The Senate Select Committee’s hearings into the January 6th attack on our nation’s capital have certainly provided dramatic theater for national newscasters. Carefully choreographed and artfully presented, the live coverage has shown the chaos and terror that exploded on that fateful day.
Much drama, for sure. But have you taken the time to ask yourself what had been the purpose of those hearings?
More to the point, what did the leadership of the Democratic Party hope to achieve by holding those hearings? Their wish list would resemble the following:
- Indictment, conviction, and imprisonment of Donald Trump for having engaged in insurrection
- In the absence of imprisonment, the prevention of Trump from holding the office of president in the future (US Constitution, Amendment 14, Section 3)
- If Trump cannot be legally disqualified, demonstrate that his indiscretions confirm that he is not fit to hold office
- To bankrupt Trump via unending legal action (Whoops, replace the word “bankrupt” with the word “damage.” Bankruptcy has not affected him in the past.)
- To damage the Republican Party by association with the attack on the capitol
- To examine security failures leading up to and during the attack
- To propose procedural steps that would forestall or deal with similar events in the future
These DNC objectives are presented in order of preference, most to least important. No surprises here. Again, we cite Rahm Emanuel, one of the shrewdest political operatives ever to walk the halls of congress: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.”
Now, take off your partisan hat and list those outcomes from most likely to happen to least likely. Ignore, if you can, what outcome you would prefer. Your list might look like this:
- To examine security failures leading up to and during the attack
- To propose procedural steps to deal with similar attacks in the future
- To bankrupt Trump via unending legal action (Whoops, replace the word “bankrupt” with the word “damage.” Bankruptcy has not affected him in the past.)
- If Trump cannot be legally disqualified, demonstrate that his indiscretions confirm that he is not fit to hold office
- In the absence of imprisonment, the prevention of Trump from holding the office of president in the future (US Constitution, Amendment 14, Section 3)
- Indictment, conviction, and imprisonment of Donald Trump for having engaged in insurrection
Remember, the outcomes listed above are in order of likelihood, most likely to least likely. What you might prefer is not to be considered.
If you were able to objectively assess the potential outcomes from most likely to happen to least likely, your list would resemble the second one.
If, however, you are an inveterate Never Trumper, if you were not able to shed your pathological hatred for the man, your list would be very much like the first one.
Objective reasoning or reaction blinded by hate. Which would you choose to employ?