A Pastry Recipe

[H2O Man]

After watching the J6 Committee hearing last night, I spent some time on DU and FB reading some responses to what I thought was an outstanding presentation. The vast majority of what I read was positive. But a few people -- and I include some that I consider friends -- expressed disappointment.

It is important to keep in mind the context of these hearings. The Committee is making a historic record of the insurrection, not limited to the riot at the Capital on January 6. But they are also targeting two specific audiences, one large, and one rather small. Let's take a look at each of these.

Politics 101 teaches that there are three groups: those that support you, those that oppose you, and those who are undecided. The J6 Committee hearings are aimed primarily at that third group, rather than those who already know the truth, or those incapable of accepting it. Hence, we see witnesses like Pottinger, a military intelligence officer serving in the White House. His testimony is only intended to convince the undecided of the danger the Trump cult posed, not to make him a hero of the Democrats.

Likewise, Sarah Matthews was not there to win the hearts and minds of the Trump cult. There was a soon-deleted message from Rep. Elise Stefanik's office calling Matthews a tool of Democrats, and a liar. While I respect what Sarah Matthews testimony, and truly hope that she becomes fully human in the future, her message wasn't intended to speak to those who already knew, or refuse to accept.

Now to that little group. These are the individuals who I view as the pus around the infection. Let's consider the context in which they viewed last night's hearing. These people are already experiencing discomfort, not only from the J6 Committee, but also from the Department of Justice and a grand hury in Georgia.

These are the rough, tough creampuffs that surrounded Trump after Joe Biden kicked his ass in the 2020 election. Are not creampfuffs made of a rather pasty white dough? And these not filled with maga pus? Earlier in the afternoon, they had heard that the loudest-mouthed among them, who had threatened hell-fire for days while outside the federal court, had opted not to take the stand in his criminal trial. They knew that Bannon had pupped out after all of his sputtering about "going on the offense."

Prosecutors look for the weakest links among groups such as this. In this case, they know that even the lawyers involved have hired lawyers. And that in private, these lawyers have outlined the potential options and outcomes for their clients. That the first person to accept a deal gets the best results. They have also told their clients that Trump will gladly throw them under the bus to distract attention from himself.

This raises the question of who will be first to exclaim, " I was just a pastry!" I think the answer is found under a hat we saw on January 6, 2021. It was a hat worn by one of those who took to the platform along with Trump to stir the crowd into a frenzy. A hat that I think Bannon gave him on January 3, when Rudy and he were the guests on Steve's "The War Room." The hat that could not disguise the fact that John Eastman was a pasty pastry, imagining himself to be the Pillsury Doughboy's evil twin, Skippy, of a mutant dooms-bury cartoon. A legend in his own luchtime.

I openly admit that I do not have access to seismographs that measure the quivering of the sphincters within the small group. But I think that Benjamin Wittes summed up what is going on within the DOJ earlier this week. None of these ass-clowns thought they would get caught as the conspired with Trump in the days and weeks before January 6. But caught they are. And they were fully aware of this as they watched last night's hearing.

Thus, I think it was an outstanding presentation by the J6 Committee.

[bif]

1. Wow! "Yesterday" is a hard word to say?

Yep, it's a whole three syllables long! That's a toughie!

[H2O Man]

3. Right!

You'd think that Trump would remember yesterday, even long for yesterday, But now he must be dimly aware that he's only half the man he used to be.

[Saoirse9]

7. lol you funny

[H2O Man]

29. If I remember correctly,

Beatles' lyrics were once common on DU:GD. As they have the magical, mystical power to make people feel happy and positive, we need more of them.

[Saoirse9]

40. Really good point

Lets make it happen.

[H2O Man]

52. Okay.

Your turn.

[Saoirse9]

54. I'll see your Hey Jude and raise you

[VWolf]

11. Not to mention that shadow hanging over him n/t

[H2O Man]

31. True.

The long arm of the law shall block his view of sunlight. It shall be impossible for him to say, "Here comes the sun," for the rest of his lifetime.

[Wednesdays]

21. Now he needs a place to hide away

for a long, long time hopefully.

[H2O Man]

32. A small cell,

with no person to speak to.

[Novara]

2. I think another group is the DOJ

I think part of why the committee is so very meticulous in their presentation - aside from the reasons you gave - is to have people pressure the DOJ. We see all of the evidence of conspiracy - seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., we see evidence he put Pence's life in danger, as well as everyone in the Capitol building, we see his utter dereliction of duty, and we now get to put pressure on the DOJ.

By the way, here's the DOJ's contact information: https://www.justice.gov/contact-us

I think all of us should call or write letters. The more pressure we place on them, the harder it will be to ealk away from any of it.

I'll also post a separate OP with the info.

