The Monica Lewinsky scandal and mushrooming battle over the possible impeachment of President Clinton are becoming more and more of a double-edged sword for congressional Republicans. On the one hand, conservative voters who always have detested Clinton are white-hot in their motivation to flock to the polls on Election Day. This virtually ensures that Republicans will turn out their base voting bloc, unless the GOP congressional leadership flinches between now and Nov. 3 and agrees to fall back upon some other kind of reprimand for the president.
On the other hand, polls indicate a majority of the American public is growing more apprehensive about the specter of impeachment as they view a worsening world economy and bearish stock market with increasing alarm. As a result, Republican determination to travel the impeachment route threatens to stir up problems with a group of voters who, under normal circumstances, probably would not bother to turn out for a midterm election.
National polls continue to show that about two-thirds of Americans are apprehensive about, if not downright opposed to, driving Clinton out of office.
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