Day Two of Impeachment 2.0: The Combination of Fact and Emotion Tries to Sway the Jurors

Day two of the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump saw the House Impeachment managers continuing to plead their case that Trump’s rhetoric incited not only the attack on the Capitol, but other events prior to this as well that led up to what happened on January 6, 2021. They used the facts related to the Capitol event in addition to rallies and marches that happened because of Donald Trump’s rhetoric. I swear, this could have been done in less time because it seemed like the same point was being made in five different ways. The arguments by each of the Managers were good and effective, considering how damning the facts and events of that day are.

I was impressed with most of the managers except for Eric Swalwell; it’s hard for me to take him seriously since his presidential campaign was such a dumpster fire and the fact that he has had close relations to a Chinese spy, which is something that has not been addressed to the degree it should be. Stacey Plaskett was especially impressive. Her passionate pleas while standing strong after replaying what she lived through on that day were commendable to say the least. I was a little hesitant about them using emotion as a tactic since it is important to convict based on fact, but each of the managers were able to merge fact and emotion beautifully. Although all the House Impeachment Managers are all Democrats, they were able to use bipartisan tactics successfully.

The only complaint that I have regarding their arguments was that it felt as if there was an undertone of generalization that all Trump supporters are like these criminals. Some people voted for him because they may have liked his policies or agree more with the Republican party’s policy positions over the Democrats’ positions. Some people were okay with trying to reelect someone while overlooking his behavior. That being said, that’s their prerogative to vote for whomever they would like for their own reasons. Most independent thinking people know that the events on January 6 thwere reprehensible, including those that voted for him. I caution that people, especially Democrats, don’t lump all Trump supporters into groups like the one that stormed the Capitol. I’ve said this before, and I will say it again; not all Republicans are bad. Take it on a case-by-case basis based on the individual.

We also saw never-before-seen footage, such as security camera video, dispatch recordings from Capitol police, and other videos from that day, whether they be from rioters or otherwise. Three videos really stuck out in my mind. One of which included Officer Eugene Goodman running through the Capitol as the rioters entered, letting Mitt Romney know that those rioters had come in. Another was a video in which Nancy Pelosi’s staffers had barricaded themselves in one of the inside offices. There were several rioters that tried to break down the door but got to the outer door of this office and didn’t go further. I couldn’t imagine being in that situation and being that close to danger like that. Lastly, the video in which Vice President Pence was being rushed away along with his family members is chilling. This shows that selfishness and the thirst for power to be point it makes one punch-drunk is unreal.

I said before that since this is a political process, it will most likely occur that Donald Trump will not be convicted or suffer any kind of consequence for the incitement of this attack. The House Impeachment Managers would have a winning argument if they weren’t working in the Senate, where the majority of the members cling to partisanship. Unfortunately, there are many in the Republican party that will most likely vote not to convict our former president to show allegiance instead of vote on morality.

The news coverage from ABC News during one of the recesses said that Senators Hawley, Paul, and Cruz were not interested at all in the arguments being made by the House Impeachment Managers. It really baffles me that they almost lost their lives in the name of a man that they pledge their allegiance to, and they continue to support him. It seems like they’re just ice-cold and completely delusional. What is the cost to sell your soul to a demagogue?

I wonder how the behavior of these Senators will play out for them as well as their party either in the 2022 or 2024 elections. Despite these reports that Marjorie Taylor Greene is supposedly the new face of the Republican party, I beg to differ. Unfortunately, their loyalty to Trump may be a large hurdle to climb towards getting reelected. Opponents will most definitely use this event and their affiliation to it in campaign ads. Any moral-driven, independent thinking individual that may lean right may not want to associate themselves with the vitriol that some of the Republican party has spewed over the last four years. They may lose their Senate seat whether they are primaried or lose to the opposing party. Mitch McConnell wants to return to the Republican party he once knew, and it seems like he wants to disassociate himself from the Trumplican branch. Hopefully, that means more will follow him. Whether Donald Trump wants to create a new political party will really show who is a true conservative and who is a “conservative”.

Originally published at http://mypanoramicperspective.com on February 11, 2021.