David Leonhardt: Impeaching Clinton didn’t hurt Republicans

Conventional wisdom holds that the Republican Party suffered a big political penalty for impeaching Bill Clinton in 1998. But that’s not quite right. Republicans paid a modest, short-term penalty, while the costs to the Democratic Party appear to have been larger and longer-lasting.This history has obvious relevance today. As in the 1990s, the economy is growing, yet many Americans are uncomfortable with the president’s behavior. And although the actions of Clinton and President Dona