"Psychological Projection And Political Confession"
The House Un-American Affairs Committee is reborn, with all the attendant lies, propaganda, and projection
Unhappiness is everywhere; just beyond the door; or stupidity, which is worse
Virginia Woolf, A Writer's Diary
To those of you who’d been trying to maintain some semblance of optimism that the Republican majority in the House might get something positive accomplished…well, here’s your sign.
‘Tain’t happening. Not today, next week, or next year. Misplaced optimism is, in the end, still misplaced.
The Republican-helmed House Un-American Activities “Weaponization of Government” Committee took almost no time at all to demonstrate that their work would be little more than a parade of political grievances. This is what the Republican-majority House of Representatives has degraded into…after less than two months in control.
How long does it take to drive a house of Congress into a ditch? Not nearly as long as you might think.
“Hunter Biden’s laptop…Hunter Biden’s laptop…Hunter Biden’s laptop…Hunter Biden’s laptop…Hunter Biden’s laptop…Hillary Clinton’s email…Hunter Biden’s laptop…Hunter Biden’s laptop…Hunter Biden’s laptop…” and so it went. It was almost immediately clear that the committee was not about examining and resolving issues, but rather about settling political scores. It was like Festivus come early, and the Airing of Grievances was a (sad and sorry) sight to behold.
When Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is one of your primary witnesses, it’s only a matter of time before Stupid overwhelms the proceedings. Suffice it to say that Johnson didn’t disappoint.
WASHINGTON ― House Republicans’ new committee investigating the “Weaponization of Government” against conservatives on Thursday featured testimony questioning the treatment of Donald Trump supporters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a lengthy statement laying out a vast left-wing conspiracy, committee witness Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) testified that while he condemned the violence that occurred at the Capitol, the Justice Department has been too hard on the rioters.
“The fervor in which the Biden Department of Justice pursues those protesters and rioters stands in stark contrast to the lack of interest in the summer of 2020 rioters,” Johnson said.
What’s notable here is that “while he condemned the violence,” Sen. Johnson is banging the drums for those on the Far-Right trying to rewrite history regarding the January 6th insurrection. No, he didn’t invoke the “normal tourist visit” trope, but he stopped just shy of doing so.
The North Stars & Cowboy Bars paywall launch special:
Subscribe to an annual plan- $50.00- before 3.15.23 and receive a 20% discount!
Johnson’s contention is that the “insurrectionists” were merely peaceful protestors pushed to violence by FBI infiltrators. Sure, and I’m Steph Curry without the ability to drop a three-pointer from the logo.
I wonder what Johnson would’ve had to say if the January 6th insurrectionists had been…oh, I don’t know…Black??
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against more than 950 people for their role in the Capitol riot, and as of September 2020 had charged more than 300 people for crimes connected to nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. Another 17,000 people were arrested by state and local police, according to one estimate.
But it’s not just that he thinks Trump supporters have gotten worse treatment from the Justice Department than Black Lives Matter protesters ― it’s that he thinks the Justice Department has been too rough, period.
“Serious questions regarding instances of unequal application of justice and violation of Jan. 6 defendants’ due process rights remain unanswered,” Johnson said. “SWAT team arrests and treatment of prisoners are legitimate concerns.”
Johnson also questioned “how many federal agents or informants were in the crowd” on Jan. 6, echoing a conspiracy theory that undercover FBI agents tricked Trump’s supporters into attacking the Capitol.
Surprisingly, the January 6th insurrection wasn’t one of the main focuses of the House Un-American Activities “Weaponization of Government” Committee.
The hearing, which was intended to be a Republican grievancefest, turned into precisely that.
Jan. 6 was not one of the main focuses of the hearing, during which Republicans lamented the liberal bias of Big Tech and the attempted cancellation of former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard. But FBI malfeasance made up the bulk of the proceedings. Committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) opened by listing all the FBI agents who’d approached House Republicans with allegations of political corruption in the bureau.
“In my time in congress, I have never seen anything like this,” Jordan said. “Dozens and dozens of whistleblowers, FBI agents, coming to us talking about what is going on, the political nature of the Justice Department.”
It was interesting that, when confronted by Freshman Democrat Dan Goldman about who those “[d]ozens and dozens of whistleblowers, [and] FBI agents” might be, Jordan came up blank.
Cue the deer-caught-in-the-high-beams stare.
Imagine that, eh?
Of course, Democrats knew that the House Un-American Activities “Weaponization of Government” Committee would be little more than a three-ring circus. They were smart enough to realize that by participating they’d be able to call their own witness, one of whom, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), is significantly more intelligent that Jim Jordan.
Not that being smarter than Jordan is a difficult or particularly noteworthy accomplishment. My 14-year-old nephew could run circles around him.
Raskin…another member of Congress who served as a committee witness on Thursday, said the entire “weaponization” enterprise was an effort by Republicans to restore Trump to the White House.
“It’s all about restoring Donald Trump, the twice impeached former president, to the office he lost by 7 million votes in 2020 and tried to steal back in a political coup and violent insurrection against our constitutional order on Jan. 6, 2021,” Raskin said.
Raskin went on to say that the name of the committee was particularly telling, because every Republican accusation is little more than a confession. So when they form a committee intended to express GOP concern for the “weaponization” of the federal government, it’s an implicit expression of intent. Raskin argued- convincingly, based on past Republican actions- that when Republicans accuse Democrats of something, it’s a warning. In effect, it’s their way of warning the world that they’re about to do precisely what they’re accusing Democrats of.
In this case, they have no qualms about “weaponizing” the federal government to support Republican aims. After all, Mango Mussolini weaponized the Justice Department to go after his political enemies and grease the skids for his friends. So weaponizing government isn’t exactly virgin territory for the GOP; they just hate it when they hallucinate that the tables are being turned on them.
Rep. Raskin is, of course, spot on. The worst part is that Jordan and his fellow moral Lilliputians are nowhere near smart or savvy enough to attempt to camouflage their efforts. I don’t refer to them as the Freedumb Caucus for no reason.
Even the “weaponization” in the committee’s name is a statement of intent, because every time a Republican throws an accusation at Democrats, it’s an announcement that they’re planning on doing the very same thing. It’s a tactic ripped straight from Josef Goebbel’s playbook- accuse your enemy of precisely what you plan to do. While outrage is directed at your adversary, you can run behind their back and carry out your plan and do what you’ve accused them of doing to you.
Wow…the Stupid is so thick you’re going to need a fire hose to wash it off. And the GOP is only just getting started.
I was going to say, my cats are smarter than "Gym" Jordan. So he goes full McCarthy, "I have a list!" (except it is a blank piece of paper.) Or is it more like the Lord High Executioner from "The Macado"?