Republicans will double-down on Trump, invoke impeachment talk in 2018 campaigns: report

Republicans running for U.S. Congress have settled on a strategy that may prove brilliant or disastrous, raising the specter of impeachment to scare moderate voters into supporting them reports The New York Times.

The idea of what ring-wingers call a “coup”—such as impeaching Trump for his misdeeds after revelations that show his campaign colluded with Russia—was the stuff on conspiracy theorists on the far right a year ago, the story points out, but today appears to be part of the mainline party's talking points.

"The appeals have become a surefire way for candidates to raise small contributions from grass-roots conservatives who are devoted to Mr. Trump," the story says. "But party strategists also believe that floating the possibility of impeachment can also act as a sort of scared-straight motivational tool for turnout."

One of the candidates employing the strategy is Trump's old foil Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. He is facing a well-liked and well-funded Democrat. In his election kick-off video, Cruz screened a fake news video featuring an actor reading headlines that would scare his supporters.

“Senate Majority Leader Schumer announced the impeachment trial of President Trump,” one of the actors says.

The danger, of course, is that the strategy risks tying Republicans even more closely to the most unpopular president of all-time.

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