Impeachment Vote Underscores a Harshly Partisan Era

The Democratic-controlled House seems certain to use near party-line votes this coming week to impeach President Donald Trump.

Twenty-one years ago, it was a Republican-run House that voted to impeach then-President Bill Clinton.

That also was a largely partisan vote, but party divisions were blurrier in 1998.

The differences make impeachment a case study of how Democrats and Republicans have morphed into fiercely divided camps over the past two decades.

Each party has far fewer House moderates.

Also, Trump's ability to threaten the political careers of Republicans who defy him only exacerbates the divisions.