January 21, 2020: Tragedy Becomes Farce, “Boring Circus”, Vandalizing the Institutions

“Don't you love farce?

My fault, I fear

I thought that you'd want what I want--

sorry my dear

but where are the clowns?

Quick, send in the clowns

Don't bother, they're here”.

         ----Stephen Soundheim, from the musical “A Little Night
                       Music" popularized by Judy Collins.

History repeats itself, Karl Marx once reminded us, first as tragedy, then as farce. Nixon gave us Greek Tragedy, our Caesar Disgustus, American farce.

The Impeachment Trial of Caesar Disgustus, Fox News warns its viewers, has become a 'boring circus,' a strategy that is nothing less than a transparent attempt to get their audience to turn its gaze from the turd stinking up their living rooms.

The standard now has become not right from wrong, not constitutional or unconstitutional, not moral or immoral but whether or not we are entertained. To that end, send in the clowns.

Moscow Mitch, true to the musical, has truncated the proceedings and rendered the conclusions of each days 'deliberations', such as they are, to occur in the dead of night. See no evil.

McConnell has further marshaled his forces to block any additional evidence or testimony, insuring that key witnesses like John Bolton, and Mick Mulvaney will not be heard. Hear no evil.

And, reportedly, if things get too hot, he has a 'break the glass' strategy wherein he will simply call for the Senate to dismiss the charges with a simple majority vote.

McConnell is, through farce, vandalizing the institutions of both the presidency and the congress, doing material damage to the constitutional principles of balance of power and congressional oversight. He doesn't care. He is only interested in reducing this proceeding to farce as a way of delegitimizing it in order to maintain power.

To that end, the sober presentations of Adam Schiff and the House Impeachment managers are rebutted by nothing but personal attacks and partisan vitriol. The nation be damned. The defense team arguing on behalf of Disgustus consists of, among others, Alan Dershowitz, another Yalie with a damaged understanding of constitutional law, and once defense counsel for one O.J. Simpson, and Ken Starr, he of Clinton impeachment fame. Both of these legal eagles are found presenting legal argument at polar opposite of their representations twenty years ago. Both conveying situational legal understanding as the nature of their case changes. Indeed the administration, with a straight face, makes the ludicrous argument that not only the president* cannot be indicted, but that he cannot even be investigated while in office. Propositions that would fail first year law students at Michael Cohen's Cooley Law School.

The legal defense of the golden swine is so transparently thin that one can read a Supreme Court decision through it. That is why Disgustus has stocked his legal team with television personalities, Clinton prosecution retreads, and political hangers-on. When there is no defense, pound the table and distract from the facts. When you get desperate enough you claim you're a victim of a partisan 'witch hunt' and scream what about the Bidens? On seven separate roll call votes, not a single Republican voted to call additional witnesses or subpoena additional records despite a long history of the Senate doing precisely that in previous impeachments. When they cannot win on the merits, McConnell and his Senate majority make a mockery of the proceeding by blocking testimony and fact.

Not a single witness has stepped forward to defend this president*. Not a single document has been presented in his defense. No testimony or documentary evidence has been offered to refute the charges, and McConnell and his caucus knows that if we probe further the evidence is even more damning. That's why they move heaven and earth, violate every precedent, every legal norm, every sense of decency in order to prevent justice from being served. Congressman Jerrod Nadler, chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary and one of the impeachment managers appointed by the House, looked the Republican senators in the eye and, citing their votes to prevent discovery, accused them of participating in the cover-up. McConnell and his majority are now material to obstruction of justice.

The strategy has been throughout. and continues to be. a simple one: if one cannot keep the political base from tuning in, then make it as unentertaining as possible, distract attention with shiny objects and false accusations, and render tragedy into farce.

Quick, send in the clowns

there have to be clowns

Don't bother, they're here”.

“An' Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh”

Convict and Imprison.