Democrats' big selling point: At least we'll hold public hearings on Trump

[DonViejo]

We may never know what Mueller has on Trump. But a Democratic House majority could at least hold real hearings

HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
02.07.2018•8:20 AM

One of the oddities of the current Russia scandal is that it's unfolding without public hearings. Until very recently, that's how congressional oversight was done: in front of the cameras. Recall that just recently, extensive hearings on the Benghazi incident culminated in the day-long testimony by Hillary Clinton back in 2015.

This is particularly odd, considering the Republicans' hand-wringing sanctimony over "transparency" and the public's right to know, at least with respect to the Nunes Memo. In fact, this memo and the Democratic rebuttal -- along with the firehose of leaks that have poured out of everywhere except (apparently) the special counsel's office -- are the only means by which the public is being informed, which is quite different than what we've experienced in previous government scandals.

This is yet another example of political norms and traditions being discarded by this Republican majority. It certainly offers another argument for Democrats as they try to win back at least one house of Congress next fall. They may not be able to promise that the president will be convicted in an impeachment trial -- something that has never happened -- but they can certainly promise to hold hearings and make these people testify before the American public. This is an important aspect of legitimate congressional oversight, and the unwillingness to hold public hearings, despite all the GOP's theatrics and competing narratives, is yet more evidence that Republicans are more interested in covering up for their president than in doing their duty.

Journalist Elizabeth Drew, author of one of the seminal books on the Watergate scandal, "Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixon's Downfall," published a piece for the New Republic last week examining the possibility of holding the president accountable in the current political climate. She is not optimistic.

more
https://www.salon.com/2018/02/07/democrats-big-selling-point-at-least-well-hold-public-hearings-on-trump/

[vi5]

1. I'm for all of it, as long as I don't have to hear...

..how we're going to "work with our friends across the aisle" or find "bipartisan solutions" or "look forward not backward". We're in this mess because too many people failed to heed the lessons of history.

No. Fuck them and every single one of their shitty policies. No more of this 10 steps backward under Republican control, 5 steps forward under Democratic control.