A survey recently completed by the firm Public Policy Polling finds that most Americans think a potential impeachment inquiry that targets President Joe Biden would be more politics than substance. Prominent Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) have been clamoring for the move, and several have already introduced proposed articles of impeachment against Biden and other top officials in his administration.
The polling was completed August 24. Respondents were asked: “Do you think a Republican impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden would be more of a partisan political stunt, or more of a serious effort to investigate important problems?” A full 56 percent went with the first option, while only 38 percent thought the development would constitute something more “serious.”
Some prominent Republicans are heading into the 2024 elections essentially making an impeachment of the president — or at least the possibility of such — a core component of their public platform, but it’s clear from these numbers that many Americans aren’t impressed, no matter how many times that Greene claims the idea of impeachment has extensive support among Americans. It’s almost inconceivable that any impeachment would even mean anything substantial in terms of removing a target from office anyway, because the Senate’s two-thirds approval would be needed for such a development — and the chamber remains controlled by the Democratic Party.
Thus, Republicans may be gearing up to spend a considerable portion of their time on an impeachment that is based in a glaring lack of evidence (Biden isn’t financially tied to Hunter Biden’s business dealings) and will do close to nothing in actually substantive terms. Contrast this approach with the recent announcement from the Biden administration of which prescription drugs would become subject to rules demanding negotiations around the price for Medicare recipients, which is expected to facilitate lower costs. It’s clear which of the major political parties has a plan and which is still trying to figure out how many people they can restrict from access to basic health care previously available more extensively.
