By Richard Eber, California Political News and Views
Like most internet junkies “Wikipedia” is my go to authority on just about everything. They define, Dog and pony show to be “a colloquial term which has come to mean a highly promoted, often over-staged performance, presentation, or event designed to sway or convince opinion for political, or less often, commercial ends.”
This terminology fits to a tee the impeachment inquiry of the House Intelligence Committee under the guidance of its Democratic Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Ca) The first week of their public testimony consisted of handpicked witnesses who complained about Donald Trump’s foreign policy which has often left career diplomats on the sidelines.
They concocted a highly convoluted scenario that the President committing a so called quid pro quo violation of withholding military aid to the Ukraine unless their new President investigated the activities of Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter. The younger Biden served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a major Ukrainian natural gas producer, from 2014 to 2019. Despite not having expertise in energy matters, Biden according Bloomberg Business was paid $ 60,000 per month for his services.
Given the alleged favors given to Burisma during the Obama Presidency including possible collusion in the 2016 election, would not this subject be fair game for Trump to be asking about? Even the Intelligence Committee star witness former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch admitted Hunter Biden’s relationship with the Ukrainian energy company was of concern to her during her Senate confirmation hearings and beyond.
Even considering President Trump’s poor judgment of trashing Yovanovitch with an uncomplimentary Tweet during her testimony, there were no grounds for him committing an impeachable offense of withholding military aid for political purposes. The testimony of the acting Ukrainian Ambassador hearing from an aide that a phone conversation was overheard in a noisy restaurant is hardly the way the American system of justice should operate.
Even the current President of the Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky saying he was unaware of military aid being held up by President Trump for political purposes, did not pacify Schiff from continuing his inquiry. Guilt and facts have not been spoken in the same sentence by him.
Even No-Trumper’s I know who want him impeach him at any cost have justified their beliefs from media coverage by CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, and Washington Post. They have eagerly joined the leftist press anti-Trump bandwagon like sheep being led to slaughter. By doing this they have ignored the activities of whom the President called “Shifty Schiff”. This man has done nothing by his actions to advance the cause of American Democracy.
From his intervention in bringing forth the original whistle blower to not allowing witnesses put forth by the Republican minority, the Representative from California has acted like a demagogue in stifling opposition. Not taking into account Schiff’s broken promises to show the President’s alleged Russian collusion during the Mueller investigations, he has proven to be a complete political hack.
Schiff said he’s also concerned about “the president’s threats” to the whistleblower that brought attention to Mr. Trump’s call with the Ukraine’s leader. This is a joke because he has continually leaked information from closed door hearings yet is adamant in protecting the whistle blower from testifying as a central figure trying to impeach a sitting President.
Could it be he is trying to cover up his conflict of interests with this whistle blower who has ties to Joe Biden, Schiff, and former intelligence officials in the Obama Administration?
In reality Adam Schiff’s activities mirror those of Senator Joe McCarthy (R-Wis) whose groundless charges in the 1950’s accusing patriotic American’s of spying for the Russians as part of a vast conspiracy to undermine the United States. As seen in the movie Point of Order, McCarthy’s empty list of communist conspirators is very similar to the tactics used by Schiff in his conduct operating the Intelligence Committee.
Apparently, the American public after three years of what the President has called a “political witch hunt” has seen enough. Rather than going forth with this partisan charade, they prefer Congress deal with bread and butter issues that actually affect their lives. These include immigration reform, cost of medicine, health care, appropriations for needed infrastructure and a host of other neglected areas.
Realizing that this dog and pony show is not going to play very well in an election year, Nancy Pelosi will put an end to the impeachment controversy sooner than later. She will not allow the House of Representatives to pass a resolution to send the Intelligence Committee findings to the Senate for trial.
What to do? If Schiff’s committee fails to find the President guilty of impeachable offenses, such a verdict would make the entire process look ridiculous. Voters in red and purple states would see what a farce the whole process has been and likely cast ballots accordingly.
Looking into my crystal ball we can expect Nancy Pelosi to receive the impeach Trump findings of the Intelligence Committee and not allow a House vote on this matter. She will undoubtedly say an Impeachment trial has no change of going anywhere in the Republican dominated Senate.
In that way Pelosi protects vulnerable first term Democrats from red and purple states while avoiding negative coverage of the Senate trial which would feature a much different witness list than Schiff allowed. She will deflect criticism by having the House censor the President to “gain peace with honor”.
Undoubtedly, the leftist press will condemn the speaker for ending the impeachment proceedings while at the same time praise her patriotism in placing country above politics. In that way part of the mud the Intelligence Committee threw at the wall will stick to set the stage for the elections that are to follow in 2020.
If I were a GOP leader in the House, I would cry uncle and advocate the impeachment hearings to come to a vote by the entire body. At the same time frustrated Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee should ditch the proceedings and allow Adam Schiff to conduct his one sided Kangaroo Court without the legitimacy needed to convince swing voters of this absurd impeachment inquiry?
This dog and pony show has gone on far too long. It’s time for Republicans in Congress to stand and say enough of what the Urban Dictionary says is “An elaborate presentation that lacks any imagination or originality, and is intended to impress an audience of rubes or halfwits.”
Richard Eber studied journalism at the University of Oregon. He writes about politics, culture, education restaurants, and was former city and sports editor of UCSB Daily. Richard is president of Amerasa Rapid Transit, a specialized freight forwarder.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal.
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