Voice of America
13 Nov 2019, 23:35 GMT+10
DENVER - Cattle rancher Jeffery Gatzke was tuning in between morning chores on his South Dakota farm, ready to witness what he already believed was a waste of time and a political sham: the first public hearings into impeaching President Donald Trump.
In Denver, a tech manager arranged to work from home for the moment he hoped might mark the end of the Trump presidency.
At a thatched roof tiki bar off the coast of Florida, the television would stick to sports, no debate. "We don't talk about politics in this bar," said Sharon Jarvis, bartender at the Ka'tiki on Treasure Island, Florida.
House begins televised impeachment hearings The impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump reached a critical juncture today when lawmakers launched their first televised public hearings, marking a new, high-stakes phase of proceedings that could determine the fate of his tumultuous presidency.
Across the country, the first public airing of the impeachment drama had millions of Americans tuning in - and, in some cases, deliberately tuning out. Although only the third time impeachment hearings were aired live on television, the proceedings in Washington were landing on a jaded and weary public, with little certainty that the event would change minds.
In many cases, "watch" isn't quite the right verb. Americans were consuming these hearings in ways unimaginable during the last impeachment hearings more than 20 years ago. They were scanning headlines on Twitter, reading posts on social media and would click on snippets of video pushed out online in real time. Some will merely glance at tickers moving across the screen at the doctor's office.
Others, like Adam Cutler, organized their day around what they see as a must-see moment for democracy.
"I don't want to say it will be the tipping point, but I think it will be the beginning of a week or two where it will be very difficult for the president to change the subject," said the Denver Democrat, who worked from home to make sure he could watch closely.
Cutler supports Democrats' push to impeach the president for soliciting a political favor from the president of Ukraine and, they claim, threatening to hold up millions in aid as leverage.
Like in previous nationally-televised hearings in the Trump-era - special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, or the confirmation hearing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh - Wednesday's hearing marks Democrats' latest hope in breaking the partisan stalemate that has dominated politics this decade.
Democrats were hoping, if not for a national epiphany, then at least a day that would stand out from the partisan acrimony and circus-like atmosphere of Trump-era Washington.
But there was little doubt many Americans' views were already cemented.
3 Witnesses Kick Off First Week of Historic Impeachment Hearings These diplomats have previously testified behind closed doors about Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, and probe a discredited conspiracy theory regarding the 2016 president election
Gatzke, a 50-year-old farmer and rancher from Hitchcock, South Dakota, voted for Trump in 2016 and plans to vote for him again in the next election.
He says Democrats and the Washington establishment are trying to thwart an outsider president.
"He is not one of them and they don't like it," he said, just before the hearings began. Gatzke said he planned to watch as much as he could in the morning, before taking a break to load cattle into a truck that will take them to a meat processing plant.
Polls show Republicans oppose impeaching or removing Trump and still overwhelmingly approve of the president even after more details have arisen of how his administration held up military aid while asking Ukraine to investigate a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. While Democrats control the House of Representatives and likely have the votes to impeach Trump, they would need about 20 Republican senators to vote to convict him of high crimes and misdemeanors before he would be removed from office.
"The next couple of days are one of the biggest opportunities for Trump to lose some of the approval that remains among Republicans and independents," said Christian Robert Grose, a political scientist at the University of Southern California.
Democrats are hoping the trajectory mirrors that in 1973, when the nationally-televised Watergate hearings helped hammer down President Richard Nixon's approval rating from about 50% to a low of 24% before his 1974 resignation from office.
But other examples offer Democrats less hope. The Mueller hearing, for example - produced little change in Trump's approval.
Live witness testimony during the impeachment investigation into President Bill Clinton did little to shift public opinion, said GOP pollster Whit Ayers. Clinton was impeached, but the Senate would not remove him from the White House amid his sky-high approval ratings.
The House Speaker who pushed the investigation, Newt Gingrich, resigned after voters punished the GOP in that year's elections.
"The more likely outcome is that it will make red states redder and blue states bluer," Ayres said of the Trump impeachment hearings.
Get a daily dose of Denver Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Denver Sun.
More InformationIsrael Air Force pilots have bombed a funeral in northern Gaza, killing more than a dozen mourners. Family and friends of Dr Wasim...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: A Delta Air Lines plane's wing hit the runway at LaGuardia Airport during a rough landing over the weekend....
AUSTIN/SANTA FE: Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico increased to 317 on March 18, up from 294 four days earlier, as the U.S. faces...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration is considering strict new travel restrictions for citizens of dozens of countries, according...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration announced this week that Maine's education officials violated federal law by allowing transgender...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Severe storms and tornadoes continued to threaten parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and several Mid-Atlantic...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. factories ramped up production in February, with a sharp rebound in motor vehicle output helping to drive manufacturing...
Two new national monuments in California are in jeopardy after the White House announced a plan torevoke themand then appeared to retreat....
(Photo credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images) The Portland Trail Blazers remain in an uphill climb when it comes to nabbing a Western...
(Photo credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images) The San Antonio Spurs look to win consecutive games for the first time since January when...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will not play Thursday night against the visiting Milwaukee...
(Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images) Five Atlanta pitchers scattered four hits and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna provided...