Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

mcar

(42,179 posts)
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 01:21 PM Mar 2017

The Democrats on the House Intel Committee are conducting a master class

on congressional hearings today. They have set the stage, connected the dots, implicated pretty much all of Trump World. And they are making the Repubs look like idiots.

55 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The Democrats on the House Intel Committee are conducting a master class (Original Post) mcar Mar 2017 OP
K&R ismnotwasm Mar 2017 #1
But it is Monday AM, and 90% of the country is not watching. Moostache Mar 2017 #2
The RW is already spinning mcar Mar 2017 #3
I pray that you are right... Moostache Mar 2017 #4
I thought the exact same thing. Doreen Mar 2017 #45
WE DO have a Vulcan problem ... PsychoBabble Mar 2017 #11
who is going to hear... stillcool Mar 2017 #12
Tons of research proves we aren't really primarily rational .... PsychoBabble Mar 2017 #22
psa enid602 Mar 2017 #49
I agree completely LiberalLovinLug Mar 2017 #27
I'm not watching stillcool Mar 2017 #13
Justice works all hours. People were at work during the Watergate hearings, too. WinkyDink Mar 2017 #38
It's so obvious the R's aren't OldHippieChick Mar 2017 #5
Yes mcar Mar 2017 #6
Part of it could be that the collective IQ on the R OldHippieChick Mar 2017 #8
I don't think they understand mcar Mar 2017 #14
Schiff received his JD from Harvard NewJeffCT Mar 2017 #32
And I might say that a Masters in Ag is obviously OldHippieChick Mar 2017 #34
Actually, they are making the GOP look like Russian tools. Country first, if they mean Russia. nikibatts Mar 2017 #7
As usual Dems are better/smarter all around.What's caught my attention, are they getting more time? UTUSN Mar 2017 #9
It seems like they are mcar Mar 2017 #16
What is interesting is this. Wellstone ruled Mar 2017 #10
The Rs on this committee mcar Mar 2017 #17
You nailed it Wellstone ruled Mar 2017 #39
The Tea Party at work mcar Mar 2017 #40
They are but let's be honest, it's not difficult to arthritisR_US Mar 2017 #15
Trey Gowdy was way more upset about who leaked FISA info than the treason Fast Walker 52 Mar 2017 #18
He's as bad as Ryan. He needs to go. Alice11111 Mar 2017 #19
It was all for a Distraction Alice11111 Mar 2017 #20
I mentioned that elsewhere, he's obsessed with the "illegal" act of exposing the illegal acts... George II Mar 2017 #31
I'm sure they had hours and hours of planning caucuses. One representative's questions leads... George II Mar 2017 #21
Well coordinated mcar Mar 2017 #29
Does anyone else notice the Admiral seems to be looking down a lot and not KewlKat Mar 2017 #23
And now Denny Heck is wrapping it up in pretty (ugly?) paper and putting a bow on top of it!!! George II Mar 2017 #24
Very well choreographed CajunBlazer Mar 2017 #25
When it comes to making republicans look like idiots... Turbineguy Mar 2017 #26
As a cube-rat, I'm very pleased to hear this Orrex Mar 2017 #28
Don't know what your friend's been watching mcar Mar 2017 #30
Excellent. Orrex Mar 2017 #35
Yes! mcar Mar 2017 #36
It would appear, the Repubs... Xolodno Mar 2017 #33
They were embarrassingly unprepared mcar Mar 2017 #37
Denial ain't just a river in Africa Fritz Walter Mar 2017 #41
Great post! mcar Mar 2017 #43
Yup - getting all the different ties, theories & players on the record. jmg257 Mar 2017 #42
It has been a joy to watch whenever a Dem is speaking! Greybnk48 Mar 2017 #44
The Dems definitely had... 3catwoman3 Mar 2017 #46
They were excellent malaise Mar 2017 #47
And, this is what our Dems having been doing for those Cha Mar 2017 #48
Thank you for posting this. CentralMass Mar 2017 #52
You're Welcome Cha Mar 2017 #53
This exactly! mcar Mar 2017 #55
K&R... spanone Mar 2017 #50
I was impressed with what I heard. nt delisen Mar 2017 #51
Dem shames Repuks: Trump/Russia probe "is about patriotism" (LOVE THIS) Cha Mar 2017 #54

Moostache

(9,895 posts)
2. But it is Monday AM, and 90% of the country is not watching.
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 01:34 PM
Mar 2017

By the time the day ends, the RW spin machine on radio and TV will be covering only the "brave GOP" who are trying to end the scourge of leaks and blasting anyone who is not in line. Democrats win the logic and lose the emotion so consistently that I am beginning to think we have a Vulcan problem in the party...

