The FBI probe into Trump and Russia is huge news. Our political system isnt ready for it.

[babylonsister]

http://www.vox.com/world/2017/3/21/14983550/fbi-russia-trump-hearing-partisanship

The FBI probe into Trump and Russia is huge news. Our political system isn’t ready for it.
Updated by Zack Beauchamp@[e-mail] Mar 21, 2017, 8:20am EDT


Imagine someone had told you, a few years ago, that the FBI would soon be investigating a possible plot by a Republican presidential campaign to help Russia interfere in the US election — and that this interference had ultimately helped Donald J. Trump become president of the United States. You would have laughed in their face, or maybe accused them of confusing reality with a particularly lurid Tom Clancy novel.

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Our political system isn’t prepared for this kind of thing

If you want to understand how ill-prepared we are for a national debate over these allegations, look at Rep. Trey Gowdy’s performance during the hearing.

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In a normal hearing, it would not be particularly troubling to hear Republicans playing defense for a Republican president. But this isn’t a normal hearing. This was convened to discuss what are, best case, demonstrated lies from the president’s team about its contact with a hostile power. Worst case, it’s an investigation into a political crisis without precedent in US history.

Yet in a political environment so defined by polarization, it’s hard for Republican legislators to think outside of partisan boxes. That’s how they approached the Benghazi investigation, when they were in the opposition and thus had an incentive to look for scandal; it’s how the party is approaching the Trump-Russia investigation now, when they’re in government and thus have an interest in turning a blind eye.

This is a very serious problem. The New York Times reports that FBI counterintelligence investigations can take years and don’t often lead to criminal charges. A congressional investigation in which Republican lawmakers subpoena Trump officials and force them to testify under oath would be a vital way of providing the public with information about these extremely serious allegations.

But Republicans, judging by Monday’s performance, seem to have no interest in providing this kind of oversight. Since they’re in the majority, they control whether or not there’s an official congressional investigation — and thus whether or not Trump officials will be forced to testify under oath. Partisanship may well be destroying our ability to get to the bottom of an issue of vital national concern.

Monday’s hearing was stunning in more ways than one.

[underpants]

1. Repubs are caught between their propaganda and governing/reality

Their believers are a rabid bunch and they know it. Their masses just want to hear what they hear all day on their TV and from the dashboard in the car, the "greatest hits". One small misstep or, dare to think of it, actual dissent will get them cast out never to return.

[yeoman6987]

2. Trump has been given secret hearings on russia

Yet he seems like he. Oils care less about it.

[malaise]

3. An excellent piece

It's always power over patriotism for ReTHUGs

[L. Coyote]

4. Rachel has historical context. Context is everything, and complexity isn't easy to comprehend.

Is Trump the Swiftboat Admiral?

We really need to see this in context, the larger geopolitical context, but especially the context of the cast of characters on the far rightist USS Swiftboat's long journey of impeaching Democrats, stealing elections, and corrupting the government. Time to sink that stinking Titanic of bullshit.

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