Even if you don't watch, Jan. 6 hearings matter
By Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg Opinion
The House select committee investigating the attempt by former President Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election and stay in office despite losing — in other words, to effectively subvert or overthrow the Constitution — is finally ready to present its findings, beginning with a prime-time hearing this Thursday. That will be followed by three daytime hearings next week, one more the following week, and then a final prime-time event on June 23.
We don’t know everything the committee will lay out, but what we do know is bad enough. Just Ryan Goodman and Justin Hendrix, writers for Just Security, have an excellent outline of what’s been revealed so far; and the questions that still need answering. The first key point: As they say, this isn’t just about the attack on the Capitol, “but instead a much broader and more multifaceted effort to stop the transfer of power.” Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein add context by putting the riot (and Watergate) in perspective as threats to the republic. And while Trump is out of office, the attempts by him and his associates to undermine the rule of law have not abated. That includes a great number of Republican elected officials, and more who are candidates this year. So the topic of these hearings is serious indeed.
Most people, of course, won’t watch these events. And those most likely to seek them out overwhelmingly already think that Trump is guilty. Nevertheless, if the committee does its job, lots of people who aren’t trying to watch will still wind up seeing clips and highlights and related coverage. And while even a perfect presentation won’t change everything — the Senate Watergate hearings appeared to have had little or no direct effect on Richard Nixon’s popularity; the big changes were driven by events before and afterward — don’t fall for the cynical idea that the committee doesn’t matter at all.
This isn’t about the midterms. No matter how effectively the committee does its job, the plain fact is that no one is likely to base their votes on it this November. Most voters are solid partisans who almost always vote for their party, and others have multiple concerns, from inflation to gun safety to abortion to the pandemic. Very few people can be persuaded that their senator or representative is mainly important because of how they would vote on core democratic issues.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-even-if-you-dont-watch-jan-6-hearings-matter/
