Democrats are blowing up House GOP efforts to take down Biden

[babylonsister]

Democrats are blowing up House GOP efforts to take down Biden
Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 4:57:57p EST
Mark Sumner



Ranking member of the House Oversight Committee Jamie Raskin speaks as "Truth Squad" member Rep. Jasmine Crockett looks on during a media briefing concerning Donald Trump's business ties with foreign governments on Jan. 4, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

By now, anyone tuning into a House Oversight Committee or House Judiciary Committee hearing knows what to expect. With frequent slams of the gavel by their respective chairs, Republicans plod through repetitive attacks on President Joe Biden or waggle their fingers about some salacious claim including the phrase “Hunter Biden’s laptop.” Democrats try to object and occasionally insert a fact. But the next Republican is at the mic five minutes later, once again hammering the same lies.

At least that’s how it used to be. But anyone who has tuned in recently may have noticed a big change.

Democrats aren’t just tearing Republican arguments apart: They’re derailing hearings and getting their opponents genuinely flustered. The recent hearing in which Republicans intended to charge Hunter Biden with contempt for declining to testify behind closed doors is a good example. Not only did Hunter make a brief personal appearance and offer to testify right then and there in public, but Democrats were able to consistently throw Republicans off their game, blow away false evidence, expose their hypocrisy, and even hammer Donald Trump.

If all that seemed like it took a lot of behind-the-scenes planning, it did. But it won’t be the last time. Because as The Daily Beast reports, Democrats have a plan to make these hearings just as silly as the claims Republicans are making about Biden.

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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/25/2219481/-Democrats-are-blowing-up-House-GOP-efforts-to-take-down-Biden

[modrepub]

1. While I Don't Disapprove Of This Tactic

It really does little to get anything done. That may be the point for Republicans but we all suffer when things aren't addressed properly.

I fault the M$M for its inability and/or total lack of interest in forcing politicians to actually address the problems (in stead of bantering about for air time).

[KS Toronado]

3. Wish MSM would address the problem of constant RW lies

TRUTH is not in their vocabulary

[Hermit-The-Prog]

9. GOP has the majority and could choose to accomplish good things. They refuse.

House Republicans choose to attack rivals for publicity stunts. Bringing facts to blunt those attacks is appropriate, proper, and useful.

There is no equivalency on both sides, here.

[onetexan]

13. Given they don't know how to get things done that actually benefits the middle class & working ppl

And nor are they interested, all they know to do is obstruct Dems efforts, lie & start phony investigations to make it look like theyre getting crap done.
This what happens when u have dumb ppl in gov't. Inmates running the asylum.

[LiberalFighter]

18. I always say "Government is not the problem. Republicans are the problem."

[Beartracks]

20. I agree! What I always say is "There's nothing wrong with government...

... that getting Republicans out of it won't fix."



==================

[Quanto Magnus]

19. Republicans have made it clear

They do not intend to get anything done, except impeach Biden..... or at least try to harm his chances at re-election. The GQP dominant House will not let normal legislation happen. They have outright said as much. So, with that in mind, Dems are doing what they can. Call out GQP hypocrisy at ever turn and make sure these shame investigations fail (on top of pointing out the tRump family grift).

[Beartracks]

21. If it exposes Republican lies and false equivalencies and undercuts their efforts...

... against Biden and Democrats in general -- and wakes some voters up to their rightwing bullshit -- then that's not nothing.

But, yeah, the MSM is hugely accountable for the prevalence of performative politics and the GOP's total embracing of it.

===============

[SouthernDem4ever]

34. As far as repuglicans go

It won't help. 90 % watch Fux Nooze and the other 10 % watch all the other right-wing crap media like Newsmax, MyPillow TV, etc. Si they will never hear truth.

[NonPC]

29. It's the Lesser of Two Evils

If the Dems do not do this, then we continue to be a punching bag for the Repugs.

Is it better to be punching bags? Turn the other cheek? Get serious. All you get is bloody.

Until the Dems regain control of Congress and keep the Presidency, normalcy will not return to politics. It may never return to the Repugs, but until they are neutralized, the nation can't move forward.

Other or better ideas are certainly welcome.

