Two Videos, and Telling Tweets
Americans were glued to their televisions today. Reporters and politicos were no different. They satirized Trump's lawyers. They reminded us what justice looks like. And unjustice.
Sometimes they found themselves surprised.
On Twitter, Jonathan Capehart, Stuart Stevens, Walter Shapiro, Molly Jong-Fast, and the inimitable George Conway rocked us.
First, the opening argument by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) felt historic. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin wrote that Raskin won the trial before it began. We love Adam Schiff but Raskin is the soul man of the U.S. Congress. It's well known now that his son Thomas, a 25-year-old Harvard Law School student, tragically committed suicide on New Year's Eve. Raskin brought the gravitas of loss as he presided over Donald J. Trump's second impeachment trial.
And a warning. When a country fails, many lives are lost. Each one is a person with a story.
Fodder for Twitter's wags. Clever. But serious. And sad.
The Surprise Vote
One of the most striking moments in the day's proceedings was the "aye" vote to proceed with the trial by Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Cassidy is someone who hasn't shown up in most folks' radar, but he has a background as a physician dedicated to treating Americans without health insurance.
Cassidy grew up in Baton Rouge, and in 1990, joined Louisiana State University Medical School teaching medical students and residents at Earl K. Long Hospital, a hospital for the uninsured. He co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, a clinic providing free dental and health care to the working uninsured.
Bill also created a private-public partnership to vaccinate 36,000 greater Baton Rouge area children against Hepatitis B at no cost to the schools or parents. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Bill led a group of health care volunteers to convert an abandoned K-Mart building into an emergency health care facility, providing basic health care to hurricane evacuees.
His wife, Dr. Laura Cassidy, is a retired general surgeon specializing in breast cancer. She helped found a public charter school to teach children with dyslexia.
Cassidy voted to support Trump initiatives more than 89 percent of the time, according to Five Thirty Eight. But his support faltered on attempts to overturn the election. Although he voted to end the trial earlier, calling himself "an impartial juror" he told reporters that the former president's lawyers had done such a bad job, he voted for the guys who did the work right.
Former majority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he's advising his colleagues to vote their conscience. Nobody knew if they should take him seriously.
And in case you were wondering about the "I'm not a cat" video....
Commander Cody with Jerry Garcia ::: There's a Riot
The Beach Boys ::: There's a Riot Goin' On