Democrats despair at ousting Trump in 2020

Democrats Collin Peterson (D- Minnesota) and Jefferson Van Drew (D-New Jersey) stand out like beacons warning 231 of their House Democrat colleagues of the rout that awaits them in 2020 - after they voted to pass House Resolution 660 to continue their partisan investigation into possibly impeaching President Trump - without gaining the support of any Republicans.

Peterson warned his fellow Democrats:

This impeachment process continues to be hopelessly partisan. I have been hearing from my constituents on both sides of this matter for months, and the escalation of calls this past week just shows me how divided our country really is right now. I have some serious concerns with the way the closed-door depositions were run, and am skeptical that we will have a process that is open, transparent and fair. Without support from Senate Republicans, going down this path is a mistake. Today's vote is both unnecessary, and widely misrepresented in the media and by Republicans as a vote on impeachment. I will not make a decision on impeachment until all the facts have been presented.

Peterson is spot on.

The country is divided.

There is little hope the process will follow that laid down when impeachment proceedings were instituted against President Nixon and President Clinton.

The closed door hearings so far have been a farce – with selective parts of depositions being leaked like a sieve to an eager media contingent gathered outside the hearings.

Additionally Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, claimed that Chairman Schiff had denied Republican members the right to ask certain questions of Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman at one of these closed sessions.

Jordan alleged:

When we asked [Vindman] who he spoke to after important events in July -- Adam Schiff says, 'no, no, no, we're not going to let him answer that question...

Scalise backed up Jordan:

He's [Schiff] not cut off one Democrat, he's not interrupted one Democrat and told a witness not to answer Democrat members' questions, but today he started telling the witness not to answer questions by certain Republicans. That reeks.