[John Shaft]

32. No

It's literally the only thing you can do when repubs act in bad faith, lie, and kneel before chump.

It is the repub side that refuses to govern.

The Democrats can do more than one thing at a time.

You can't accomplish anything when one side consistently acts in bad faith. You can't deal, negotiate, trade, or bargain with liars. Simply not possible.

[AllyCat]

2. I do approve this tactic in this situation.

GOP plan is to derail our government by refusing to follow norms, laws, and ethics. We should follow the law and all the rules, but the norms need to be upset here. These are not normal times. The GOP is no longer working for America.

I say, forge ahead.

[Seinan Sensei]

7. Total thumbs-up, and yes ... forge ahead

These are the logical consequences to Rethug actions

[panfluteman]

4. When Political Sabotage of One Party by the Other Party Becomes Routine in a Nation,

It does not bode well for the future of that nation. In fact, it can be quite typical af the decline and fall of that nation.

[oldmanlynn]

8. But you cant let just one side get away with the BS nfm

[mac56]

15. "They go low -- we go high."

"We go high -- they win elections."

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

23. Yep

[Caliman73]

22. Define "Political Sabotage".

I do not want to assume, but your statement sounds kind of like a "both sides" argument.

There is one Party that wants to utilize the government to improve the lives of all Americans and address the needs of Americans, and then there is the Republican Party, that is seeking only to remain in power and advance the wishes of their presumptive presidential nominee.

This isn't a difference in "policy". This is a fundamental difference in the idea of the function of government. Conservatives in government believe that government should exist to preserve and expand the existing power structure. Government serves to preserve the natural order and natural hierarchies. Except, there are no natural hierarchies. Wealth and greed have created the problems that we have today. Liberals understand that some people are bigger, stronger, and have different skill sets that others. HOWEVER, they also want to make sure that regardless of those advantages, that people have equal opportunity and they see government as an entity that exists to mitigate barriers to success. Liberal see government as a public service and Conservatives see it as an enforcer of "authority".

What the Democrats are doing with this "impeachment inquiry" is exposing the partisan hackery of the Republicans. They are "sabotaging" anything, they are asking for evidence. They are questioning motives and procedures. You have a willing witness but one that is wary of testifying in secret because of the well known propensity of the Republicans to outright lie about testimony.

During the Trump impeachments, how many witnesses said, "I did not testify to that", very few to none. We have had key witnesses who have "gone missing" along with all the fool proof evidence, we've had witnesses completely refute the Republicans' claims in testimony, and we have had key witnesses say, "You misreported my testimony". Either Republicans are incompetent, liars, or likely a bit of both.

During the Trump Administration, Democrats worked with Trump and the Republicans multiple times to pass necessary legislation, that made Trump look good. The Republicans are allowing problems in the country to go unaddressed simply because Trump wants the problem to run on.

Democrats are not simply trying to score points. They are trying to stop a stupid, partisan process and refocus on issues that are actually valid and consequential to the country.

[PortTack]

33. All the more reason to expose the gqp for who they are!

[ProudMNDemocrat]

5. What Jamie Raskin and other House Dems are going is....

Exposing the other side of the aisle as MAGA CULT FOLLOWERS whose hate for Biden and Democratic norms are on full display. They are doing it in a way that is showing results. Changing minds is key here to keeping Democracy and Power of the People front and center.

[yardwork]

6. The GOP has been electing stupid people for years.

Being stupid is now a required feature for any GOP candidate. So, now the GOP has a caucus made up of stupid people. This is having some unforeseen consequences. Like, it's not difficult to run rings around them.

Of course, not much else gets done, but that's what happens when half the country wants stupid people in government.

[wiggs]

10. 'Democrats have a plan to make these hearings just as silly as the claims Republicans are making about Biden.'

I wouldn't have described the dem effort this way. We aren't meeting the gop at their level...we aren't abusing the system...we aren't ignoring our duties as elected officials...we aren't playing tit for tat...we're not taking advantage of public trust.

We are exposing corruption, lies, deception, extremism, injustice, bullying. In other words...standing up to toxic Trumpism.

