Lawrence O'Donnell, a former Senate staffer, is NOT criticizing Dems for not calling witnesses

[StarfishSaver]

9. The testimony would have been taken by deposition, a pretty dry process not on television

and the deposition transcript would have been entered into the record, just as her statement was. She would not have testified on television.

That would not have done a thing to "mobilize popular opinion" - in fact, it would have been just what you dismissed her statement as.

But even if the testimony was live, the idea that seeing a congresswoman they've never heard of would suddenly sway public opinion in a manner sufficient to get the public to force 10 additional senators to vote for acquit - after the public had not been moved by anything they saw or heard up until last weekend - just doesn't pass the laugh test.