Reading time – 3:10; Viewing time – 4:21 . . .
The House Judiciary Committee Republicans used the impeachment proceedings to promote Donald Trump, to denigrate Joe Biden and to smear all Democrats as immoral and hypocritical. And now the Senate is preparing to do an even deeper dive into the Land of Wacko.
Perhaps you thought that the achingly phony outrage over a bad pun using the President’s son’s name was as stupid as things could become. Not so. The Republicans are far more creative than that.
Back in the good old days of the House Intelligence Committee impeachment hearings we got to hear from ranking member Devin Nunes (R-CA). I know you remember him from his 2017 midnight ride to the White House, where he was told some blatantly false things he already knew about. The next morning he held a press conference in front of the White House to reveal the false revelations that he had “just learned.” His manipulative, phony bona fides were soundly established in that moment and he has not disappointed since. Nunes behaved during the House Intelligence Committee impeachment hearings as you would expect, with phony facts and phony outrage.
Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee Doug Collins (R-GA) did not have a midnight ride moment, but his committee participation was similarly inventive and outrageous. The difference between him and Nunes – and you really need to appreciate this – is the new land speed record set by Collins’ mouth. He spoke in a sleety blizzard of faux outrage, misdirecting claims and denial of reality. He did all of that at light speed in his aw-shucks Georgia accent, making a caricature of himself.
They both claimed witnesses did not say what they actually said. Do they realize that there are video recordings? They claimed that documents don’t say what they actually say. Do they realize that these are written, reviewable records? Clearly, they were all about the effect they can have on voters in the moment of their misdirection and they assumed things would flash by so fast that nobody would check their phony facts. Not so. Read Barbara McQuade’s brilliant analysis of the GOP’s pathetic defenses of Trump.
They railed at the proceedings, claiming over and over that they weren’t fair, yet the proceedings were fair, unless the only way to define fair is that it works for you. It’s like Trump, expecting to lose the 2016 election, so he declared in advance that the election “is rigged.” Then, when he won, suddenly the election wasn’t rigged any more. “Fair” seems to be a pretty malleable thing for Republicans.
Except for some Republican fantasies, the facts of this impeachment are not in question. Indeed, the President has bragged of having committed all of the offenses for which he is being impeached and he’s bragged about committing still more. That leaves Republicans with nothing but the phony stuff demonstrated by Nunes and Collins.
What’s going on is certifiably nuts. It’s all about denying established facts and claiming victim-hood in order to do a snow job on the American people. They have contorted themselves into lap dogs to ensure Trump’s approval.
But why would they compromise their integrity in support of a president who seems focused on tearing down America and benefiting Vladimir Putin? Republicans used to call themselves conservatives, but there’s nothing conservative in what they’re doing.
Here’s what you can do
Link through to the Represent.us video with Michael Douglas to find out how we can deal with our ongoing craziness and, as the Represent.us folks say, “unbreak America.”
And show up for one of the nationwide Nobody is Above The Law gatherings this Tuesday evening. Click on the link and enter your Zip code to find a rally close by.
Finally, if you prefer actual facts over “alternative facts”, here’s an excellent piece of clarity about what’s really going on. Read Sheila Markin’s post. You already know the truth, but she has laid it all out for you in sensible and unsparing terms.
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3 Responses to Snow Job – v1
Dan December 18, 2019
Thank you Jack. Very thoughtful writing.
Frank Levy December 15, 2019
Jack – as correct as you are about the craziness, misdirection, and blatant lies of the Republican House members pushing back on Trump’s impeachment, nothing you say matters. Trump will not be convicted by the Senate. The Democrats will look foolish and impotent to everyone on both sides of the electorate, just as they have since McConnell blocked the Merrick Garland nomination. Donald Trump will be re-elected in 2020, and possibly beyond. The American (and worldwide) experiment in democracy is dead. If the people were really defiant and angry with trump and his allies they would be in the streets protesting. They would not stop until they got their democracy back. That’s what got us the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, and ended the Viet Nam War. The sad reality is, that unless you are poor, out of a job, or a refugee seeking asylum, the people on both sides of the divide are happy, and content, and think all of this impeachment talk is a waste of time and energy. The Republicans have worked diligently for more than 50 years to get America to this point. They now have what they have always wanted – all the power and money, and a populace that, while they complain, really doesn’t care all that much. This is the end of the world as we know it, and I am not fine.
Maureen Nowak December 18, 2019
I disagree that it is a waste of time, as does more than half of this country. Americans are laughed at by association to this president, and we need to show the world that we don’t support a corrupt dictator (and that we will stand up for good old Democracy).
A side benefit is that he, as much as his narcissism will allow, will be humiliated by this. And Republicans who support him will have to live with themselves for the rest of their lives.