McConnell… secured the votes to open an impeachment trial without a bipartisan deal
We’re beginning to look a lot like Russia.
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Yeah, brought to us by the same folks who were all in with Joseph McCarthy.
It’s the Anything Can Happen century.
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Doing anything other than “nothing” hands control to #MoscowMitch.
I think both sides are stuck until someone caves, and that’ll probably depend completely on which direction polling goes in the coming weeks.
IMHO, McConnell’s #1 priority is similar to Pelosi’s – both want to maintain their party’s control of their respective chambers. And right now, Trump is McConnell’s biggest threat to maintaining that control, and everything action that McConnell takes WRT impeachment has an audience of one – Donald Trump. Trump needs to think that he is in control of events, and McConnell is doing everything he can to let Trump believe that.
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It isn’t a trial. It can’t be a trial if there is no evidence presented. It’s not a fucking trial, period. Keep repeating that too.
If any of the talking heads on MSNBC or CNN say that may be too nuanced for the American voter I might have to go on a cruise somewhere or have the wife put me in an assisted living facility.
I think being stuck works in our favor and not in theirs.
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I agree. Pelosi seems to have two options so far - either pass the articles to the Senate, which #MoscowMtich has made clear will have less than a sham trial, or hold onto them until something changes.
The big problem is that who folds first probably depends on how the public perceives things and, ugh, one side is much better at messaging than the other.
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There might be a better, more effective way for Dem Senators to pressure Republicans into a real trial.
There are more than a dozen states with split Senate delegations. Imagine commercials/videos with say, Sherrod Brown, standing on a map of Ohio, with fellow Dem Senators standing on maps of their respective neighboring states, appealing directly and publicly to Rob Portman, to allow a real trial, with real witnesses and real evidence.
It could be such a direct, personal appeal – not to some partisan end, but just to fairness and justice, and urging residents to call Senator Portman’s office directly with the number.
Look at the geography of the split delegation states. Residents in those states are likely to know their own senators, and at least recognize those from neighboring states. They work together on regional issues all the time, like the Great Lakes.
I think spots like this could be devastatingly effective, and really box in Republicans.
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I think there is a third option – create the change. Reopen the evidentiary record to be sent to the Senate, and take the necessary steps to enforce the subpoenas – including authorizing the use of inherent contempt.
What Dems shouldn’t do is just wait around for circumstances to occur that favor them – we’ve just managed to (hopefully) avoid a major war (and global economic meltdown) because we want Trump to impeach (or now, convict) himself.
For sure. And he’s going to continue to self impeach. The Soleimani stunt went belly up and he’s only going to stay on the short leash they have him on today for a very short while. More madness is waiting round the corner.
Though I really do hope he stays away from starting WWIII. Much as that would help us get rid of him, I don’t want to see that.
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I could see that.
“Actually have a trial, or we might just have to start investigating X, Y, and Z.”
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The Soleimani stunt just broke his firewall in the Senate.
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That little troll is an odd one.
I used to think he was just Cruz’s second vote (you know, like Sleepy Clarence was to Fat Tony), but it almost seems like he wants his own attention, instead of repeating whatever Canada Cruz wants him to say.
“They had to leave after 75 minutes, while they’re in the process of telling us that we need to be good little boys and girls and run along and not debate this in public. I find that absolutely insane. I think it’s unacceptable.”
I mean who does he think he is, George Dubya Bush?
As the impasse in the Senate goes on about calling witnesses I don’t see why the House isn’t issuing subpoenas to Bolton and others who have relevant info to the impeachment hearing and trial. What possible harm could it do?
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Make them look weaker when they’re inevitably told to screw off? That’s all I got.
I hope they have a plan and have the guts to stick with it despite what Twitter and the other idiot fora have to say minute to minute. Good lawyers know how to go into a trial they have to try but they know they are going to lose and come out winning the war. I think they were politically more coherent before the internet, when they used to get together in the cloakrooms and drink together, and all lived in D.C.
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Would the Dems look weak or would the repugs look more like obstructionists after the court decision to throw out Kupperman’s suit to avoid his subpoena?
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and like clockwork, the Hill gives us the latest (205,633rd) installment in their neverending - and never accurate – Dems in Disarray saga.
Joe Biden has no first-hand knowledge of Trump’s malfeasance or abuse of power.
For him to testify would lend credence to Trump’s lies about him and his son.
Really a monumentally bad idea.
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