After the weeks-long clown show masquerading as a serious impeachment inquiry, congressional Democrats are faced with actually having to pull the impeachment trigger or pull back.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, once thought to understand the ramifications of impeachment on her party in the 2020 elections, has surrendered control to the lunatic fringe which has given the express lane treatment to the impeachment process. It is clear the likes of Jerry Nadler (D-New York) and Adam Schiff (D-California) have been hellbent on impeachment from day one of the administration and will not rest until Donald J. Trump is impeached.

With a startling lack of evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of the president, House Democrats have pushed the impeachment matter to the brink. A vote to impeach is likely next week, perhaps sooner – unless, of course, cooler heads can prevail.

The Democrats control the House so should they decide to go forward with impeachment, it is likely to occur. The problem facing many of those Democrats though is that there is little public support for impeachment, and in several key battleground states that Trump won in 2016, his popularity continues to rise even as the impeachment debate drags on.

Nearly three dozen freshman Democrats who were elected in midterm elections in states that Trump carried in 2016 must now decide whether to risk their seats by voting for impeachment. There are indications that several are getting cold feet about it and that some could break ranks with the majority. Several Democrats in the Senate are also believed to oppose impeachment and could vote against removing Trump from office.

Impeachment could very well wind up passing by a small partisan majority in the House with removal from office failing on a bipartisan vote in the Senate. Should that occur, it would be very revealing about what has been in play with the Democrats for the last three and a half years, and that would not bode well for the party in next year's elections.

Ladies and gentlemen of the House, it is time for you to vote.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

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