Moostache

(9,895 posts)
4. I pray that you are right...
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 01:39 PM
Mar 2017

Rachel Maddow should be an interesting watch tonight...I expect the dot connecting will be extensive...too bad the people watching are not the one's most in need of the knowledge!

PsychoBabble

(837 posts)
11. WE DO have a Vulcan problem ...
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 02:00 PM
Mar 2017

Dems MUST get better at winning the emotional arguments ... we need a Division in the DNC that translates all of our policy points and rational arguments into "feeling soundbites." They work, clearly. A con man used sleight of hand and a 4th grade vocabulary to win the Presidency ....

stillcool

(32,626 posts)
12. who is going to hear...
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 02:05 PM
Mar 2017

those rational '"feeling sound-bytes"? Why not find a way to educate the people, without sound-bytes and the TV?

PsychoBabble

(837 posts)
22. Tons of research proves we aren't really primarily rational ....
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 02:55 PM
Mar 2017

So whereas education is a GREAT long-term goal, truthful "emotional soundbites" are the best way to get results from the high percentage who process the word that way rather than rationally.

enid602

(8,487 posts)
49. psa
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 10:23 PM
Mar 2017

I envision a PSA where Putin's air force is obliterating Aleppo, with all iits attending carnage. Is this the new world order we want to be a part of?

LiberalLovinLug

(14,144 posts)
27. I agree completely
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:09 PM
Mar 2017

Sometimes it seems that Democrats cannot resist proving just how much more smart and intellectual they are. Hey I understand. You paid for all that education, graduated at the top of your class, and now you want to show everybody. Stooping to 4th grade sloganeering seems backwards. You might as well have just quit school and ran a failing business before you entered politics.

But that is what has proven to work on a large segment of the population. They are conditioned to it now. example: Republicans used the term "death panels" to describe what would happen under Obamacare. And Democrats were sent scrambling into reactionary mode....as usual. Why did not Democrats first use the phrase "death panels" to describe private insurance companies who decide life and death decisions by probing the clients past medical history for the slightest hang nail to deny a crucial operation? Too over the top? To emotionally charged? Yes and yes....but it works.

OldHippieChick

(2,434 posts)
5. It's so obvious the R's aren't
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 01:41 PM
Mar 2017

nearly as prepared or coordinated. Suspect Schiff is responsible for that and even more kudos to him.

NewJeffCT

(56,827 posts)
32. Schiff received his JD from Harvard
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:23 PM
Mar 2017

Devin Nunes has a Master's Degree in agriculture. A nice achievement, but not quite at the level as a JD from Harvard.

 

nikibatts

(2,198 posts)
7. Actually, they are making the GOP look like Russian tools. Country first, if they mean Russia.
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 01:44 PM
Mar 2017

This needs to be pounded by the media and the Dems.

UTUSN

(70,435 posts)
9. As usual Dems are better/smarter all around.What's caught my attention, are they getting more time?
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 01:50 PM
Mar 2017

mcar

(42,179 posts)
16. It seems like they are
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 02:11 PM
Mar 2017

Trump's minions only gave them a few TP so they don't know what else to say.

 

Wellstone ruled

(34,661 posts)
10. What is interesting is this.
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 01:50 PM
Mar 2017

As we all know,most of the questions to be asked by individual Congress Persons are drafted by Staffers. Now,the quality of questions as well as the breath and depth are far superior for the Democratic side verses Campaign talking points and accusations against Obama and Clinton from the Republican side.

Really enjoy the I.Q. of the Democratic Staffers over the Rethug Staffers. Facial expressions tell a story do they not.

Alice11111

(5,730 posts)
20. It was all for a Distraction
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 02:37 PM
Mar 2017

Yeah, maybe the Republicans commited treason, but leaks! These leaks make THEM look bad. Got to stop. Well, that's how the press gets much of its news. It was fine when they were leaking info and coordinating w putin and wiki leaks. Remember when Gulianni promised something big comimg out, and it did.

But now, since the leaks are about DT'S illegal and unethical acts, treason, then, the LEAKS are the problem.

It's just like DTs camp coordinating w the Russians, to leak, treason, but, but, but... Hillarys emails....which, ironically, the Republicans were helping to leak!

Bizarre, circular hypocrisy! Their tools of winning are lying and cheating, and most Repubs embrace them.

I wonder if most Americans are even getting this? Do they understand what is going on??

Of course, the Repubs who get it, like the House, DT admin, big wigs, just want to cover up the real info, and scream leaks!

