The Atlantic

Trump’s Supporters Are Displaying the Will to Win. Democrats Are Not.

The House Judiciary Committee needs a clearer plan for mobilizing public opinion in support of impeachment.
Source: Tom Brenner / Reuters

What on Earth was the point of the first day of the House Judiciary Committee hearings on impeachment?

The House Intelligence Committee hearings in November told a coherent story. Public-spirited career personnel and a Purple Heart Army officer were aligned on one side; venal and untruthful political operatives aligned on the other. Each witness was called for a reason.

A televised hearing in a high-stakes political contest is not a classroom seminar. It is not convened for the benefit of the already well informed. It is a show: a show that succeeds or fails according to whether it catalyzes the second-most-attentive and third-most-attentive tiers of citizens.

The RepublicanUgly, but clear and comprehensible.

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