This Hearing Demonstrates One Thing Very, Very Well.

[MineralMan]

Republicans in the House of Representatives are largely a pack of doltish, ignorant blowhards. Rather than ask intelligent questions of the witness, they engage in bluster, campaign rhetoric, and pandering dialog that targets their loyal constituents.

They're not interested in substance. Instead, they're attempting to make the hearing about their own bloated egos.

They make quite a contrast with the cogent questions from the Democrats on the committee. Unfortunately, not that many people are watching the hearing, and will only see whatever soundbites come out of it.

[IADEMO2004]

1. Lies only matter when the pResident is out of the country? Didn't matter last week month year.

[Politicub]

2. They have yoked their fortunes to those of the president

And will fall all over themselves to defend him. The person speaking now -- I don't know who she is because I can't see the TV -- is carrying water for the "people of West Virginia" by using herself as a human shield for the president.

What makes it especially ridiculous is the series of sham hearings by the house republicans about emails.

[MineralMan]

4. Apparently so.

[uponit7771]

3. K&R, they are VERY unprepared and didn't lock onto a theme till well into the Cohen's testimony.

[MineralMan]

6. I'll be very interested to see what clips are used from this on

tonight's major network news programs. Unlike many people on DU, I watch news on CBS, ABC or NBC every evening. I do that because those three network news programs, individually, have a massively larger audience than any of the cable news networks. If you add them all together, they dominate viewership. I watch one network in the morning, one at the dinner hour, and one in the before bedtime hour.

The rest of the time, MSNBC is on the TV in the background. I look at it from time to time.

[llmart]

24. I do the same thing.

I don't have cable, so I do catch the world news on one of the big three sometimes just to see how they're spinning what transpires during each episode of this Trump administration shit show. It's a real reminder to me that just because I get my news and insights from DU doesn't mean everyone is as tuned into what's happening. Most people just listen to sound bites and then form an opinion based on that. Not everyone is as politically tuned in as we are here on DU.

[MineralMan]

31. "Not everyone is as politically tuned in as we are here on DU."

That's the understatement of the year, I think. Really, almost nobody is.

[llmart]

35. They especially don't tune in or pay attention if it seems even a tiny bit "complicated".

Or unless it involves salacious sexual antics like Clinton's dalliances.

[Hamlette]

47. let us know what they use My fav is "Republicans are doing the same thing I did, blindly follow

Trump" MSNBS is playing it.

[dalton99a]

5. A bunch of meandering lapdogs trying to get their master's attention

hoping he's watching them in Vietnam

[MineralMan]

7. Well, if they believe that Trump gives a damn about them,

they are sadly mistaken. He cares only about his own self.

[gratuitous]

8. Odd, isn't it?

They had total control of the House and the Senate from 2011 to 2019, and this rank incompetence didn't seem to impinge on the public consciousness. Sort of makes you wonder who was really running the show if it wasn't this pack of churls.

[MineralMan]

10. McConnell and Ryan were running the show.

The rest are just followers, pretty much.

Ryan's gone. Let's get rid of McConnell next.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. They aren't interested in substance because they don't have any.

The only thing they can do is try to diminish Cohen's credibility, but they're in a box because (a) Cohen no longer has any reason to lie and significant reasons not to; and (b) Cohen's previous lies were on behalf of Trump. The soundbites that will come out of the hearing will not favor Trump.

[MineralMan]

13. Cohen's credibility comes from his having nothing more to lose.

That's easy to recognize, and more people understand that that we realize, I think.

Cohen is trying to redeem himself to some degree, and to take his revenge on Trump, who turned his back on him. He is a ruined man. All he has to bring to the table now is truth. He can't hurt himself any more. What he has right now is a platform from which to speak. Trump abandoned him. Trump abandons everyone. So, there sits Cohen, telling his sordid story, with Trump as the main character.

He's very dangerous to Trump, who is helpless to silence him at this point. The Republicans on the committee are incapable of turning this disaster around, and the Democrats know exactly what they want from Cohen.

It's a fascinating spectacle. I doubt it will result in any major action against Trump, but I believe it will have a strong impact on the 2020 elections. That impact may be evidenced in ways we're probably not really thinking about at the moment.