George II

(67,782 posts)
31. I mentioned that elsewhere, he's obsessed with the "illegal" act of exposing the illegal acts...
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:19 PM
Mar 2017

...and now he's droning on and on again, whining about "anonymous sources". Someone should remind him of who "John Miller" is!!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donald-trump-alter-ego-barron/2016/05/12/02ac99ec-16fe-11e6-aa55-670cabef46e0_story.html?utm_term=.b41af8f662c9

Donald Trump masqueraded as publicist to brag about himself

The voice is instantly familiar; the tone, confident, even cocky; the cadence, distinctly Trumpian. The man on the phone vigorously defending Donald Trump says he’s a media spokesman named John Miller, but then he says, “I’m sort of new here,” and “I’m somebody that he knows and I think somebody that he trusts and likes” and even “I’m going to do this a little, part time, and then, yeah, go on with my life.”

A recording obtained by The Washington Post captures what New York reporters and editors who covered Trump’s early career experienced in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s: calls from Trump’s Manhattan office that resulted in conversations with “John Miller” or “John Barron” — public-relations men who sound precisely like Trump himself — who indeed are Trump, masquerading as an unusually helpful and boastful advocate for himself, according to the journalists and several of Trump’s top aides.

George II

(67,782 posts)
21. I'm sure they had hours and hours of planning caucuses. One representative's questions leads...
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 02:49 PM
Mar 2017

...into another's, and another's.....and going full circle back to the original points they wanted to hammer.

And notice that since very few have dwelt on the illegal leaks that Gowdy wanted to use as a smokescreen, he's been de-nutted and gone mute.

KewlKat

(5,622 posts)
23. Does anyone else notice the Admiral seems to be looking down a lot and not
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 02:56 PM
Mar 2017

making much eye contact........what does this behavior say?

Eye contact keeps you in control.

CajunBlazer

(5,648 posts)
25. Very well choreographed
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:04 PM
Mar 2017

It appears that each Democratic committee person was given an area of the investigation to explore and points to make. Taken together they form a complete picture of the story that they want the American people to understand.

Turbineguy

(37,127 posts)
26. When it comes to making republicans look like idiots...
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:06 PM
Mar 2017

they are getting a lot of help.

From republicans.

Orrex

(63,057 posts)
28. As a cube-rat, I'm very pleased to hear this
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:11 PM
Mar 2017

A friend on FB lamented that (in his view) Dems are blowing what should be an easy deal to seal.

Glad to hear that his assessment may not match reality.

mcar

(42,179 posts)
30. Don't know what your friend's been watching
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:16 PM
Mar 2017

They have sealed the deal over and over since Rep Schiff's opening table-setting at about 10:15 this morning.

Orrex

(63,057 posts)
35. Excellent.
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:27 PM
Mar 2017

[font color="white"]XXX[/font]
[font color="white"]XXXXXX[/font]
[font color="white"]XXXXXXXXX[/font]
[font color="white"]XXXXXXXXXXXX[/font]

Xolodno

(6,311 posts)
33. It would appear, the Repubs...
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 03:25 PM
Mar 2017

....didn't expect Comey to drop the shoe that there was an investigation on collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia.

Probably were expecting the "yes we are investigating the Russia Hacking and I cannot comment any further on any other investigations"

They are doing some serious gymnastics.

Dems on the other hand, seemed to be ready and well prepared. As if they knew there was an investigation and it was only a matter of time before it came out.

Fritz Walter

(4,278 posts)
41. Denial ain't just a river in Africa
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 04:26 PM
Mar 2017

While driving to a noon business meeting, I was listening to the live coverage on NPR. At the meeting, an acquaintance wondered aloud why attendance at the meeting was so light -- I suggested that some people are watching or listening to the hearings. Her comment to me: "Why don't people just get over it?"

Get over the hacking of our free and fair elections by a foreign power?
Get over the shameless profiteering partnerships with a kleptocracy?
Get over the daily trainwreck that the current administration and legislature oversee, if not engineer?



This was neither the time nor the place to get into that discussion with this otherwise intelligent person, but I must wonder...

When did we as a society cross over the line where the liberals were willing to fight against intrusion by a former Communist, oppressive regime, while the conservatives embrace Putin as a valuable ally, jettisoning our NATO friends of the past 20-60 years?

When did intelligent white Xtians sell their souls to an AntiChrist so blatantly obvious as the ShitGibbon?

When will they cross the river of denial and wake the fuck up?


Greybnk48

(10,144 posts)
44. It has been a joy to watch whenever a Dem is speaking!
Mon Mar 20, 2017, 05:09 PM
Mar 2017

The difference in eloquence and intellect between the Repubs and Dems is stark, with the Repubs looking very pedestrian.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»The Democrats on the Hous...