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Impeachment Diary Day 8: Question Time Is a Bust: The Real Action was Outside the Chamber
Townhall.com ^ | January 30, 2020 | Mark Davis

Posted on 01/30/2020 3:32:38 AM PST by Kaslin

One of the main irritants of the three explanatory days given to each side in the impeachment trial was the stultifying predictability. I obviously agreed with one side and disagreed with the other, but after a while I was able to recite their arguments in my sleep.

The Wednesday Senators’ question period at least offered the possibility of some unscripted moments that might provide a spark of unpredictability to liven up the proceedings for a numb audience.

It was not to be. The air hung thick with coordination on all sides as it became obvious that Democrat Senators would toss up softball questions designed to give House Managers additional bursts of their familiar song, while Republican Senators nudged the president’s attorneys to reach for their best index cards in reply.

The result was another day that achieved essentially nothing on the Senate floor (I barely count Adam Schiff’s denial that he knows who the Whistleblower is). But outside the proceedings, the sideshows provided a diversion or two. Lev Parnas and his ankle bracelet made their way through the Capitol halls, reporters peppered Republicans with Democrat talking points and we learned of a letter from the National Security Council to John Bolton’s lawyer shutting down release of his book pending further examination for possible divulgence of national security secrets.

This path leads to either a hotly anticipated book release or the implosion of its value as it gets roped into impeachment testimony. Democrats who hated Bolton when he joined the Trump team now long for him to rush to their aid in a failing effort. Look for them to exert pressure to lasso the book into some imagined game-changer exhibit that they can pore over in search of potential weapons.

I still doubt how damaging the book will be to Trump, whenever and however it is revealed. I know the adorable title, “The Room Where It Happened,” borrows from a Hamilton lyric describing the mysteries that unfold in the shadows of power. I’m sure Bolton is in a mood to carve out some distance from the president who showed him the door four months ago and who now elbows him sharply on Twitter. But he is in a mood to elevate his own brand, a goal not served by savaging his former boss.

As the week winds down, the witness vote is the only hiccup of suspense that lies ahead. I could probably write the questions sure to issue from both sides Thursday, a final day of presentation that will clear the decks for the skirmish that will make the most news headed into the weekend. How many Republicans will stand against the White House wish for witnesses? Will Mitch McConnell assemble a package featuring poison pills, requiring Democrats to vote to invite Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff and his buddy the Whistleblower in order to secure a Bolton subpoena? Might that chase some Democrats away from the witness vote, especially the ones running for President, who would love to bolt for New Hampshire next week after the Iowa vote Monday which will show them the effects of their absence?

There is nothing in the intensifying tug-of-war over witnesses that peels me from my abiding sense that this all matters very little. Bolton’s book will not be weaponized; his testimony, if it ever happens, will contain no bombshells; if we do have Battle of the Witnesses, that will open the door for weeks of media narratives painting it in the worst possible light for Trump, but may also lay the groundwork for witness testimony that no Democrat ever wanted to see. Call it a wash.

Impeachment is ultimately political theater for partisans. Most of average America is not hanging on each day’s developments. They are going to work and school, taking care of the kids, going about their lives and wondering when this will all end. Subjecting the nation to a tiresome February of witness posturing may come at a cost.

Thursday brings another wheel-spinning day of question time, and another day where the most significant developments will be hammered out behind the scenes.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: impeachment; impeachmenttrial; pencilneckschiff; senate

1 posted on 01/30/2020 3:32:38 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

I hear Fauxcahontas called her dog and gave it a few campaigning tips.


2 posted on 01/30/2020 3:45:10 AM PST by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: Libloather

Yes, the dog listens well and gives short, meaningful speeches.


3 posted on 01/30/2020 4:04:04 AM PST by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners. And to the NSA trolls, FU)
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To: Kaslin

4 posted on 01/30/2020 4:09:19 AM PST by Diogenesis ( WWG1WGA)
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To: Kaslin

I hope it ends tomorrow with a vote to dismiss the turd articles of impeachment and to acquit the President.

This circus has gone on long enough.


5 posted on 01/30/2020 4:26:43 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Diogenesis

Hilarious! Well done!!


6 posted on 01/30/2020 4:38:31 AM PST by TrueFact (Don't hang out with narcissists or dems...but I repeat myself.)
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To: Kaslin

There is no win for the Dems in this impeachment. Call witnesses.. Hunter needs to appear... Game over. Don’t call witnesses... Trump is acquitted and the far left lunatics in the party howl like lunatics do... The Dems look erratic.

Nancy should have just sat on her hands, but she couldn’t help herself.


7 posted on 01/30/2020 5:27:51 AM PST by jerod (Nazi's were essentially Socialist in Hugo Boss uniforms... Get over it!)
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To: Kaslin

Huh. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who hasn’t seen Hamilton. I have not gone out of choice. I really detest it when people try to impose minorities into historical scenes where they really weren’t.


8 posted on 01/30/2020 5:51:36 AM PST by originalbuckeye ('In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act'- George Orwell..?)
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To: originalbuckeye

The book’s cover looks like a toilet seat.


9 posted on 01/30/2020 6:13:59 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: Diogenesis
😂 👍🏼
10 posted on 01/30/2020 6:17:25 AM PST by Jane Long (Praise God, from whom ALL blessings flow.)
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To: Kaslin
Realize that the DemocRATS will do another impeachment and demand another trial in the Senate. They've got nothing else to run on and their media is desperately trying to stay alive being stuck with the narrative (Trump Bad, gotta go) which is failing miserably.

I agree with the article on this one. The DemocRATS shot their wad badly. They insulted the Republican Squishems and even got some Dem Senators to doubt doing it. A majority of Americans have moved past these shenanigans and have moved on with their lives (and higher wages).

11 posted on 01/31/2020 1:11:55 AM PST by CptnObvious (Question her now.)
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