[llmart]

28. The major impact on Trump will come from the State of New York.

His life from here on out will be nothing but a disaster, costing him plenty in attorneys and then dying eventually with all that as his legacy. Let's just hope they get the rest of his family too.

[AmericanActivist]

11. I'm watching nm

[asiliveandbreathe]

12. I am not sure if you remember all the Nixon goings on...I don't remember all of it either..but

what mattered in the end, the Rule of Law prevailed….we live in such instant gratification times...unfortunately, the unwinding of all that is rump will take time...we have so much information instantly...good, bad or indifferent...that people can become overwhelmed..those in a higher pay grade WILL sort this out..

Democratic reps are asking questions to get to the heart of the matter..smart, intelligent, questions, without pontificating..and spewing venom - the thugs don't want the truth..and for me, that statement will survive..

[MineralMan]

14. I do remember it all. I watched it all unfold.

That was a time when I had little work to do, and was back at a University working on my degree after four years in the USAF. So, I had nothing but time. I watched all of the hearings as they happened. It was fascinating.

2019 is going to be a year of similar unfolding. Now that the House is in Democratic hands, we'll see more hearings. Things will get exposed that the Republicans tried to keep from being exposed.

In the end, I expect that this story will be the undoing of the Republican party. I certainly hope so. Then, in 2020, we'll begin to see Democratic candidates using all of the 2019 evidence and revelations to solidify their chances of election. Unlike the Republicans, they will understand how to make this all work in their favor. The Republicans, stupid as they are, will keep trying to hold onto their base, while the rest of the electorate looks for some other way out of this whole mess.

If this is all handled well by Democrats, 2020 could be an earthshaking election year. I hope everyone is paying attention and learning the lessons that need to be learned.

[MyOwnPeace]

44. I'm startled, shocked, saddened...........

thinking about the contrast between the Congress of Nixon's time and what we see now.
For the Watergate hearings you knew that you were watching honorable professionals who were concerned about the Constitution, the pride and respect for the institutions to which they belonged, and the safety and security of the American people and Republic.

Now?

Well, you know the answer................

[GulfCoast66]

49. The republicans in the house we with him till the end.

But being in the minority in both houses they are not remembered.

And they all stuck by him till it was obvious the American People had decided.

Their ‘courage’ and ‘ Patriotism’ is overblown because once the writing was on the wall they scraped him off like shit on a shoe and that is remembered.

With Fox and hate radio trumps support will never fall that low.

[True Blue American]

51. Republicans did not turn on Nixon

until the evidence was indisputable either So do not kid yourself. They were not any better.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

48. Sam Ervin was my hero.

Another thing we have in our favor, as awful as it is: tRump's tax law will sting working folks again next year and probably worse. I also hope more will be revealed on Repub gerrymandering and voter suppression.

Let's hope more credible allegations come out on McConnell, other Republicans and right-wing orgs like the NRA from our committees. I seriously think many Americans are awakening to all the lying by Republicans and their media.

As you said, House committee work is just starting to expose that in full view and they're being very careful as to how they conduct the hearings. We have some very bright people in charge and they know full-well how Republicans operate.

[True Blue American]

52. Jawarski!:)

[KY_EnviroGuy]

55. Leon! You're shaking the cobwebs out, LOL.

Interesting snippet from Leon's Wikipedia page:

On July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that the Special Prosecutor did have the right to sue the President; and that the "generalized assertion of [executive] privilege must yield to the demonstrated, specific need for evidence in a pending criminal trial". Nixon was forced to give the unedited tapes to Jaworski, including the so-called Smoking Gun Tape which included a compromising discussion of June 23, 1972. The President's remaining support waned, and he resigned on August 9, 1974.

Many of those decisions may well be revisited soon.

Brings back a lot of memories......

[True Blue American]

58. Remember the Raid Commercial?

That is a cartoon that I had for a long time.

[uponit7771]

63. Were you as involved with WG as this? I've read people say this is like WG but with another country

... as the people who "broke in"

I would love to read an outline of the similarities and differences between the two other than the aforementioned.

I wasn't alive and I'm blown away that the SAME DAMN PARTY is doing nearly the SAME DAMN THING !!

