people who are historically undercounted,” says Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham.
Who will be the very first to be counted? That would be the 527 folks who live in Toksook Bay, Alaska — a remote fishing village on the Bering Sea that can only be reached by dog sled, snow machine or bush plane when the ground is still frozen. They will hear from census takers beginning Jan. 21.
“Local census takers must get a head start while the frozen ground allows easier access to the remote areas with unique accessibility challenges,” the agency explained.
HAPPY REPUBLICAN STATES
Voters may well shrug off all the “doom and gloom” rhetoric emanating from the Democratic Party and opt for some hearty Republican optimism and opportunity. There are numbers to back that up.
“Opinion polling isn’t everything. However, it often gives you a good barometer of the general shape of things, especially at the state level. As of mid-2019, every single one of the top 10 most popular governors in the country were Republicans, while eight of the 10 least popular were Democrats. Generally speaking, voters trust Republicans more than they trust Democrats to lead their states,” points out policy analyst and author Kristin Tate in an op-ed for The Hill.
“A deeper look at GOP-led states’ economic success explains why — but beyond the minutiae of simple policy, the bottom line is that electing a Republican often means increased growth and lower unemployment. An even stronger rule bears out the opposite when Democrats control the governor’s mansion.”
She points out that among the 23 states with the lowest unemployment, 17 had GOP governors at the helm. Among the 10 states with the strongest GDP growth, 8 had Republican governors. Democratic governors, Ms. Tate writes, were in charge of 8 out of the 10 states with the slowest growth.
ONE FOR THE MAJOR
Retired Maj. Bill White — age 104 and the nation’s oldest living Marine — would like to get a few Valentine’s Day cards this year according to those who know him. He served 30 years in the Marine Corps and now resides in Stockton, California. He also vows to hang on to any greetings that come his way.
“I’ll save every one of them,” Mr. White told Fox 40, the local Fox News affiliate which is helping to coordinate the effort.
Like to send a card? It should go to Operation Valentine, ATTN: Hold for Maj. Bill White, USMC (Ret); The Oaks at Inglewood, 6725 Inglewood Ave., Stockton, CA 95207.
POLL DU JOUR
• 37% of Americans say they are conservative; 73% of Republicans, 30% of independents, 14% of Democrats, 41% of men and 33% of women agree.
• 41% of non-Hispanic whites, 35% of Hispanics and 23% of non-Hispanic blacks also agree.
• 35% of Americans overall say they are moderate; 21% of Republicans, 45% of independents, 36% of Democrats, 36% of men and 35% of women agree.
• 33% of non-Hispanic whites, 37% of Hispanics and 44% of non-Hispanic blacks also agree.
• 24% of Americans overall say they are liberal; 4% of Republicans, 21% of independents, 49% of Democrats, 20% of men and 28% of women agree.
23% of non-Hispanic whites, 25% of Hispanics and 28% of non-Hispanic blacks also agree.
Source: A Gallup Social Series Poll of 29,525 U.S. adults conducted monthly throughout 2019 and released Tuesday.
• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
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