WILL DEMS GO ALL THE WAY? – AT 8:02 A.M. ET:  The Democratic Party is plunging all the way to the left.  And now another issue has emerged as a litmus test for the "progressives" taking over a party that desperately needs a victory.  From Fox:

Liberal lawmakers and pundits, emboldened by bipartisan outrage over President Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, have kicked up calls to pursue impeachment -- indicating the issue quickly could become the next litmus test for Democratic candidates.

The discussion follows the recent political frenzy over calls to "abolish" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). That effort briefly served as a similar litmus test in the wake of Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy that led to family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The GOP-controlled House countered with a vote on a resolution Wednesday expressing support for ICE, effectively daring Democrats to go on record opposing the agency. The measure passed, with a total of 133 Democratic representatives voted "present" -- amounting to a procedural refusal to take a position despite weeks of heated anti-ICE rhetoric from party leaders.

But where abolishing ICE fizzled for now as a progressive cause, the impeachment controversy could have legs. At the least, it has forced Democratic leaders to confront and carefully manage the pressure from the base.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on Tuesday charged that President Trump's remarks in Helsinki were "nothing short of treason" and marked a "dark day" in American history.

Hoyer characterized impeachment, though, as a "distraction," while still keeping the door open in the future. "There will be time enough to deal with other issues and oversight of the president’s performance when we take back control of the House of Representatives," he said.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, toed the same line on Monday.

“I think that’s premature at this point — we should do all we can to make sure that he’s held accountable, that we conduct the investigations the Republicans have been unwilling to do,” Swalwell said in an interview with The Hill.

COMMENT:  I was wondering whether the Democrats have any ideas about how to govern the country.  If I wrote a letter asking, would I be called a fascist interloper?  Maybe I shouldn't write.

July 20,  2018