Pelosi and Schumer are playing this beautifully. They're Benghazi-proofing the investigation

[StarfishSaver]

It's looking more and more like the 1/6 investigation will have to be done by a Congressional select committee, as the Benghazi "investigation" was.

But unlike the Benghazi proceedings, which were just rammed through with no attempt at bipartisan cooperation or even the appearance of seriousness, this route is being taken ONLY because the Republicans blew up attempts to include them as partners in the effort. Any whines about partisanship and "witchhunts" can and will be easily countered with reminders of all the Democrats did to try to reach out to Republicans it to have their hands slapped away.

Now a committee can dig deep into what led up to that day. And remember, unlike in the Trump era when Congress had little ability to enforce subpoenas, we now have a real Justice Department that will enforce Congressional subpoenas we with the full force of the law.

Nicely played, Madam Speaker and Mr. Majority Leader!

[empedocles]

1. The Speaker has demonstrated a great sense of timing all through the

traitortrump tainted years.

[2naSalit]

3. She is, in my opinion...

THE most incredibly astute Speaker in this nation's history. And one of the most, well (insert every adjective here), politician this country has ever seen.

[Tiger8]

26. Thaty's why I call myself a "Nancy Pelosi Democrat"

We have to stay in the game to be effective - and she has this 6th sense about when to go fast, and when to go slow, or move on.

[GB_RN]

52. I Keep Saying

That she plays multidimensional chess while Qevin McQarthy and Moscow Mitch are left playing checkers.

[sheshe2]

2. Touch!

[Midnight Writer]

4. What is funny is that McCarthy thinks he is "winning" by ensuring Democrats control the inquiry.

[dlk]

5. McCarthy looks like he's treading water

He's in over his head.

[monkeyman1]

6. ol' kevin is going down with the dumpy tribe !! what a dumb ass

[calimary]

10. He acts like he doesn't really know how to tread water.

Hard to move the arms and legs effectively when you have no spine.

[True Blue American]

22. Perfect description.

Then in the Senate we have Trump’s little Mitch.

[dlk]

56. And Putin had been pulling Trump's strings

It’s a very large web.

[yardwork]

55. He's really not very bright.

[lagomorph777]

27. MqQarthy will be one of the prime targets.

Qevin will regret his choices.

[Martin68]

41. McCarthy, McConnell, and all the Trumpists do not believe they can win unless they keep up

the big lie charade and keep accusing Democrats of the rancid partisanship that is their own stock in trade. If you want to know what crimes they have committed, just listen to what they accuse Democrats of doing.

[genxlib]

7. My only concern

Is will subpoena power mean anything. The Republicans in the Trump era have ignored subpoenas many times and the GOP at large have given them cover to do so.

The question will be whether the Democrats will be willing to enforce subpoenas with actual penalties that compel testimony.

[StarfishSaver]

8. The subpoena power will operate very differently now

As we saw in 2017-2020, Congress has the power to issue subpoenas but if the subpoenas aren't complied with, they have very little ability to enforce them. Even the "inherent contempt" power, in reality, doesn't have much bite.

However, Congressional subpoenas CAN and often are enforced by the U.S. Attorney under the auspices of the Justice Department. Of course, Trump's DOJ wasn't going to enforce Congressional subpoenas against his people. But we can have no doubt that Garland's DOJ will.

[genxlib]

11. Well that sounds much better

Nothing would make me happier than to see one of these arrogant assholes hauled off to jail to sit for a few weeks while they reconsider their options.

[True Blue American]

23. Yes, we are not in the Corrupt Trump era now.

[FakeNoose]

58. If Jeff Sessions had continued as AG under Chump

... I believe Sessions would have complied with Congressional subpoenas. For that matter James Comey, the fired FBI Director, would have carried out those investigations in good faith.

It all unraveled so quickly under Chump that it's hard to pinpoint, but to me the firing of Comey was the first public sign that everything had gone to hell in a handbasket. We all knew it would come to that, but most of us didn't think it would happen that quickly.

Thankfully Merrick Garland is there to restore order at DOJ. I expect that several of the U.S. Attorneys that were hired by Chump are going to be leaving soon. And not so much for political reasons, but for the fact that several were under-qualified.

