It’s pretty obvious what this week’s Sift is going to be about: The January 6 hearings. The 1-6 Committee’s public hearings kicked off Thursday in prime time, and it’s clear the Committee is bringing the goods: They have a case to make, and they’re making it clearly and persuasively. I’ll review what they said, how Republicans countered, and where things go from here in this week’s featured post, which should be out by 10 EDT.
That’s also when the second public hearing starts. I’m going to be putting the weekly summary together then, so I’ll stream the hearing this afternoon rather than try to cover it in real time. (As I’ve often said, this isn’t a breaking-news blog.)
The weekly summary will pick up 1-6 odds and ends that didn’t fit into the featured post, cover the continuing Russian push into eastern Ukraine, discuss the ambiguous recent Covid numbers, and poke fun at the Republican outrage-of-the-week. (Kids are going to drag shows! They’ll see men in dresses! How will the Republic survive?) That should be out around noon.
The Weekly Sift 
Comments
Sadly these hearings will have little, or likely, no impact on American political discourse! Of the 75m who voted for Trump in 20 how many watched the televised hearing? How many simply wrote it off as a propaganda show trial? The problems that underpin the dysfunctional polity are simply replicated by this committee!
Even those who don’t watch might have their faith shaken a little when they learn that not even Ivanka buys what Daddy is selling. That bit of information is bouncing past all barriers, I imagine.
It’s imperative that the crimes of the previous administration be identified and documented, publicly. It’s imperative that those involved be identified and named, publicly. It doesn’t matter whether doing so changes anything or anyone. Both a respect for the truth and history demand the fullest accounting possible. Failing to provide it would be inexcusable.
Couldn’t agree more BUT don’t you think that the 75m will simply see this as “Victor’s Justice”?
Will it be justified if/when GOP win the Congress if they hold hearings into their version of the 2020? Or 6 Jan?
Reality of impact of public hearings can be seen in how different versions of history portray Bill Clinton and his impeachment.
I couldn’t care less about how an ignorant cult perceives objective reality. If the cost of having a well-documented full accounting of the previous administration’s attempt to overthrown our presidential election and install the loser in a coup is an accompanying farce every adult knows it to be, then so be it. And no serious version of Clinton’s impeachment treats it as anything more than political payback by the forerunners of the current situation for Watergate and Iran-Contra that everyone knows it was.
It’s long past time to stop all the predictions and hand-wringing about what those who clearly are not making honest, good-faith arguments just so they can try to score political points and exercise power for power’s sake, and suggesting that those predictions call into question the wisdom and benefits of doing the right thing. And if there’s anything that qualifies as “doing the right thing”, it’s holding these hearings.
I think a Republican Congress will launch whatever crazy investigations it can think of, independent of what Democrats do now.