I listened to more than 1/2 of the Republican defense (on tape) this morning. Overall, I’d give them a solid B.
I didn’t really pay attention to who was presenting, but their tone was similar to Adam Schiff’s, calm matter without Schiff’s effective appeal to our better Angels. But it wasn’t as preachy as Nalder’s presentation.
I think they did an excellent job in showing that House Manager were quite selective in cherry picking the evidence they presented. For example ,reading the material Shiff presented and then reading additional pieces of the July 25 transcript other testimony, that showed a different context…
They also attempted to show that July 25 calls was to combat corruption. It is really hard lift to make that claim. They may have presented enough evidence, that a Republican could say with a straight-face they raised reasonable doubt.
Well, a fig leaf is all they need.
RichVR
6017
Please excuse me for quoting myself. This is the main issue. People who ignore the reality of climate change. People who dispute the problem of racism. People who think that Trump is making America great when he is destroying our international relations.
Trump is like a stupid person’s lodestone. He attracts stupid fucking people.
I do think there are a lot of low IQ voters in this country, and I think a majority of them probably voted for Trump, but that’s not important here.
The more important thing here is the complete lack of critical thinking in this country. Tens of millions of children are told to believe [insert religious dogma here] wholly and without question from a very young age. Putting aside the actual religious teachings, this is a terrible example to set for any mind that hopes to form independent critical thoughts.
And because their parents are just as bad, their children are raised to believe the same bullshit their parents believe, without question.
Since religion and politics are so intertwined in this nation, and since the Right all but owns the church (or vice versa), this alone accounts for a lot. You’ll have the millions who will forever and always vote [R] solely because of abortion, guns, and gays.
And if it were limited to just religion that would be one thing (and it would still be awful), but I feel that this extends far beyond and creates very gullible, easily manipulated minds. Minds that are ripe for shitbags like Trump who campaign on the oldest and most basic tactic: Fear.
Plus there’s also the Fox News / Country Music / Support The Troops / Democrats Aren’t Patriotic circle jerk the Right has had going on since 9/12. It’s all asinine of course, but people who are easily manipulated eat that shit up.
My favorite dictator trait in the original Tropico games was always the one that gave a bonus to the dumbest 1/5th of the population. Definitely the easiest way of winning an election.
I guess this bodes badly for Mayor Pete.
Given the lack of media literacy and critical thinking skills in this country (people that don’t question the news sources that they see), how could people be encouraged to gain those skills?
My fantasy is using deepfakes to inundate media with so many false videos of well…everything, that people begin to distrust media in general. With that distrust, perhaps people start to look at confirmation for what they are seeing, and learn through example these skills. If not, then let’s at least put so much noise into the republican channel that they can’t broadcast their propaganda at maximum value.
So basically, recreate epistemology from the ground up. Well maybe that’s what it’ll take. The BS is certainly going to get thicker moving forward.
Epistemology via Mitch “the child rapist” McConnell true confession videos, yes.
Thrag
6023
Let’s not forget that this is not a criminal proceeding. The worst result of this proceeding is removal from office, not imprisonment. It’s a disciplinary hearing with HR to see if you get to keep your job. There should be no getting off on a technicality as there is no punishment that involved loss of life or liberty. This isn’t a death penalty case where the prosecution had better cross every t and dot every i and follow every procedure to strict letter of the law because a man’s life is at stake. Not to say things shouldn’t be by the book, but when it comes to stopping someone from being president, from holding the most serious and sacred responsibility in the country if not the world, the bar should indeed be a whole lot lower than it should be for stopping a man from breathing.
Thrag
6024
Education, culture, in the end, isn’t society to blame.
Thrag
6025
While we’re on a throwing blame tangent, I want to make sure our total shit ratings chasing never challenging a thing news media gets a mention. Critical thinking needs to be taught in schools, sure, of course, but it needs to be demonstrated in everyday life and that is one of the responsibilities I feel the fourth estate has that it has completely abrogated.
(My wife and I just saw the new West Side Story on Broadway… they’re going for a grittier, more true-to-life version and, well, let’s just say Gee, Officer Krupke! didn’t work in that context. Almost nothing about the show worked, except for the America song and dance number which is just unimpeachably brilliant.)
And we’re back on topic.
JoshL
6029
So the defense was basically, “Trump successfully covered up his crime, so you must acquit him, and of course, not call witnesses or subpoena documents that might pierce the cover-up. Also, Schiff is a poopy-head.”
They stopped after two hours on Saturday. Are they going to come back Monday with some defense on the obstruction article, or just not even bother?
WaPo: Trump lawyers’ weak start opens the door to devastating questions
First are the questions that expose the lies :
- Why did you falsely state that Republicans were not allowed into the SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility)?
- Why did you, Mr. Philbin, falsely say the Mueller report did not find “collusion," which is not a crime and Robert S. Mueller III specifically wrote would not be the purpose of his investigation? Didn’t he find massive evidence that Russia wanted to help Trump and Trump wanted the help?
- When you played the tape to accuse House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff of falsifying the July 25 call record, didn’t you hear him say this was not verbatim?
[…]
Can’t wait for the headlines (especially should a few D’s also vote no.)
Oh, and I wonder how the civility police in the media will treat this (spoiler: shrug.)
SlyFrog
6032
The entire “uneducated” thing is way overplayed. These people aren’t the way they are because they weren’t given the chance at an education. They are intentionally ignorant.
I grew up with these people. I grew up in rural Wisconsin. When I go back home, I hear these people talk about, “Them Mexicans,” and the like that are apparently somehow destroying our world. It’s ridiculous, most of them have never actually met a “Mexican” outside of the vaguely brown person who might have taken their order at a fast food place in Madison that one time. But they don’t want to know differently.
But I also went to school with them. They have opportunities to get educated. They don’t want them.
You really do not understand how much most peoples’ viewpoints involve just intentionally filtering things out that they don’t like. It’s not because of a lack of education. It is intentional choice.
It’s not like that just one one side of things. Do you really think a lot of Democratic voters are highly educated, brilliant people? You think the big union vote comes from highly educated college grads who are sitting at home reading campaign platforms and doing analytics on the economy? Democrats desperately try to get out the intercity vote, minority votes, etc. We literally talk about how they have far fewer educational opportunities, etc., and they blunt fact is, they are more poorly educated. Yet they vote Democrat. Does that mean their votes are out of uneducated ignorance too? Can’t you see a bunch of conservatives/Republicans sitting around, sadly laughing about the uneducated rubes that the Democrats go try to drag out to vote every four years?
Speaking as a college educated guy who values critical thinking and self-correction with an almost religious intensity, I still find this to be an immense temptation.
Oghier
6034
Yep, and you can often hear it happening. Whenever someone says, “I just think…” or “I still think…,” that usually means “I don’t care about contrary facts because thinking this thing makes me feel good.”
A long time ago, someone pointed out to me that everyone knows what they think, but few people take the time to understand why. If more people were just slightly introspective, propaganda would be a lot less effective.
