Thread by @AlexandraErin

Louie Gohmert, who sued to have the Supreme Court say that his party's vice president can, should, and must overturn the results of our democratic election, wants us to know that he thinks impeaching Trump is a dangerous threat to our experiment in self-governance.

Darrell Issa is insisting that Donald Trump's conduct hasn't escalated over four years but has been extremely consistent.

The Republicans are kind of doing a terrible job of defending Trump.

Representative Hakeem Jeffries has a powerful delivery. If I were running for anything he'd be on the list of people I'd want to stump for me.

The only real points I've heard from the Republicans -- not good points, but real attempts at making one -- are "but he's almost out anyway" and "kind of shady that you keep trying to impeach this same guy, maybe it's a you problem?"

And the thing is, there are good answers to both of those.

To the first one:

1. The crime must have consequences.
2. He is planning on running again, if we let him.

To the second:

I kind of love the way MSNBC's lower third is captioned on the bottom with "SECOND IMPEACHMENT OF DONALD J. TRUMP", all caps and literally underlined.

Ooh, good. Representative Clyburn is bringing up Al Gore and Joe Biden as VP/President of the Senate overseeing and announcing their own presidential defeats without any anti-Constitutional antics or power plays.

The Republicans wanting more of an investigation is undercut by the fact that there is no dispute as to the facts of what happened; the Republican arguments that this either doesn't add up to responsibility for Trump or that it doesn't require accountability doesn't dispute them.

A lot of Republicans are using their allotment of the debate time to just reiterate conspiracy theories. I missed who is speaking now but he's even bringing up *the same election conspiracy theories* that Trump used to incite the insurrection.

Oh, it's Matt Gaetz. Of course it is.

So to sum up: Matt Gaetz's argument is that Donald Trump was *right* to say the election was stolen.

Representative Swalwell raises the reports that unspecified GOP members are still afraid to cross Trump for fear of their family and asks them to find their courage. Glad that was said on the record.

Representative Castro: "If inciting a deadly insurrection is not enough to get a president impeached, then what is?" Obvious, been said a million times, but again, good to get it on TV and down in the record.

Representative Dean says that we can't heal without accountability. Democrats are making a lot of the necessary points today.

Oh, "good". McCarthy is speaking.

I'm legitimately not sure where McCarthy is going with this. He's laying out pretty well the scope and seriousness of what was happening last Wednesday.

He just brought up the antifa false flag conspiracy theory and dismissed it, and said all conservatives should say so.

...is McCarthy stumping *for* impeachment? I don't think I saw anything about him flipping on that, but it's hard to read his speech in any other light.

Oh, no, here he goes. He's concluding by attacking the circumstances of the impeachment and playing the division vs. unity card.

McCarthy is giving a master class in bipartisanship by trying to have this whole thing both ways at the same time. Democrats should quote his speech extensively as they defend impeachment, both formally and informally.

I missed how much time McCarthy was allotted. I think it's something like seventeen and a half years.

I think part of his strategy is to keep talking long enough that everybody forgets the entire beginning of the speech about how bad and serious the offense was and how it's necessary to hold Trump accountable for it.

Does he think Trump is more like John Adams or Thomas Jefferson, in this metaphor?

I recommend finding a clip of Representative Maxine Waters speaking in full. She had a minute and she wasted none of it.

If Republicans want the whole nation to unify they should come together as a caucus and decide if they think Trump was lying about election fraud or not, and if they agree he was lying, they should censure and expel Matt Gaetz and anyone else who repeats the lies.

You can tell that the Democrats won the trifecta because the Republicans are very big on the idea of bipartisanship and putting aside differences and coming together.

Every time one of these Republicans says that this proceeding was not preceded by any investigation or inquiry, I want someone to shake them and ask if they had not noticed what DID precede it, or if they've already forgotten.

Bill Posey laments that the officers who protect them haven't had time to recuperate and nor have US workers. So, Posey... you're in favor of universal sick leave now? Let's circle back around to that after impeachment.

Representative Cori Bush calls for impeaching the white supremacist in chief, a white supremacist president who incited a white supremacist mob. That says it all, doesn't it?

"Is accusing Republican lawmakers of sedition and calling for their expulsion the plan for healing?"

It is when Republican lawmakers are seditious, my guy.

I'd say that Republicans *suddenly* don't like double-standards, but I guess that's the thing about double-standards... there's no contradiction in them thinking it's okay for them but not for their opponents.

Republican after Republican is making it very clear that they understand all of Trump's (late and grudging) words about a peaceful transfer of power are contingent and conditional and they fear the consequences of him withdrawing them.

"How does the president incite a riot that was already planned before his speech?" Don't think that's the winning argument you think it is, gentleman. The House Judiciary's report lays out the fact that Trump was laying the groundwork for this for months.

I don't fully understand what's going on with Representative Jason Crow's mask but I dig it.

I think Representative Yvette Clark is winning the best mask contest, though, from what I've seen. Maximum sparkliness and color coordination.

Representative Escobar mentions holding "those who aided and abetted" the terrorists responsible, in addition to Trump who incited it, seemingly a weighty reference at her Republican colleagues who collaborated on the attack.

I missed the beginning of the proceedings so I'm not sure who is acting speaker here but she also has a nice mask.

I know the punishment is the Senate's purview and the House cannot decide this, but I think the Democrats should bring up that impeachment carries the possibility of blocking him from holding office again. It's an important answer to the "BUT ONE WEEK!" argument.

Representative Jacobs brings the important point that political violence without accountability brings more violence.

Oh, "good". Madison Cawthorn is speaking now. I give him 1 point for pulling his mask back up over his nose, -1000 points for slipping "America First" into his speech.

The mask is off his nose again. Point revoked.

