I just heard a politician on my earbuds doing the “on the one hand, on the other hand”, mealy mouthed shuffle about how it’s our constitutional responsibility to do this and there sure seems to be plenty of cause but “I’m not there yet” crap.
Please. I swear Democrats need a massive, brain rattling dope slap. Where are my leather thigh highs??
Look, we got it. You don’t want to look political. You don’t want to lose seats next year. You wish that people would just read the Mueller Report.
Ain’t nobody got time for that. You’re more likely to get them to pay attention if you re-enact it on Drunk History. Or get Benioff and Weiss to adapt it for HBO and get Miguel Sapochnick to direct an episode. You’ll have a zillion explainers on YouTube reading that thing obsessively and trying to piece together what’s behind the redaction bars like they’re Melissandre’s prophecies. We would be riveted.
In the meantime, there is a perfectly sane, non-political argument for starting impeachment hearings, even if, and I sincerely mean this, the senate decides to never even go to trial once the articles are written up.
Mueller told us why.
The 2016 elections were manipulated by a hostile foreign power and every American should pay attention to that part of the report.
Because it’s going to happen again.
I can’t think of any American of any party, Democrat, Republican, libertarian or FullyRawCannibal, who thinks it’s noble thing to lose the ability to actually choose the buffoon you want to run the country. No one likes the prospect of no choice. And they are going to be livid if Jill Stein becomes president due to the hacking stylings of Hillsborough High School’s Coding Club.
Donald Trump is not the President I would have chosen. Heck, for all I know, he might not actually be president. At this point, the Republicans are never going to vote to convict him unless they fear they’re going to lose their seats. They’re having way too many erections playing with the virtually unlimited power they have. But if they’re not afraid of losing in 2020, we have a right to know why they’re so damn fearless. It might be misplaced confidence for all we know.
Maybe we should all be concerned about what chaos might ensue in the wake of the 2020 elections. Our enemies would love for our country to descend into Westerosi factional fighting that ruins our economy and goes on for years.
I’d be surprised if a case can’t be made that we need to get to the bottom of what the Russians did to us so no one else can do it either.
Please stop dancing on the head of a pin and just call the roll.
Filed under: General |
The Confluence 
Well, something is usually better than nothing. I guess. The goal was to subpoena records, bring witnesses to flesh out the Mueller report. Republicans stonewalled almost all of it. Supposedly, impeachment hearings give the impeaching party more power to compel, but of course Republicans could ignore all of that, too. This country may come down to whether the courts, the police, and the military side with them or us. Things are that bad. The question is where we want to have that showdown.
I am far from sure that we are going to find out what the Russians did, not unless and until Trump is out of power. Maybe thirty years from now, these things will be revealed. Are we sure even now who was responsible for JFK’s assassination? We can be pretty sure that what was done, the handing of voter data to Russia, the weaponizing it via social media; and very possibly the changing of votes in some states, would be terrifying when revealed. And that has to account for McConnell refusing to bring any bill to the floor to protect the voting systems, since they worked so well for him last time.
I think that the key to any of this will be what the hearings are for. If to get a vote for impeachment, they can probably do that. Then it will of course get no further. If the goal is to discover so far unknown facts, that would be better, but how is that done? Calling McGahn is not going to do that, what he said is in the Mueller report; and similarly, with most of the witnesses. The Russians indicted by Mueller are not coming here. There are a few who might know, like Sater, but would he take the Fifth Amendment? We know that they will use every obstructive device available, plus pound away at their narrative that it is a waste of time, a do-over, etc. My biggest concern is how to win the election. I agree that this can be overthought and overanalyzed, and that proactive is usually better than reactive in politics. Even so, there are risks, it is far from a free roll. Vacillating was the wrong course for Hamlet. Bold action was disastrous for Brutus. “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their days is bound in shallows and in miseries.” An absolutely haunting and bracing line of dialogue, ,even though it was uttered by Cassius.
I agree with you. The Democrats should try to impeach Trump. They should hold hearings this summer, then pass articles of impeachment in the fall.
I would love to see what specific charges they come up with.
Trump’s accusers will have to come in and testify under oath and on television. Those who don’t take the 5th will have to sit thru cross-examination.
Trump’s approval rating will be near 70% by the Iowa Caucuses.
Hi Niles!
You’re just jealous because hillary’s Email thing and Benghazi hearings went absolutely nowhere even when she took questions from Congress for eleven straight hours. Americans are bored with Hillary stuff. She’s boooooring compared to Trump.
Anyway, you never know what’s going to capture the public’s attention. I’m not spooked by reverse psychology. BOO!
Let the hearings begin! We have a lot of election meddling to discuss before next year. We don’t even have to mention Trump for the first part of the hearings. Let’s just call him Individual One who is closely involved in the Trump Campaign.
Hey, let’s look at how immunity was handled in previous congressional testimony, shall we?
Think about how much you’ll learn, Niles! Ok, sure you’re a little bit behind the rest of the class but I have confidence we can work with you. Let’s think positively.
Two years ago I told you that Russian collusion was a nothing-burger but y’all didn’t believe me. Obstruction is just the nothing-fries that go with the nothing-burger.
Former FBI director disagrees with your assessment:
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/445941-mueller-there-were-multiple-systematic-efforts-to-interfere-in-our
Hundreds of federal prosecutors disagree with your assessment:
https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-prosecutors-trump-obstruction-20190506-story.html
Yeah, but it doesn’t really matter, does it? Let’s unpack this baby and see for ourselves.
I’m not afraid to go down into the basement and see what’s lurking down there. Are you Niles? I mean, we never take a Democrat’s word of no wrong doing. “Trust but Verify” and all that. If the Trump campaign has nothing to hide, no worries, be happy.
But I gotta tell you, Niles, they seem to be bent on preventing us from seeing a whole lot of nothing burger and that makes me even more convinced that they’ve got something to hide.
Aren’t you interested in knowing what that something is? It’s like waiting for Christmas.
You’re one of THEM, Niles. If you told me “2 + 2 = 4”, I would want to check the math myself. 😛
They don’t want to look partisan just like the media didn’t want to look partisan in 2016 when they saddled us with this a-hole 🙄 time to stop walking on eggshells and take the risk of looking partisan & political. No one in this country save the white nationalists will be upset about beginning impeachment proceedings. We are the majority & we worked our asses off for the Democrats to regain control of the house – it is time they stop trying to appease racist middle American voters. I have had enough hearing about what they think.
Oh, what are Spammy’s knickers twisted about NOW? 🙄
Speaking as a white male American who is NOT a white nationalist, I fart in the WMNs’ general direction. Their mothers were all hamsters, and their fathers smelt of elderberries. 😛