I'm glad dem leaders aren't standing still, writing sternly worded letters, or letting the public decide. I'm glad we are being a bit more proactive. If some want to describe it as silliness, then more silliness for the public good please.

[Caliman73]

24. Well put.

Framing this as as some kind of "contest" where people are simply advancing one side over the other is wrong.

Republicans admit regularly, though likely unintentionally, that they are doing what they are doing to injure the other side. Their strategy has become to "own the libs" while their goal is to create Conservative Hegemony so that they can advance their real agenda, which is to institute their power structure.

We cannot emphasize enough that Trump admires people like Viktor Orban, Kim Jung Un, Vladimir Putin, etc... He sees them as "Strong" and would like to fashion the United States like Hungary, North Korea, and Russia where elections matter little or do not happen at all. Conservatives have acquiesced to this model because they understand that their policies do not benefit the vast majority of people and that their voting base is shrinking.

Democrats are standing up for a functioning government that serves the will and for the welfare of the people. This is not a both sides contest. This is a fight to determine whether the United States, as a project set out in the Preamble of the Constitution will continue, or whether we will become another autocratic form of government.

[cilla4progress]

11. Awesome

Sauce

[niyad]

12. So proud of our Dems!!!

[bucolic_frolic]

14. GOP plan got off to a strong start but required secrecy and no opposition

Not very good dynamic planning.

[Caliman73]

26. Conservative ideas can only really function if the end goal is hidden.

If you come out and say, "We believe that people are not inherently equal, that a class of people exist who should receive a disproportionate benefit from the actions of government, and that the government should exist to preserve that power structure" it would likely not be too popular.

If you go back and look at Conservative Ideology from Burke through Freidman, through Buckley, through today, if they are being honest, you will see that they are defending hierarchy and inequality. They promote individualism because alone, the individual is powerless to stop structures of power and systems of control.

They talk about, "small government", "fiscal responsibility", and "family values" but could not care less about any of those concepts. They want government that will impose their structure. They want austerity for the masses but opulence for themselves. They want to impose a moral order on us because they think we are savages, but they can have all the mistresses, abortions, etc... that they want because they can pay for them.

There is really nothing to Conservatism except for the desire to return to some form of Monarchical hierarchy. Oligarchy or Plutocracy would fit the bill.

[peggysue2]

16. Dems fighting back!

Which is what we all must do to expose the unserious nature of these Republican investigations. House Repugs are not interested in doing any real work beyond spreading MAGA conspiracy theories, non-stop. This is all about the 2024 election and wounding President Biden in any way they can.

Different election but same old, same old script.

I'm proud of our Democratic Representatives. They're pushing back, engaging the fight where they find it and utilizing their best weapon: The Truth.

Good one on them!

[Caliman73]

27. They have been putting their faith in "Institutions"

not understanding the "Institutions" are made up of PEOPLE, and the people have to stand up for the institutions not the other way around. One thing about Liberals tends to be that they think that everyone respects the rules and will play by them. I understand the sentiment. If we start to break down rules, even in defense of the rules and institutions, well, that creates a paradox. Destroy the system to save the system. The problem is that Democrats, except a few over the years, had not been willing to leave the confines of civility which is not a "rule" but simply a nicety. Sure, we would like to treat people with courtesy and respect, but if someone is punching me in the face, I am not going to say, "Please sir, can you stop punching me in the face". I will warn them to stop, tell them I will defend myself, then if they don't stop, I will beat the crap out of them with proportion to the threat they pose.

[lindysalsagal]

25. Before tfg, there was an unwritten law preventing inside squabbles

Unfortunately those days are over and so I'm glad to see us fighting back.

[Caliman73]

28. Reagan's 11th Conservative commandment...

Reagan was horrible, simply horrible, but today he would be labeled a RINO by the current crop of extremists. He gave amnesty to millions of undocumented people. He was racist as hell, but he spoke about compassion and was affable. Not traits (except the racism) that are acceptable in today's Republican Party.

[wiggs]

30. Literally, their stated goal is to flood the zone with BS. media has let them, so far. nt

[Attilatheblond]

31. Gotta LOVE that photo

The wise, learned, and tough as nails professor and the apt student he has always deserved. She will do well and move the baton forward. Just watch and see.