Rep. Luis Gutiérrez says he intends to file new articles of impeachment against President Trump before Thanksgiving. From the Hill:

“It is clear to us that he is unfit to be president of the United States of America,” Gutiérrez said Wednesday.

Gutiérrez, one of Trump’s sharpest critics, declined to specify what grounds the articles will cite, saying only that the Democrats are working with constitutional scholars to solidify their case.

“I assure you we will not leave you lacking for reason,” he said.

It’s also unclear which Democrats will join Gutiérrez in the effort, though an aide named Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) as one such lawmaker. Cohen in August announced his intent to introduce impeachment articles, citing Trump’s defense of the white nationalists who participated in deadly protest marches in Charlottesville, Va., that month.

While the far-left of the party is salivating over impeachment, Nancy Pelosi is warning that the public needs to see Democrats can do more than attack the president. Politico reports Pelosi is trying to get the party to tone it down:

Privately, Pelosi has suggested that the Russia probe could lead to the unraveling of Trump’s presidency, going so far as to say “the proof is in the Putin” at a Democratic leadership meeting earlier this year.

But in public, the California Democrat is encouraging her rank and file to take a measured approach to all things Trump, banking on the strategy that the president and congressional Republicans will bomb big with voters on their own by next November…

Pelosi has encouraged lawmakers to talk up what a Democratic majority can deliver for voters, plugging their economic message on repeat in hopes that it will eventually break through with voters…

The party’s Trump-focused message fell flat last year, as Democrats picked up only six seats in the House after boasting about the potential for double-digit gains and lost big in working-class districts that dot the Rust Belt.

Democrats want to be perceived as running on a touchy-feely “Love Trumps Hate” platform but the reality is that their base hates Trump with a white-hot passion and still wants vengeance for the 2016 loss (Bernie’s loss and Hillary’s loss, depending on who you ask). That’s why “the resistance” has been pushing obstructionism and confrontation. They aren’t interested in governing, they’re interested in a pound of flesh.

So I’m going to say something here I’ve rarely said: Pelosi is right. The smart move now is to tone down the outrage and present Democrats as a serious party that can govern. They could fail in that but the effort probably won’t backfire.

But that’s not as emotionally satisfying as going for the throat. That disgusting Latino Victory ad, i.e. the one showing a truck trying to run down minority children, is what the base wants. Lots of folks on the far left defended that ad but it backfired within a day. The ad was pulled yesterday after the truck attack in Manhattan and Gillespie claims online donations to his campaign have tripled. From the Free Beacon:

“Conservatives nationwide can sort of identify with you today, who feel like they are being wrongfully smeared oftentimes by either the media or the Democratic Party. What kind of reaction have you seen to this and include by the way, have you seen a lot of money in the last 24 hours from all of this?” Coglianese asked.

“Yeah, in fact, actually online, our fundraising has tripled from people who are just disgusted by this and feel that they’re under attack, which they are. But, again, it’s not just my supporters who are under attack here,” Gillespie said.

Associating people with violent racists is not a way to expand the party’s appeal or demonstrate seriousness. Similarly, trying to smear Trump with unproven collusion allegations may appeal to the base but it’s not going to win over moderates, at least some of whom Democrats need to win elections. But, hey, if Democrats want to bet their future on a scorched earth campaign they should go for it. I don’t think it’s going to work out for them the way they expect it will.