Rep. Jim Clyburn has delivered a timely warning to Democrats who believe winning control of the House in November should immediately trigger a third impeachment of President Donald Trump: The American people need relief, not another partisan spectacle.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the South Carolina Democrat did not categorically rule out impeachment. Instead, he argued that it should not become the party’s priority. “Our priority ought to be making housing, education, energy, healthcare affordable and accessible for all of our citizens,” Clyburn said. “Impeaching the president will not do that.”

He is right.

Impeachment is a grave constitutional remedy, not a campaign slogan or an instrument for satisfying an angry political base. If credible evidence emerges that the president has committed an impeachable offense, Congress must investigate it responsibly. But Democrats should not ask voters to return them to power merely to resume the exhausting cycle of retaliation that has consumed Washington for years.

Clyburn’s message is directed not only at progressive activists but also at Democratic donors and elected officials tempted to confuse resistance with governance. Americans struggling to pay rent, afford groceries, secure medical care or educate their children will not measure a Democratic House by the number of subpoenas it issues. They will judge it by whether their lives become more stable and affordable.

His comments also lend support to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who recently faced criticism from progressives after meeting privately with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and informal adviser. The two reportedly discussed housing, immigration, affordability and potential areas of common ground.

There was nothing improper about that meeting. Political leaders have a responsibility to communicate across party lines, particularly when divided government makes cooperation essential. Meeting with a political opponent is not surrendering one’s principles. It is often the first necessary step toward accomplishing anything meaningful.

Jeffries can hold the Trump administration accountable while also searching for practical agreements that benefit the country. Indeed, effective congressional leadership requires both. Oversight without governing becomes theater; compromise without accountability becomes capitulation. The country needs neither extreme.

Clyburn has spent decades navigating the tension between principle and pragmatism. His counsel reflects an understanding that political victories are temporary unless they produce tangible improvements in people’s lives. Democrats may be energized by opposition to Trump, but opposition alone is not an agenda.

If voters give Democrats control of the House, the party should pursue lower living costs, affordable housing, stronger schools, accessible healthcare, responsible budgeting and congressional oversight grounded in facts. It should work with the administration when cooperation serves the public and resist it when constitutional principles demand resistance.

The message from Clyburn is simple but essential: Democrats should seek power to govern, not merely to punish. A House majority consumed by impeachment would squander its opportunity. A majority focused on affordability, accountability and constructive cooperation might begin restoring the public’s faith in Congress.

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