The Democratic debate got underway just 24 hours after the U.S. House voted to impeach President Trump, and the candidates struggled to explain why more Americans were not enthusiastic about that move. Throughout the weeks of impeachment proceedings, with testimony arguably damaging to the president dominating the news day after day, voter feelings about impeachment barely budged from where they were before the hearings began. He suggested the impeachment proceedings have brought into focus for Americans that the system is rigged, with Senate leaders declaring before hearing any evidence that they plan to speedily acquit Trump. Yet most of the candidates debating Thursday at Loyola Marymount University were hard-pressed to explain why more voters were not persuaded by the impeachment case built by House Democrats. She suggested that the stagnancy of voter opinion on impeachment underscores her point that Democrats need a nominee who can argue against Trump persuasively.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 20, 2019 01:52 UTC