THE BUZZ: LITTLE “i” IMPEACHMENT — Vulnerable California House Republicans who joined a party-line vote this week to advance a presidential impeachment probe can’t afford to have moderate voters hold it against them. In statements and interviews, the swing-seat Republicans — Mike Garcia, John Duarte, David Valadao, Michelle Steel, Young Kim and Ken Calvert — have stressed that this was a procedural step to gather the facts about President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings, not an impeachment vote. Calvert’s camp used caps lock to clarify the point: “The resolution approved today does NOT include articles of impeachment." Now, they're hoping their constituents — many of whom voted for Biden in 2020 — will draw the same distinction. “My voters are very well-informed and very intelligent,” Garcia, whose district is near Los Angeles, told POLITICO. “They’ll be able to understand the implications of all of this moving forward as far as when the evidence comes out.” But Democrats aiming to flip the House are seizing the opportunity to paint the tough vote as another ruby red thread woven into a MAGA extremist narrative. “Republicans are choosing to spend their time and taxpayer money on an extreme witch hunt instead of focusing on the issues that matter to voters,” said Orrin Evans, a Democratic consultant working with candidates in key swing Orange County races. “We will be showing that contrast on TV, digital ads and direct mail at the doors on the phones.” Valadao, a Central Valley Republican in a district Biden won by 11 points in 2020, echoed his colleagues as he characterized the vote he took, noting it was to advance the probe — not to impeach the president. Asked if voters in his battleground district will see it the same way, he told POLITICO: “We’ll find out.” ONE LAST SWING: On his way out the door, ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy touted his own campaigning efforts as Republican leader while knocking Nancy Pelosi’s track record, POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy reports. “How many seats did Nancy win as speaker?” McCarthy said to a group of reporters Thursday afternoon. “Zero. She only lost. She literally lost her speakership in California because we have a three-seat majority.” A spokesperson for Pelosi, when asked for comment about McCarthy’s comments, replied: "Who?" In his farewell speech on the House floor, he name-dropped Republican members from California swing districts as he touted his party’s gains in the House. “The party I love lost in the Senate both cycles, lost the presidency, but we won,” McCarthy said on the House floor. “The secret? The quality of the candidate. I looked at Young Kim, Michele Steel, John Duarte, David Valadao. These are unbelievable seats. That idea wins.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — What is your most memorable/funny/cringy political moment from 2023? Give us a ring or drop us a line. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on Twitter —@DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
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