“… is it fair for the nation to be skeptical of a committee that has trampled any number of institutional norms and practices in the name of returning us to institutional norms and practices?”
This week’s Washington corollary to the tree-in-the-forest thought experiment: If the Jan. 6 committee holds professionally polished hearings, amid wall-to-wall prime-time coverage, will anybody pay attention? If the answer is no, the committee will largely have itself to blame.
The prospect of public apathy is already deeply vexing the establishment. “Democrats have the steep challenge of convincing a disillusioned American electorate to tune into” the hearings, Politico worries. The Washington Post frets that even weeks of this miniseries may not “change hearts or minds.” The vexed are already laying blame. It’s the fault of Republicans who will “downplay” the findings, Americans who are too focused on gasoline prices, and Fox News for deciding not to air Thursday’s hearing live (although Fox Business and every other station said they would).
What’s actually missing in this special sauce of prime TV hours, slick videos and positive press is the one ingredient truly vital for public interest: credibility. If huge swathes of America ignore the committee’s work, it will be because the committee itself—through its construction and through its actions—made it easy.
Can Americans trust the findings of a panel whose members began with a preconceived narrative and blackballed any dissenting voices? Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unprecedented decision to veto Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks last July in favor of her own handpicked Republican members blew the committee’s credibility before it even started work. Americans will find it easy to reject “evidence” that is too fragile to bear the scrutiny of fellow House members.
And consider Mrs. Pelosi’s Democratic picks. California’s Adam Schiff is The House face of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax and secret Ukraine impeachment proceedings. Maryland’s Jamie Raskin knows a little something about objecting to the counting of electoral votes. On Jan. 6, 2017, he objected to Donald Trump’s Florida victory. Mrs. Pelosi had more than 200 Democratic members to choose from, yet her picks allow Americans to dismiss the committee instantly. more
The stench from Washington is overpowering.
@RadioMattM — Yes it is. But I’d prefer it if it were even moreso by adding the stench of putrefying corpses.
When your going after swamp creatures, the smell can get pretty nasty.
Not only does the Jan 6 committee have not credibility, it is also illegally put together. As I understand it, any such committee should be composed of members nominated by both sides of the House. The Republican side, consisting of only two, were appointed by the Democrats. The committee has no business being in business.
DavidW, a legal scholar, nope, graduated from high school, nope, graduated from grade school, yep. Oh that settles it, your hired on as lead counsel for the republicans. Your first task to block Trump & his family members from testifying before the committee. Oops too late.
We’re Democrats! Why start following the law now???
Not only does their show stink, the Democrat’s desperation reeks with the smelly panic of losing power come November.
“…DavidW, a legal scholar, nope, graduated from high school, nope, graduated from grade school…”
Nancy, a grammar school dropout. At least DavidW graduated from grade school (according to your records)
Let me correct that for you. DavidW, a legal scholar? Nope. Graduated from high school? Nope. Graduated from grade school. Still not technically correct grammar, but better than the original.
Impeachment #1 = farce, #2 = irritation, #3 this one = anger and disgust toward the democrats.. They’ll never survive this. Most of the American people are not stupid.
Maybe you guys should try stormin the Capital again, that worked out so good the first time. Your just exercising your right to free speech.
Gordon
The next time the Capital is stormed, everyone doing it will be armed to the teeth.
This poor excuse of an investigative committee just proves that the Democrats have absolutely no skill in organizing a proper show trial. Sure, they got off to a decent start by stacking the deck with RINOs on the Republican side, but there is no Liz Cheney frothing at the mouth while lambasting witnesses, no Adam Schiff waving confessions at alleged perps who are barely able to sit at the witness table after being tortured, and no scoffing presiding member summarily dismissing anyone with “testimony” that deviates from the approved Democrat script. These Congress critters aren’t even decent figureheads – Schiff shouldn’t have to fabricate evidence behind the scenes, and once in a while Pelosi should stagger drunkenly into the chamber and demand heads on pikes in order to show her support.
This thing has been going on for a few days now, and not one target has been led away to suffer a bullet to the head. If this is all the Democrats can do for a show trial, it’s no wonder they chose a demented fool as the face of their party.
Did you say something, Gordon?
They are fighting their most important battle for survival. Trump is as he has been since 2016 their greatest threat. They are the party of TDS it’s their greatest unifying element – hate.
They have no “0” good ideas because they let the looney far left run the show. Every sane person knows how helpless and useless they are. They are imploding and will resort to violence when they lose power.
@Zonga June 11, 2022 at 3:03 pm
> Most of the American people are not stupid.
Most of The United States is not American.
Oh good. The retarded troll who switches his IP, talks to himself, and thumbs up his own comments is back. You really have some serious issues, you know that?
One who comments on their own stories because no one else will is just plain sad, 😭