[George II]

9. Yes indeed. These two may well be the best political tacticians we've seen in our lifetimes.

[KS Toronado]

12. Can't wait until the committee issues a subpoena to MF45

So republican voters can watch him whine and cry that you can't treat a former president like this. And how unfair
it is cutting into his golfing time. And if they succeed in getting him in the hot-seat, his childish personality will
be on full display. Hope the first question is a softball..."How do you spell coffee?"

[calimary]

13. And ironically enough - all that's remembered about those foolish "hearings" is Hillary.

Hillary. And how she stood up to ELEVEN HOURS of inquisition with poise, patience, aplomb, strength, even humor. Without even breaking a sweat. And how they threw EVERYTHING they could think of at her, and NOTHING touched her. Nothing connected. Nothing even landed.

They got a big fat NOTHING out of that, and she got something close to Wonder Woman status. They were diminished. She gained power and authority. She walked out of there untouched, leaving them behind in a smoldering pile of wreckage.

[MyOwnPeace]

24. Reminds me of the day

Madam Speaker walked out of the White House after telling IQ45 that he continues to place his head where the sun don't shine!!
A GLORIOUS DAY indeed!

[Warpy]

14. What amazes me is that oafs like McCarthy don't realize

that no more than a handful of the hundreds of screaming, out of control thugs who were rioting that day would have known who they were and if they had caught them, they might not have survived the beating.

I'm afraid shame isn't going to work on those puffed-up, posturing dumbasses. The rules will never apply to them, nobody's gonna tell them what to do.

Pelosi needs to tell them not to jump off a cliff, rhetorically speaking, because they will then do so just to spite her.

[zaj]

16. It's a HUGE win for the GOP to have this be handled by politicians.

I think we act like their political strategy is similar to what normal people would do. But it's not. They control a propaganda bubble around their voters.

A 9/11 style commission would break their optics with non-political experts who's work will be objectively more independent and harder to dismiss.

As a select committee It will be politicians investigating, and that can be dismissed easily.

That's a HUGE win for the GOP and we should stop deluding ourselves.

[Downtown Hound]

21. What exactly did you think was going to happen?

Did you honestly think the GOP was going to cooperate? Did you think they were going to rat themselves out?

Have you been asleep for the last 20 years?

[zaj]

33. Nope, I just think it's a bad idea to lie to ourselves...

... we need to hear the truth.

[Downtown Hound]

37. LOL. The hard truth you seem to think we need to hear is something that each and everyone one of us

already knew long before this commission was ever voted on. Do you really think we didn't know that Republican voters will insulate themselves and tell themselves that this is only a partisan witch hunt? Do you really think we didn't know that Republicans will obstruct the truth and fight it every step of the way? I'll repeat my earlier question, have you been asleep for the last 20 years?

Of course, we know that. We're just happy that a commission is happening at all, because we know damn well that if the Republicans still held a majority, nothing would happen and it would be swept under the rug. None of us are under any illusions that it's going to have any real effect on the fascist cult zombies known as Trump's base.

[StarfishSaver]

29. So, it's a commission or an abject failure

I sure hope you don't work in politics since perfection is the enemy of the good would fail the people you represent and probably bring you nothing but misery.

[zaj]

34. Who said abject failure?

That's not what I said.

[StarfishSaver]

36. If you don't think "a HUGE win for the GOP" is a failure for Dems, what are you carrying on about?

[zaj]

39. People deluding themselves into thinking this is something it's not

It's a failure to secure a much better investigation. But that's not an overarching abject failure.

[StarfishSaver]

40. I'm sure we all appreciate your concern.

I see it's getting the consideration it warrants.

[Downtown Hound]

42. If by "much better investigation" you mean fully bipartisan

with members of both parties turning over every stone and looking in every nook and cranny for the truth of what happened, um, what the hell have you been smoking to make you believe, even for a fleeting instant, that that was ever going to happen?

Again, have you been asleep for the last 20 years?

Your post is pretty much the equivalent of saying, "If you fail to catch a unicorn, a creature that doesn't exist, then you have failed."

[stillcool]

31. it's what you make of...

the refusal by Republicans to investigate what happened on January 6th. What about the members of the 9/11 Commission was non-political?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_Commission#Members

[zaj]

35. None were elected current elected officials

[stillcool]

38. non-political means not currently seated

[mahina]

32. Lol ok

Sorry but I just completely disagree

[msfiddlestix]

43. I happen to agree. it should be formed by officials outside of Congress.

it doesn't have to be large, but a congressional hearing partly comprised of members of the QOP isn't going to get to the truth. it will be like all of the rest of the hearings that we've witnessed the past several years. I don't want to see or hear from those ass clowns. And they always make sure they're as outrageous as they can possibly manage to be, so that their base sees them as "giving it to the liberals".