[H2O Man]

4. Thank you!

I agree! I do think that some of the former federal prosecutors serving as investigators for the Committee are in contact with old friends and c-workers in the DOJ. But surely this hearing, like the others, have been watched by the higher-ups in the DOJ, right up to the Attorney General.

I've posted the DOJ contact information a couple of times. Great that you do today! If last night didn't convince people to contact them, I don't know what will.

[FakeNoose]

9. This! 👆👆👆

The J-6 Select Committee is creating a groundswell of Americans who are convinced that Chump needs to be indicted as soon as possible. The Attorney General AND the President need to hear from all of us as soon as possible.

Without delay - because timing is so important.

Thanks for this important info!

[The Blue Flower]

15. Done

thanks for the link

[Warpy]

17. The functions of the committee and the DOJ are different

The J6 Committee is all about "what can we find out about this?"

The DOJ is "what can we prove?

The latter is a much higher bar, especially 18 moths after the events. People might not remember their testimony or they might rewrite it in their heads so they don't come out looking as delusional or traitorous as they were at the time.

This whole thing has been dragged out far too long. Some people at the center will likely escape justice for that reason, alone.

I just hope enough of them are ejected from our government to make a difference and ensure this won't happen again until the plutocrats manage to build a whole new organization to get one of their own into office as supreme dictator.

[Novara]

20. "This whole thing has been dragged out far too long."

For your preference.

When you consider that a ton of evidence is just now coming to light, I'd say they're working rather quickly. The J6 has slapped together surprise hearings on a very quick timeline when new evidence has come to light. That's impressive.

It isn't the J6 committee's fault that a lot of the targets of their investigation have been stalling and/or flat-out refusing to cooperate unless ordered to. In addition, new evidence is constantly being brought to them. I'd say they've done a phenomenal job.

You better get ready: the DOJ's investigation will take time as well, once they get their hands on the J6 committee's work. Even when they are given everything the J6 committee has, they have to verify it all, or at least review it to sign off on its authenticity before pursuing each lead. If you think this is too slow you're really going to be disappointed.

[H2O Man]

27. The prosecutions in

both Watergate and Iran-Contra stretched out for years. But the only stumbling block was presidential pardons, not faded memories. I wish that the process was quicker much of the time, too. But I know that it never is.

[Warpy]

34. Good points.

Waiting until the fucker was out of office before starting any proceedings was prudent. Waiting a year was not.

I'm glad they've been meticulous. I just hope it's enough to purge the traitors and make sure they can't get anywhere near government ever again.

[H2O Man]

35. I think that

the best way to keep the scum away from government is to isolate them in prison. I'm not a fan of the penal system in many cases, but these are violent criminals. They are no different than mob bosses that hire hit men.

[Warpy]

53. Well, there's also the drumhead court and the firing squad

which I think is still too good for them but we don't do things like that here in the US. An old lady can dream.

I will be thrilled if they manage to pick off his inner circle one by one, isolating them in prison and isolating him in Mara Lardo or whatever golf palace he's choosing to hang his little red hat in. Isolating a narcissist is the meanest thing you can do to him. Holding a sealed indictment over his head would be the cherry on the cupcake.

[The Wielding Truth]

5. I don't want to say anything that will awaken my faithful brainwashed insecure followers to the truth

[H2O Man]

12. He seemed so calm

and displayed such self-control!

As we saw when President Obama humiliated him at that dinner years ago, Trump doesn't like people laughing at him. As the sociopath he is, having it televised to a wide audience especially upsets him. Last night's hearing will surely result in more unhinged outbursts in the days to come.

[Saoirse9]

6. Haven't watched the latest episode

Of the J6 show. I have read extensively as my husband drove me to work this morning. Got to watch Hawley hilariously run like a girl after his brave fist up stance earlier that day. Haven’t listened to TFG outtakes yet but I bet they won’t disappoint. Not too sure I can watch or listen to its voice though even if it is funny.

I completely agree that the hearings are finding the right audience. Independents or others who are on the fence. And those of us who would never consider voting republican do have family and friends who would. And we can influence them.

It might not have been as exciting an episode as the one with Cassidy Hutchinson but it will leave a mark.

DOJ cannot publicize their investigations for obvious reasons. But J6 can, and from what I see viewership is huge.

DOJ will probably go past midterms before they make indictments but J6 doesn’t have to wait.

I am excited to go home tonight and turn on the CSPAN channel on YouTube.

I will be entertained an enlightened for sure.

Great OP as always H.

Editing to say thanks for reminding me about Benjamin Witte. He was my first twitter follow but I have lost track of him.

[H2O Man]

14. Thank you!

Hawley is the adult version of the kid we all hated in high school. I really liked how he was exposed last night.

I think that last night's hearing was the most troubling for Trump to watch. It focused so much attention on his failures as a president and a human being that it will cause him to act out through the weekend.

There are a number of legal minds I have great respect for. Wittes is one of the best.

