As the past two months have been filled with overwhelming amounts of information regarding the impeachment inquiry on President Trump, the media, political analysts, and Democrats digest this overload and examine their efforts. After the he had held Ukraine’s military aid against Russia hostage for sabotage against his political opponent Joe Biden, Congress had begun to launch a formal inquiry into the President for an abuse of power. After a slew of public testimonies, America witnessed multiple government officials, both American and Ukranian, connect Trump and his associates with the scandal. However, many Democrats begin to suspect whether their impeachment efforts will ultimately achieve their goals.

Among the first big names to speak on this concern is Andrew Yang, one of the many 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates. Noting the rhetoric that bolstered Trump in the 2016 elections, Yang is skeptical that all this media spectacle might in fact work in Trump’s favor. “Donald Trump thrives on attention, even negative attention,” he tells CNN. “And so the concentration on the impeachment proceedings — I don’t think is going to work for the Democrats particularly because … They’re being obstructionist and trying to find ways to defend the President and the administration.” What this means is that Trump and much of the Republican party capitalize on and fight this scrutiny by ridiculing the opposing party in order to sway voters or rally up his base. Another factor that Yang brings up is splintering the efforts of the Democratic party. “I would hate to see half the field disappear to Washington for Senate proceedings, which looks like it really could be the case given the timing,” he continues, where the party may face a difficult time simultaneously unifying voters and devoting time and capital to impeachment. He concludes that voters’ top priorities should not focus on the inquiry but rather the 2020 election, which would ensure higher chances of winning and be better use of resources given how much time is left in Trump’s presidency