If you're not watching this... you're not missing much. I mean, it's history, and good points are being made, but it's also a lot of people saying the same things over and over again. GOP wants to say two hours isn't enough discussion time but it very clearly is.

MSNBC is doing picture in a picture of workers outside the US Capitol, fortifying it with fencing and barriers ahead of the inauguration and the days ahead of it. Also helps make the point, I think.

...Marjorie Taylor Greene is wearing a mask that says "CENSORED" across the top of it, like she's a cancelled comedian with a Netflix special.

I'm choosing not to listen to Marjorie Taylor Greene, in recognition with her decision to label herself as censored.

Representative Gregory Meeks says we must show the world that we will not be ruled. Evokes one of my favorite lines of President Obama's: "We don't look to be ruled."

Blake Moore really going all in on "both sides", huh?

Representative Gwen Moore says that seven days is too long for Trump to remain in power.

...how do you say that Trump exercised poor judgment but say there's no connection between his words and conduct and what happened? What was poor about his judgment, then? His decisions were either harmless or it wasn't.

Representative Marie Newman takes the Republicans at their word that they want to unite and invites them to unite in wearing masks, giving $2,000 stimulus, and impeaching Trump.

Nice.

Representative Panetta - "American carnage started with this president."

Another Republican arguing that OF COURSE Donald Trump did a sedition but we can't impeach him, for reasons.

Honestly if Republicans want to run against the Democratic Party on their impeachment record, the Democrats could cut ads from some of the Republican speeches today.

"If we hold the president accountable, what's next? Accountability for everybody? For us?"

https://twitter.com/gritmonger/status/1349443082769543173

Weird to point out that there's only 7 days left in the term and then say it's an attempt to overturn the 2016 election. The Republicans really don't have a solid argument.

Representative Scanlon is also turning the GOP call for unity around, saying we cannot take seriously their cries for unity if they do not come together to rebuke Trump.

Brian Mast is just burning his whole time asking a rhetorical question as a stunt.

Representative Mark Takano also calls that Donald Trump be barred from serving again.

Republicans really want us to believe that Black Lives Matter stormed the capitol 30-50 times this summer.

Representative Richie Torres gives a very good short, incisive speech. These new members have some fire in them.

And we have a third (by my count) Democratic rep calling for Trump to be barred from office.

Representative Nydia Velasquez: "In America, we hold power to account." Dang, I'd like to think so.

Republicans are very keen on the idea of focusing only and solely on Trump's words at one rally, as though there's not a whole two month long history being cited with a clear pattern to them.

Republicans are calling this a "made for TV" stunt but I don't know that I've ever seen a format that makes for worse television.

Which, don't get me wrong. I don't think making it interesting or fun should be the priority here. And the advantage of this format is that both sides get to have their say without it turning into an interminable debate or shouting contest.

Republican closing argument from Steve Scalise is that they need to call out and stop political violence every time. I understand why he's the one to make it, but it's a strange argument as it still supports impeachment for this time.

The big takeaway from today is that everybody in the capitol is pretty sure Lincoln would agree with them.

Hoyer quoting Liz Cheney is a good choice but I don't think he's quite sticking the landing for the Democrats. Though I'm not sure how much of a closing argument they need.

MAGA is going to make a lot of hay out of Stoyer momentarily lapsing into the right-wing rhetoric and saying the mob "stopped the steal for a few hours", before catching himself and correcting himself. Rhetorical blunder.

I doubt many, if any, votes are changing on the strength of any of these arguments. I wish they had a better prosecutor giving this summation, though.

He's doing better as he's gotten going. Not sure how the time is working for this, though.

I guess Steny Hoyer's minute begins whenever he finds his footing and only counts down when he has it.

Meaning, I think he's got a minute's worth of a good speech here but he's been talking for at least five.

I take back what I said about him not being a strong closer because he's given a nice, strong finish five or six times so far.

"I yield back the balance of my time." That Steny, he's a heck of a kidder.

Republicans request a roll call vote, meaning that everybody has to register their yes or no. I'm glad they did that instead of letting it pass by acclamation. Get the names down on paper forever.

Former Representative Donna Edwards just called Steny Hoyer the strongest orator in Congress. If she wanted to argue stamina, I think I'd be more inclined to agree.

I agree with her that the Republicans did not have a single strong argument.

My Quote Tweets today have informed me that I am apparently Ian Dunt without the swearing. This tells me my decision to eschew swearing on the internet was correct, because otherwise I would not have an independent brand.

Eight yes votes from Republicans on the board. I believe that's the total of known pro-impeachment GOP reps and fewer than two dozen votes left from their side, so unless anyone is dithering heavily with their conscience I think that's probably the final count.

Yes! My magic spell worked and we got another yes from a Republican.

But that is definitely the last yea from them, I stake my entire reputation as a pundit on them definitely not breaking double digits.

And they're up to 10. I am devastated and chagrined by this turn of events and I defy any of the remaining 6 Republicans to prove me wrong when I say that's the end.

Former Senator Claire McCaskill announces Donald Trump has smashed another record: most members of a president's own party to vote for impeachment!

I broke the thread with a reply so I'm going to repost it to merge it in here:

The yeas already have a majority, by the way, for anyone who is nail-biting over this taking as long as it is to wrap up.

Oh, Speaker Pelosi is at the dais. Have I mentioned there's a MAGA conspiracy theory that she hasn't been seen in public since the weekend because she's been arrested by military police? Yes, this week. They think Nancy Pelosi is MIA this week.

232 yeas. Donald Trump is now the most impeached president in our history. Half of all impeachments are his. Numbers are way up. Tremendous numbers, numbers like we've never seen before.

I am going to go get a glass of raspberry wine and put some Fireball in it. If you'd like to toss me some drink money, thank you and God save these benighted states.

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