I'm sick of it.

Basta!!

[StarfishSaver]

45. And if there aren't the votes in Congress to form such a commission, then what?

[msfiddlestix]

46. I'm confused by your question.

It's clear the House wants to see a Jan 6th Commission. Presumably, Dems in the Senate want to see one.

It seems to me to be easier to ask the AG to form it. Do you feel like they would oppose the AG to take the lead?

ETA: I just think it's going to be predictably a shit show like all of our hearings are. I cringe at the thought of the Jan. 6th commission to be treated that way by the QOP sitting on that committee.

[StarfishSaver]

47. The Attorney General has no authority to form this kind of commission

The president can form a commission, but it would be purely advisory and Congress would need to authorize it in order for it to have any meaningful budget or enforcement authority. Good luck with that.

There's a reason Pelosi and Schumer invited are proceeding with the way they are.

They're not naive, stupid, clueless or cowardly. They know what they're doing. We need to let them do it.

[msfiddlestix]

49. I never said or implied that Pelosi and Schumer were Cowardly and Clueless or Stupid etc

you miss read me.

I don't want the QOP anywhere near this. That is my point. It's the QOP who will guarantee this turns into a shit show.

That is my concern.

[StarfishSaver]

50. I wasn't referring to you having said that

But too many people are constantly questioning them - not in a "I wonder why they're doing it that way" way, but in a "Why in the hell are they doing THAT instead of THIS?! They're too cowardly to stand up to the GOP!" way.

You may not want the GOP anywhere near this, but that's not how government works. They are the minority party and, as such, do get to have a say, whether we like it or not. The key is that Pelosi is making sure that they can't take it over or turn it into a circus.

[msfiddlestix]

53. xfingers that it will proceed as it should

I'm feeling a lot of angst at the moment, i've been tuned into msnbc evening shows and the main story is the cyberninja et. al. efforts, which seems to be organized and and well coordinated across the nation.

Feds haven't intervened on the legality of what's happening in Maricopa county other than to offer counsel on the machines.

I'm getting a very sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, literally.

and literally feeling a panic attack coming on.

I think I'm going to make a point of tuning out completely.

[StarfishSaver]

54. Yes, you should tune it out

You have absolutely no control over that. And you also don't have all of the information since an awful lot happens that you aren't aware of

For example, you don't know what the Feds are doing in relation to Maricopa County, other than what's been made public. All kinds of things can be happening behind the scenes that you're not aware of. I've been involved in matters like this and there are a hell of a lot of work that has to be done and decisions that must be made, options that must be considered and chosen and approvals that have to be obtained quietly, out of the public eye and decisions before any official action can be taken. Don't assume that because you don't know what they're doing, it must mean that they're not doing anything.

But, as I said, you have no control over that, so it's a waste of energy to get yourself worked up over it. Perhaps you can find something you think will be helpful to the cause that you can do, even if it's just a small thing. But allowing yourself to get sick over something you can't control does no one any good. Focus on what you can do!

[msfiddlestix]

57. I only have my instincts based on what we witness and have seen play out over the years

And yes, I need to focus on other things. That's what I try to do. Don't always succeed.

Thanks for the feedback.

[mcar]

48. ...

[iluvtennis]

17. I'll be sending up positive vibes that we can maintain the House in 2022. I know that would buck

the trends of history, but we can surely hope for it and do all we can to make it happen.

McCarthy arrogant, obnoxious ass thinking he is lock in for Speaker makes me barf

[Bettie]

18. They are showing that they did everything

to gain buy-in from the Republicans who said "No".

So, anything they do going forward is on those who said they did not wish to participate.

[spooky3]

19. ITA! Now, I hope the Dems will work on messaging to drive these points home during campaigns. nt

[mcar]

20. My thoughts too

They are playing the Rs just right, and those idiots are too stupid to see it.

[DallasNE]

25. 1000%

McCarthy is a big loser. He doesn't look very bright. Pelosi accepted all of his recommendations and that is excellent armor for protection. It won't stop the calls of witch hunt - they are already out there. But the effectiveness is blunted.

[Cha]

30. Thank you for this

well defined analysis!

[Blue Owl]

44. K&R

[spanone]

51. 👍🏼K&R👍🏼