Makes me think they haven't had any good policies post Eisenhower.

thx in advance

[MineralMan]

69. Actually, I was more involved with the Watergate issue.

I had more time then to focus on it. On the other hand, we had no outlet for discussions of it like we do today. Very different times. Very different environment, politically.

[Amaryllis]

15. TRue, but if soundbites are all they hear at least there's some great soundbites coming from Cohen

[Honeycombe8]

16. Most people are at work, so can't see it.

I'm retired, so I can. When I did work, I would try to find things like this on Youtube. But time was limited.

Most people don't care enough, though, truth be told. Which is a sad commentary on the state of politics these days.

[MineralMan]

22. Most of those people will see the soundbites this evening and

tomorrow morning.

[llmart]

32. I actually think that has been the case over the decades.

I clearly remember the Watergate hearings and prior to that when I was a very young wife and mother and very few of my cohorts had the time or inclination or energy to follow that closely. It wasn't until it got a lot of media attention and the facts were coming out fast and furious that more people paid attention.

I don't think this is specific to politics of today.

[lancelyons]

17. How do we make them pay for their malfeasance.

[Mira]

18. This says very well and is

what is making me both rabid and glad. How can the constituents of them not see their inadequacy.
My critter up there is Virginia Foxx. Need i say more?

[Chalco]

19. From my experience testifying as an expert witness

When the other side doesn't have a case they go after the expert's character
because they know the facts are against them.

[SKKY]

20. The only Republican who asked anything interesting was Justin Amash...

...but that could be because he was unprepared. He didn't seem altogether tuned in.

[lame54]

21. I think a lot are watching and/or...

Will tune into Rachel tonight

[MineralMan]

23. Well, Rachel fans will, for sure.

She comes on after I'm asleep, though.

My TV goes off at 8 PM CST, usually.

Her total audience is about 1% of the population. So is Hannity's. 1%.

[Hekate]

30. I'm out of town today so I am recording Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow

You could try that with Rachel a couple of times and see if you like her well enough to continue.

[cp]

25. Watched the whole thing, so far (still in recess)

Every R attacked Cohen, with increasing panic and rabidity. They made themselves All In for Trump and did not appear to take in what Cohen said, that those who follow Mr. Trump blindly like I did will suffer the same consequences.

I am very proud of the Democrats on the committee, particularly Elijah Cummings. Thank you, Blue Wave!

[Kablooie]

26. And this kind of behavior impresses the hell out of their constituents.

Almost makes you wonder about the value of living in a Democracy at times.
Though an Autocracy or Oligarchy would be much worse so I guess we'll just grin and bear it.

[Garrett78]

27. Republicans are, for the most part, terrible people. Just terrible, terrible people.

[MineralMan]

29. You'll get no argument from me on that point!

[Garrett78]

41. And of course Democrats in public office can't say that. However...

...I think Democrats need to be more blunt about the Republican Party base, as that base poses a grave danger to us all. Democrats should speak openly about the nonsensical beliefs (such as Birtherism, climate change denial, evolution denial, PizzaGate, etc.) that a disturbingly high percentage of people subscribe to, and the need for media literacy to be mandatory curriculum in every school.

We probably can't flip the adherents to those beliefs, but maybe Democrats can make it embarrassing enough that we don't lose any more people to the disease of right wing insanity. We have an epidemic. This country is very, very sick. One might even say it's a national emergency.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

53. Could deplorable possibly be the word we're searching for?

............ ............

Agree 100% that we have a public media emergency due to mass availability and the head-spinning saturation of info coming from a million sources. It's time for America to stop click-supporting everything they see on their phone screens and get back to reading credible sources only. In essence, our beloved internet is destroying us.

[Garrett78]

65. While Republicans are deplorable, I think it's best to talk about this problem like it's a disease.

Talk about the epidemic of believing nonsense. Talk about how Republicans and the infotainment industry have fomented and exploited ignorance to a dangerous extent. Give stats regarding how many people believe x, y and z.

I've also suggested before that the DNC hire someone to give a daily press conference to address the lies and nonsense over the previous 24 hours. Fugelsang could probably do the job well. We make a mistake by just letting this shit go without a rebuttal. And there's so much nonsense that we need a paid representative to address it on a daily basis.

