I rarely agree with the Impeached Insult Comedian, but he was right when he said: “History will never forget.” We have different interpretations, he said it in praise of the Dipshit Insurrection, and I use it in condemnation. So it goes.

Once again, I wrote this post over the course of the day in dribs and drabs and bits and bobs. The tone is a bit lighter and the writing looser than yesterday’s installment. There were no beard jokes on Day Two. This entry is more or less live blogging that’s not live. I hope that’s lively enough for you.

FYI, I had manifold technical problems starting with Act Two. Oy, just oy.

ACT ONE

Today’s first act began with a look at Trump’s lack of remorse and refusal to express regrets over the loss of life. As far as he was concerned his conduct was “totally appropriate.” Yeah, right.

We saw a medley of Trump’s greatest stirring up violence hits. There’s nothing worse than someone who incites violence but is unwilling to participate. It’s called cowardice. He’s much like World War II draft dodger John Wayne who was a rabid hawk during the Vietnam conflict. There’s a word for this: Chickenhawk.

As far as the insurrectionists were concerned, they were following orders from their hero. He invited them to walk to the Capitol, so they did. The responsibility should rest at the top with the former president*.

Neither Ted Lieu or Diana DeGette are as compelling as some of their colleagues BUT her section about the cost and long-range impacts of Trump fueled white nationalism scored points. She quoted the head of Cowboys for Trump who channeled General Phil Sheridan, “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.” After making that statement, he met with Trump and was one of the Twelfth Night rioters. Nice.

I wonder if Willie Nelson wants to retract this:

I’m joking. Right-wing hero John Wayne was a phony cowboy too. He hated and feared horses. Some cowboy. Some he-man.

The act one finale was a presentation by David Cicciline about the devastating personal effects of the insurrection on staff and support personnel.  Yet many want us to move on. Why? Where? Like history, I will never forget.

The abuse of Capitol police was vitriolic, racist, and obscene. They were called traitors and one woman even spouted this nonsense: “1776, bitch.”

Was she talking to herself?

ACT TWO

Joaquin Castro kicked off the second act with a discussion of the impact of the Trump mob on our national security. The mob stole a laptop from the Speaker and documents from the Turtle’s desk. The whole thing was a blatant violation of Pennywise’s oath of office. Of course, the only oath he honors is one to himself. He has no interest in protecting us from “all enemies foreign and domestic.” We need protection from his running in 2024.

I’d like to thank Mr. Castro for having a goatee so I can tell him apart from his brother, Julian. Very thoughtful unlike Eric Swalwell who shaved off his pandemic beard for the trial.

Even better was the quote from Marco Rubio, a man who used to tell dick jokes about Trump but has become as sycophantic as the Incredible Mr. Lindsey.

As always, Trump’s actions and non-actions have helped our adversaries and puzzled our friends. Anyone surprised?

At this point I had cable issues and had to switch to an audio live stream. Holy electrical storm, Batman.

According to Joe Neguse, Team Trump has a warped view of the First Amendment. Nothing unusual there, they have a warped view of everything.

Neguse argued that Trump “lit the match and aimed it at the Capitol.” Incitement speech is NOT protected even when it comes out of Trump’s big fat bazoo. Once again, they have their own set of facts, which are misaligned with reality. No surprise there.

I had more electrical issues, so I moved to the radio as Jamie Raskin hit the stage. It felt like 1940 at Adrastos World HQ.

Raskin stressed that there is NO first amendment defense to impeachment. It’s bunk, crapola, and bullshit. My words not Raskin’s.

Raskin quoted Scalia: “You can’t ride with the cops and root for the robbers.” That applies even more when you’re POTUS. He definitely rooted for the robbers on Twelfth Night. Schmuck.

Raskin made a forceful case for banning Trump from office based on his conduct. I gave him a sitting ovation.

In his dry manner, Ted Lieu focused on Trump’s claims of due process claims. They’re without merit much like my AV issues this afternoon.

The Closing:

The managers brought out their heavy hitters: Raskin and Neguse.

Raskin posed the ultimate question: if this is not an impeachable offense, what is?

Neguse recapitulated the evidence that the managers maintain proves that Pennywise should be convicted. I concur. The man is a helluva lawyer. He’s got a promising future in public life.

Raskin closed with an ode to democracy. He reminded us of the rarity and fragility of democracy and how the Impeached Insult Comedian and his mob stomped all over the system.

He went on to remind Trump’s lawyers that the constitutionality of this impeachment has already been decided. To do so is “frivolous and wrong.” He then posed a series of questions for Team Trump to answer. Talk about painting your opponents into a corner.

Just as importantly, Raskin ran such a tight ship that they came in under time without making major mistakes. The entire country is grateful for your brevity.

The prosecution rested.

The managers factual and legal case was clear and convincing. They were well organized at every stage. They had a more compelling and dramatic case to argue than the Ukraine/perfect phone call impeachment. But Adam Schiff’s closing in that case remains the gold standard: “He will do it again.”

He did.