At the House Judiciary Committee, the impeachment proceedings are off to an explosive start. Republicans are trying to fling poo and trying to denigrate the witnesses, while the three legal scholars who are testifying about the history, intent, and importance of impeachment, are shredding republicans into pieces. The fourth lightweight scholar/hack Jonathan Turley is being raked by Democrats and is being ridiculed by Pundits and legal scholars on the Internet.
Here are some highlights and reactions -
Republican Doug Collins came to the hearings armed with a bowlful of word salad with croutons of juvenile insults all spit out in his shrill voice. He thundered “You are all professors”. We are the illiterati (my paraphrasing).
Republicans do not need to play dumb, because ...
A pithy summary of the republican defense -
Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan on the other hand showed herself as yet another “Badass” woman - knowledgeable, prepared, patriotic, passionate and fearless. Yes, imagine her on the Supreme Court.
Some excerpts -
I read transcripts of every one of the witnesses who appeared in the live hearing. I’m insulted by the suggestion that as a law professor I don’t care about those facts.
Based on the evidentiary record...before you is something that I do not think we have ever seen before: a president who has doubled down on violating his oath to ‘faithfully execute’ the laws and to ‘protect and defend the Constitution.’”
Because this is an abuse that cuts to the heart of Democracy, you need to ask yourselves, if you don’t impeach a president who has done what this president has done — or at least you don’t investigate and then impeach if you conclude that the House Select Committee’s findings are correct — then what you’re saying is, it’s fine to go ahead and do this again.
The Constitution of the United States does not care if the next President is Donald Trump or anyone of the Democrats or a third Party. The Constitution is indifferent to that, what the Constitution cares about is we have free elections.
There is a “clear and present danger” to the U.S. election system.
In the video above, Doug Collins wanted to interrupt her at one point, but decided against poking at a buzz-saw.
The accolades for Prof. Karlan were flying like shooting stars —
Mic drop moments -
Women will save the world, I tell ya.
No she won’t; she is too dignified; but we would love to see it.
Watch that language Charles!
That’s better.
She sprinkled some humor as well in her passionate testimony, while trying to make a serious point. The right is latching on to this statement in their shameful attempt to demonize her, as if she mercilessly insulted 13-year old Barron. She did not. Nevertheless, she has since apologized for the statement, but the right does not care. Let’s fight back.
Excellent point -
Collins doing a Nunes impression ...
Michael Gerhardt, the Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at UNC -
People are also thoroughly impressed with Noah Feldman, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School —
It was a Back-to-school moment for many -
Remember, sunshine is anathema to republicans -
Turley is the republican invited hack/lunatic. As someone suggested, they might as well have brought in Hannity. Here is his “It’s a mad mad mad mad world” defense.
Turley summarized -
Someone is impressed with the “everybody’s mad” argument. /s
Pundits are having a fun time shredding Turley’s incoherent and juvenile arguments —
The Final Verdict -
Democrats vs Republicans -
The Superwomen of these hearings -
We need to change this … let’s keep working on it.
Meanwhile, the right-wing slime machine is kicking into high gear, denigrating these law professors and playing victim; that’s what they do, since they cannot defend trump on the facts. Let’s keep an eye on these proceedings, keep spreading the truth and keep neutralizing the republican talking points and poo-flinging. The future of humankind is at stake.
Please share your thoughts and insights on the hearings today and what is likely to transpire in the days ahead.