[liberal N proud]

33. They are protecting trump

[vlyons]

34. It is actually much worse than that

Republicans are incorrigible. They have destroyed their own personal honor and integrity for some degenerate value about rigging the system to stay in power and greedily lust after money. They are degenerate and absolutely no different than all those good Germans, who cheered Hitler.

Have you seen them lift a finger to correct the evil of kidnapping children at the border and selling them off to Christian prisons. Not a peep.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

36. Even if they didn't want to ask about Trump

They didn't have to act like such assholes. The tone was just so demeaning. I don't know if Democrats have done that before in hearings but I hope not. Can't imagine that would score with all Republicans. Hey remember the suburb mom's? Lol

By the way have they asked about if he was offered a pardon? There was definitely a huge falling out point with him and Trump

[elias7]

66. Dems never have acted that way during hearings

See if you can find the Kavanaugh hearings on YouTube. You’ll see some tough questioning but always fair and always respectful. The Republicans, OTOH, were grandstanding and acting like assholes once they cut off the female prosecutor who did all their questioning in the first half...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

68. Yes, watched the whole Kavenaugh deal. Repukes

may have appealed to the hard core base with yesterday, but I know plenty of middle of the roaders Republicans who would have thought their demeanor so disgusting. It really made a convicted felon look like the victim.

Do you know if anyone asked him about a pardon? I find it interesting to think about when Cohen stopped adoring trump. Don't know if I buy that it was a gradual evolution. Yet, I read Omarosa's book and she said the same thing.

[Hekate]

37. The little I saw this morning before hitting the road had me saying of the GOP: It was all a lie...

Law and Order, Patriotism, Personal Responsibility, Family Values -- once Eisenhower was gone, every single thing the Republican Party said it was for turned out to be a lie.

MM, I've known this for a long time. But every so often it hits me again, harder than before.

It was ALL a lie.

[MineralMan]

56. Yes, a lie.

[dameatball]

38. These questions kill me:

Repub: Will you commit to never making a book or movie deal?

Cohen: no

Repub: Will you ever eat a steak again?

Cohen; yes

Repub: Do you promise that you will never get a puppy?


cohen: no


Its like they think he should stop living. Maybe they do.

[Duppers]

43. If this were a rethugian being questioned by a Dem...

That rethug would have turned the questions like Brett Kavanaugh did and would have said, "Congressman, what you you do?"

[Doremus]

39. I had a similar impression.

To me they seemed like a band of thugs. Aggressive and mean. Not a good image to project to the world viewing, imo.

[Duppers]

40. Nicole Wallace on MSNBC just said

This is "proving you don't have to pass any kind of test to be in Congress."


Great post, per usual, MM.

[MineralMan]

54. Thanks.

[Mr. Evil]

42. So the Republicans could've sent only one person since they all parroted Jim Jordan and each other.

They're mad at Cohen for lying in his job capacity of protecting Donald Trump. But, it seems they are also mad that he's not protecting Trump now, like them. Once again, Republicans talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time. It really seems that most, if not all, of them are auditioning for Cohen's old job.

[onlyadream]

45. Their outrage about wasting time is hypercritial, thinking of Bengazi

and all those book and movie deals that Cohen is doing this for. Wow.
Seriously, grasping at straws.

[Lifelong Protester]

57. I agree!

[bronxiteforever]

46. Well said MM. kick and recommend

[R B Garr]

50. Well said! These Republicans are just emotional vampires.

Not even a rational thought amongst the lot of them, just ramped up ignorance and drama.

[RambleTamble]

59. I think this supports your summary

I missed this particular shot, but I did hear Cohen's reply.

[MineralMan]

61. Why is that even allowed?

It's disruptive of the proceedings. Never mind thread hell.

[uponit7771]

64. Damn, the whole KGOP is a bunch of screw ups

[malaise]

60. They were beyond pathetic n/t

[MineralMan]

62. Yes.

[elias7]

67. The senate, too.

Remember the Kavanaugh debacle. Wondering if they act differently in closed session.

[Scotch-Irish]

70. You just described 99.9% of ALL republicans i know

There's something wrong with their brains.