Publications
Partners
Washington - Impeaching President Barack Obama may be highly unlikely, but election-year chatter about it among conservatives has helped Democrats raise $1 million on Monday alone, their campaign chief said on Tuesday.
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's announcement of a lawsuit against Obama opened the door to the fundraising drive, Democratic leaders said.
Since Boehner announced in June he planned to sue the president, the Democrats' House campaign arm has raised $7.6m ahead of November's midterm congressional elections, when all House members are up for re-election.
"I understand the strategy is intended to gin up its base," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairperson Steve Israel told reporters at a breakfast organised by The Christian Science Monitor. "Every time they talk about suing the president, that just ignites our base."
Boehner, meanwhile, said Democrats were the ones fueling impeachment talks. The Republican leader told reporters in Washington that his party has "no plans" to open impeachment proceedings. He called such talk a "scam".
Boehner has said his planned suit results from a dispute over the balance of powers between the president and Congress. Democrats have suggested that the suit's real intent is to tamp down calls for impeachment from the Republican right-wing fringe.
The parties' duelling messages come as both are working to engage voters - and, perhaps more importantly, donors. The Democrats' House campaign committee has been a fundraising powerhouse this election cycle, out-raising its Republican rival in 16 of the last 18 months.
Although House Democrats face an uphill climb to take the majority, their fundraising operation has raised almost $125m since January 2013.
$19 dollar average
House Democrats have highlighted the specter of impeachment in fundraising pitches to tremendous effect since Boehner announced a lawsuit against Obama for failing to enforce US laws, a potential starting point for impeachment proceedings.
Some 74 000 first-time donors have responded to the Democrats' House arm pitch about impeachment, Israel said.
"The fate of Obama's presidency is at stake," Democrats said in an email solicitation sent on Sunday.
The average donation, Israel said, was just $19.
In Washington, Boehner said Republican have "no plans to impeach the president" and said the White House was fuelling talk of impeachment for political gain.
"This whole talk about impeachment is coming from the president's own staff and coming from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Why? Because they're trying to rally their people to give money and to show up in this year's elections," Boehner said.
"It's all a scam started by Democrats at the White House," he added.
In fact, speculation about impeachment has been popular among conservative activists and some lawmakers despite Boehner's dismissal. In an interview this week, Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, newly elected to the Republican leadership, repeatedly declined to rule out impeaching Obama.
Republicans are expected to keep their House majority after November's elections. Re-drawn congressional districts favour the Republican and both parties are contesting only a handful of seats. Even so, the parties' House campaign committees have already raised more than $226m as of 1 July.
Republicans have 234 seats in the House and Democrats have 199 seats. There are two vacancies.
