Last night I was a respondent for an eight-minute telephone poll about whether President Donald Trump should be impeached and which arguments for impeachment are most persuasive. I transcribed the full questionnaire below.
I would bet the farm that Tom Steyer is funding the live caller survey by Research America. The billionaire recently launched a Need to Impeach campaign, which collected more than a million signatures for impeachment in ten days. Some of the messages tested in the poll echo phrases Steyer used in this video.
The poll didn’t sound like it was commissioned by any politician thinking about running for president in 2020. Notably, the caller didn’t ask about name ID or favorables for most of the possible Democratic presidential candidates, nor was there any ballot test of Trump against a named or generic opponent.
A Democratic campaign committee or super-PAC presumably would have tested support for anti-Trump messages about issues like health care, taxes, or immigration policy, not only cases for impeachment.
I asked the caller whether this was a national survey or just happening in Iowa. “Right now it’s for Iowa.” The caller wasn’t sure if they would poll other states; “This is the only one that’s on the board.”
Side note: many thanks to the Bleeding Heartland reader who recorded the same survey and e-mailed the audio file to me (info AT bleedingheartland.com). Although I had my own recording, I greatly appreciated the heads up. In most cases I wouldn’t have received the call. I encourage readers not to hang up on political polls. If recording is not an option, try to take detailed notes and send them to me.
The caller asked for me by name, indicating the firm is using a voter list rather than a random digit dialing method for selecting respondents. After confirming whether I was on a landline or cell phone and that I was in a place where I could speak without endangering myself or others, the caller started reading the political questions.
Sometimes people are busy and not always able to vote or attend caucuses. In 2016, did you attend the Democratic presidential caucus or the Republican presidential caucus, or did you not participate in the 2016 presidential caucus?
Now I know it’s a long way off, but thinking ahead to 2020, how likely are you to attend the Democratic presidential caucus in your precinct? (definitely attend, probably attend, 50/50 chance, probably not attend, definitely will not attend)
Generally speaking, would you say that things in the United States are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel that things are off on the wrong track?
Generally speaking, would you say things in the state of Iowa are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track?
Using a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning not at all interested and 10 meaning extremely interested, please tell me your level of interest in politics and political news these days. Remember you can use any number between 1 and 10. (I was tempted to say “11.”)
Next I’m going to mention different individuals active in public life. After each one, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that individual. If you have never heard of them or do not have enough information to have an opinion, you can tell me that too. (favorable or unfavorable, strongly or somewhat)
Donald Trump
Republicans in Congress
Chuck Grassley
Bernie Sanders
Mitch McConnell
Kim Reynolds
In general, do you favor or oppose the U.S. Congress impeaching Donald Trump and removing him from office? (favor or oppose, strongly or somewhat)
Next, I’m going to read you a couple of reasons why some people think the U.S. Congress should impeach Donald Trump and remove him from office. Using a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all a legitimate reason and 10 is an extremely legitimate reason, please tell me how legitimate you regard it to be as a reason to impeach Donald Trump and remove him from office.
Donald Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself by refusing to divest himself of domestic and international business interests that are benefiting him financially due to his position as president, which is a violation of the U.S. Constitution. On a scale of 1 to 10, how legitimate?
Two U.S. senators from Donald Trump’s own party have said he is basically untruthful, and his reckless behavior is a growing threat to national security. And reports say his Donald Trump’s own security [sic] of state called him a “moron.” The American people cannot trust him with the fundamental responsibility to tell the truth about matters of life and death and war and peace. On a scale of 1 to 10, how legitimate?
Conflicts of interest caused by Trump’s financial investments and his potential obstruction of justice already go further than the standard used to impeach two previous presidents. On a scale of 1 to 10?
Donald Trump behaves like a dictator, not a president. He is endangering our democracy and nation’s long-term stability by constantly lying and attacking those who disagree with him. On a scale of 1 to 10?
Legal scholars say Trump committed obstruction of justice by firing James Comey as the FBI director who was investigating allegations of collusion between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia.
Having heard these statements, let me ask you again: do you favor or oppose the U.S. Congress impeaching Donald Trump and removing him from office?
Next, listen to the following statement: Nothing gets done in Washington because politicians are too cautious and too often take the easy way out. They need to start listening to the people they represent and doing what is right. Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with this statement?
Which of the following do you think is the biggest reason why politicians in Washington won’t take action on important issues? They do what their wealthy campaign contributors tell them to do; they are controlled by lobbyists and special interests; their career and political ambition is their top priority.
Now I’d like to read you some statements people have made about impeaching Donald Trump and removing him from office. For each one, please tell me whether you agree or disagree with that statement.
It is not enough for politicians to talk about being against Donald Trump. Now is the time for them to act and do something to stop his destructive behavior and actions. Agree or disagree? Strongly or somewhat?
The Democratic Party’s official position should be that Donald Trump must be immediately impeached and removed from office because of his lies, reckless behavior, and violations of the Constitution.
The risks posed by Donald Trump, including nuclear war, dividing the country, and failing to address important issues, are far greater than the risk posed by pursuing impeachment.
Last questions for statistical purposes only:
How do you describe yourself politically? (very liberal, somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat conservative, very conservative)
last level of education completed
Are you or is anyone in your immediate family a member of a labor union or a teachers union?
marital status
household income in 2016 (ranges given)
year of birth
Top image: Cropped photo of “Emergency protest against Muslim ban at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport’s McNamara Terminal on 29 January 2017,” by Gregory Varnum (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons