Good afternoon, and welcome to day 8 of your Senate chamber ~vibe check~ during the impeachment trial.
Although the proceedings started late, senators seemed far more eager to get to the business of the day than they have before, especially during the past few days.
Although the proceedings started late, senators seemed far more eager to get to the business of the day than they have before, especially during the past few days.
The senators reminded me of students starting a new unit in class - finally, we're done with World War I, time to move onto the interwar period. The senators are like older, wiser students more comfortable with how it all works, and ready to move onto the next thing.
There is a lot to notice in the chamber while questions are being asked. First, the page collecting the question must walk down the middle aisle of the chamber, meaning that there's a lot of walking around before the question actually gets to the chief justice.
The White House legal team has created cards with the numbers "2," "1," and "30," meant to indicate how much time a speaker has left. The House managers' table has no such system. However, after the first few questions, the WH table no longer seems to be using the cards.
Senators are also even more openly whispering amongst themselves. Tim Scott, Portman and Sasse are chatty. Ernst was filing her nails for a few minutes - her mint green manicure appears to be gone. Gillibrand also had a rather animated question with Schatz, looking very annoyed.
It's clear that the WH lawyers and managers are just debating each other by proxy. When Thune asked a question for the WH counsels to respond to the House managers' argument, there was loud, performative laughter from the Republican side.
Meanwhile, I've been keeping an eye on Romney, Murkowski and Collins, who submitted the first question. They're each taking regular notes, although, as usual, Collins is the most assiduous note-taker.
Something you don't see on C-SPAN: there is a lot of activity on the chamber floor. Staffers are scurrying between desks to inform senators who are next to ask questions. They also appear to be handling messages to and from aides sitting next to the majority and minority leaders.
Plus, pages are getting their steps in with frequent trips to the chief justice's desk, as well as the usual fetching of water and documents. And, in Senator Ed Markey's case, milk.
Several senators are also walking in and out of the chamber frequently. Although Republicans are out of the room more often than Democrats, there are also a few Democrats who appear to take extended breaks.
The senators that I refer to as the Big Four in my notes, because it's faster to write - Collins, Murkowski, Romney and Alexander - appear to be taking fewer votes than they were at the beginning of the day, roughly 2 hrs ago. I'd still say that Collins is taking the most notes.
My latest take on Senate ~vibes~
It seems as if the shiny object of asking questions directly to House managers and WH lawyers has dulled. It's a lengthy back and forth, like an incredibly slow tennis game. Senators are still somewhat engaged, but not riveted.
It seems as if the shiny object of asking questions directly to House managers and WH lawyers has dulled. It's a lengthy back and forth, like an incredibly slow tennis game. Senators are still somewhat engaged, but not riveted.
When I entered the chamber at 3:30 - just after McConnell made the announcement that they were close to a 15 minute break - 14 senators were out of the room, including 11 Republicans. When Cassidy reentered the room, he resumed his habit of pacing around the back of the room.
Tim Scott, Sasse and Burr had a brief conversation where the three of them laughed, then Sasse and Scott continued chatting and laughing.
When the Senate broke for recess, Wyden made a beeline for Grassley's desk to talk to him again. I saw them exit and then reenter the chamber, this time with Grassley holding what seemed to be a packet of Reese's Cups, and then exit again through a different door.
Collins and Murkowski remained seated for a few minutes after the break was called, chatting. Collins did that thing again where she holds her hand in front of the side of her face, presumably to thwart long-distance lip readers lurking in the press gallery.
As Murkowski left, she said something to Thune, and then called "keeps you on your toes!" as she walked away from him. There was much discussion among the remaining reporters in the gallery as to whether she said "keep" or "keeps," but the consensus is "keeps."
When I reentered the chamber at 4, which was the time the Senate was supposed to reconvene, there were very few senators in the room. Murkowski was at her desk taking notes, but most senators still in the chamber were standing. McConnell and Thune were speaking to WH lawyers.
In a moment of minor drama, Tester walked in while talking on the phone. When he hung up, he opened his jacket as if to put it in his inside pocket, but then seemed to remember the phones are verboten on the floor. He quickly exited the room, presumably to put his phone away.
I have to comment on Sanders' incredible ability to lean fully on the back two legs of his chair. His hands are clasped and resting across his stomach, a pose reminiscent of a man watching the big game on his La-Z-Boy. Don't misunderstand - Sanders is clearly paying attention.
It has never been more clear to me that this is a fight for four votes, and no more. The four senators reportedly considering witnesses - and especially Murkowski and Collins - are the ones who have consistently paid attention for the past 8 days.
First of all, there's the chatting. Republicans are hardly making an attempt to be subtle anymore, and are frequently laughing. Democrats are not immune to chatting - I saw Sanders and Baldwin have a brief conversation - but they do not speak with the frequency of Republicans.
Roughly 10 Republicans were out of the room at any moment. I could see Rand Paul sitting in a chair inside the Senate cloakroom, within view of the press gallery when the door opened. He returned to the chamber roughly 25 minutes into my 30 minute rotation.
Meanwhile, Burr is turning around and chatting with Sasse and Tim Scott more and more. Rubio and Capito appear to have a running commentary on the proceedings. Perdue and Cruz laughed a few times after chatting behind a piece of paper covering their mouths.
Collins, Murkowski, Alexander and Romney are taking notes, and when they aren't, their eyes are trained on the podium. They appear to be paying attention in a way that no other Republicans are.
Some stray notes: Fischer, Ernst and Capito are wearing blankets on their laps. When Blumenthal asked the question of the WH lawyers, the lawyers looked at each other for a few seconds before Philbin got up somewhat reluctantly to offer a brief answer.
When I entered the chamber at 7:20, five minutes after the Senate was supposed to reconvene, it was mostly empty. As senators trickled in slowly, McConnell spoke with Cipollone and Sekulow.
When the Senate reconvened at 7:25, half of the Senate was missing. Democratic counsel Norm Eisen and a female staffer who works for Schumer are seated at the back of the room. Democratic senators are often heading over to where they are sitting, presumably to ask questions.
Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon and Pramila Jayapal are also seated in the back of the room against the wall.
At one point, Manchin's phone began to ring, and he quickly silenced it and left the room. He returned about ten minutes later. Remember, phones are not allowed on the floor during an impeachment trial.
I was able to sit at an angle with a better view of Romney, and much like McConnell, his face rarely moves. However, his resting face is a genial smile, the expression of a former presidential candidate. It makes it hard to gauge what he is thinking, but he is definitely engaged.
There's a susurrus underpinning the proceedings now, made from senators' constant whispering. The murmurs are happening on the Republican side, as previously discussed, but Democrats are getting bolder in their chatting as well.
I'll leave you for now with something I wrote verbatim in my notes, God knows why: It's Pat Philbin's yellow tie's world, and we're all just living in it.
If you're wondering what I'm doing when I'm not in the chamber, it's watching the trial on TV just like the rest of you normies, and counting down the hours until I can eat ice cream.
It's extremely weird to see members of the United States Senate, famously called the world's greatest deliberative body, behave like a bunch of high school seniors during the final period of their last day of school.
When I reentered the room at 9, Several Republicans were out of the room. The only reason Tim Scott and Sasse weren't chatting is because they weren't in the room at the same time. But when one of them was in the room while the other was out, they would chat with Portman instead.
At one point Cassidy walked in and put his phone on his desk. Tim Scott pointed it out and Cassidy picked it up and left again. He did not return while I was in the chamber.
Democrats are beginning to betray their boredom as well. Klobuchar is frequently chatting with Coons or Casey on either side of her. At one point, Booker, Blumenthal and Kaine gathered in the back of the room to chat.
After Whitehouse submitted a question following up on a previous one by Collins and Murkowski, Collins wrote him a note. Whitehouse replied, and the note was delivered to Collins. When Collins read the returned note, her mouth straightened into a hard line and she shook her head.
There's not much to say about the final 20 minutes of today's proceedings except that it was long and brutal. Senators were no longer wandering about the room, but rather sitting in apathetic torpor, waiting for the final few questions to be asked and more or less answered.
There was a palpable sense of relief when McConnell adjourned the proceedings. Collins spoke briefly to Murkowski, shaking her head. I think she was very unimpressed by Jeffries' and then Schiff's answer to her question about why bribery wasn't an article or in the articles.
That's it for the night! I'll be in your TL tomorrow for day 9 of the ~vibe check~. Now, to ice cream!