[Wednesdays]

22. Just a side note: girls run quite well, with quite good form

[H2O Man]

25. +1

[Saoirse9]

42. Good point but did you see Hawley running?

That boy has pretty good form.

[cilla4progress]

8. The J6 Committee

Has well exceeded my expectations.

Definitely not your typical boring Congressional hearing with only minimal highlights!

I especially appreciated the many tongue-in-cheek clips presented last night: the Hawley shuffle; tfg's crybaby "I dont wanna say the election's over" waaaah, and Vanky's shushing of him; Kushner showering during the insurrection - needing to stay wet, of course, reptile that he is; Jr. LITERALLY making a Godfather reference!

Can't make this shit up.

[H2O Man]

16. Mine, as well.

Without question, the very best of my life-time. The humor was wonderful. They exposed a lot last night, including corruption and the weaknesses of those attempting to overthrow the government.

[pandr32]

10. I may not enjoy a cream puff for a while now.

[H2O Man]

18. Me, either.

I don't know what gets into me sometimes. Now I'll wonder what is in cream puffs.

[CaptainTruth]

13. Good points, thank you.

[H2O Man]

19. Thank you!

[Hekate]

23. As always, you have a way of putting things in perspective. Here's hoping the persuadable at DU...

… can get it.

[H2O Man]

24. Thanks!

In my opinion, there are distinct advantages to having an understanding of how systems work. But we see some good people who do not appear to, and some others that I suspect are intent upon spreading doubt. I am encouraged by the direction that things are going in. I know that there are hard times ahead, but not nearly so hard as they would be if we weren't making real progress.

[Tickle]

26. His supporters will love this

He has another rally this weekend. I'll be interested to see if he can still gather thousands

[H2O Man]

28. Where is it?

I mean, we need to send hopes & prayers regarding potential heat stroke.

[Tickle]

30. LOL LOL thanks for the laugh I needed it

I think AZ but I'm not sure. I know it was suppose to be last week but because of Ivana's death it was postponed.

Don't hold me to the AZ I just remember hearing it was postponed

[H2O Man]

33. We can hope!

One of my friends there has been telling me about how hot it is.

[spanone]

36. Donald Trump and Mike Pence will hold dueling campaign events in Arizona Today!

This should be the ultimate shit show.....The Hanger and the Hangee
https://www.azmirror.com/2022/07/21/donald-trump-and-mike-pence-will-hold-dueling-campaign-events-in-arizona-on-friday/


Great Post!

[H2O Man]

37. Wow!

And to think that Pence actually believed that by serving as Trump's VP, he was sure that God was preparing him for the presidency.

[spanone]

39. Pence is a crazy 'christian' yet he's supported the least religious man on earth...wholeheartedly.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

38. Outstanding post!

Those outtakes reminded me of the closing credits from Being There-without the laughing (except from all of us watching)

[H2O Man]

44. Thank you!

"Being There" is a good call for several reasons. I was so hoping they were going to play the outtakes last night. As terrible as they documented Trump being, I was laughing while watching them ..... and have continued laughing at them as I've seen them played today on a wide variety of sources. We know that he hates being laughed at, making it even funnier. The hearing opened a window, allowing us to enjoy it without actually being there.

[mopinko]

41. casey stengal

the secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven't made up their minds.

[H2O Man]

45. Nice!

Since you brought him up, I should mention that Casey Stengal was a big boxing fan. I figure I should say something about the Beatles and boxing on every OP/thread, to improve the mood lately Stengal was very interested in the Fight of the Century, the first time Frazier and Ali fought.

And that quote sums it up really well! Thank you.

[mopinko]

47. it's def some of best advice i've ever read.

i just wished i'd heard it when my kids were smaller.

[H2O Man]

49. There are certainly

types of group behavior that family members as well as investigators benefit by knowing. I will say that I found it odd that my investigator uncles always seemed to know what my brothers and I were up to, though.

[mopinko]

51. we're the same age. i knew there were eyes on me in half the windows on the block.

i was a feral child, but there were doorbells i knew i could ring.

[Martin Eden]

43. "the quivering of the sphincters"

Thank you for putting a dichotomy of images in my head with that phrase.

[H2O Man]

46. They are a strange group.

Like, what makes guys like Eastman to think he could help organized crime steal the election? Did he fancy himself the next Attorney General?

I mean, I understand General Flynn. He is as disturbed as was General Edwin Walker back in the day. Attorney General Robert Kennedy had it right when he attempted to have Walker placed in a hospital for 90 days to be evaluated. The ACLU got him released after five days. I had an essay comparing Flynn and Walker outlined in my mind a couple weeks ago, but haven't gotten to it. I think most of us recognize him as not only dangerous, but a low-life traitor to our country.

[malaise]

48. Both the hearings and your article

were excellent😀

[H2O Man]

50. Thank you!

I've watched it over again a couple of times. I was really impressed!