Ballance in The Washington Post All Time Silver Medalist
Senate to emerge from impeachment trial guilty of extreme partisanship, Paul Kane
The absolute need to balance blame for Republican partisanship with false claims about Democrats overcame Mr Kane’s interest in elementary logical consistency. He wrote
none of the rank-and-file senators made a single real effort to negotiate their own compromise on witnesses.
“Nope. I’ve made phone calls, I’ve sent emails,” Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) said Friday. “And the returns have been polite but brief.”
So his proof that there was not a “single real effort to negotiate” is based on describing an effort to negotiate. Evidently, Senator Coons is not a rank and file Senator.
This is just the most extreme example of undying devotion to Jack Ballance, which is stronger than any interest in logical consistency. Immediately before, Kane asserts with no evidence whatsoever, that Democratic Senators had their arms twisted by Schumer and resented it
“For all their griping about the firm grip McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) have on their caucuses, ”
The entire “news analysis” presents no evidence of such griping in the Democratic caucus. Not only is there not a named source (corresponding to the explicitly griping Lisa Murkowski) but there is no un-named source, nor any reference to any news article which contains any hint of such griping.
He presents no evidence that Schumer had to twist arms to convince a Democrat or an Independent that there should be witnesses at a trial. He asserts this as a fact, but does not feel any need to provide the hint of the shadow of a clue that there is anything behind his assertion except for his own fanatically blind ideological centrism.
Also right after the block quote he asserts
“Just 16 months ago, Coons and then-Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) angered both leaders when they forced an extra week of consideration of the nomination of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh,”
I am aware of no evidence that the delay in the confirmation of Kavanaugh angered Schumer. I think there is no such evidence. I think the word “both” was added due to blind fanatical bothsidesism.
Kane laments the change from the Senate in which Coons and Flake reached a bipartisan compromise. A casual reader would assume he is saying that Coons has changed and is no longer willing to make a “real effort to negotiate”. He should not assume that all Post readers know that Coons didn’t compromise with Flake this time, because Flake is no longer a Senator. T
The reason for the change is clear. After the Republicans picked up two seats, there are at least 50 disciplined Republican Senators who can be counted on to put loyalty to the party above loyalty to the country, the constitution and their recently sworn oath.
The Senate hasn’t become more partisan (more Republicans voted with the Democrats this time). It has become more Republican. That is why it has ceased entirely to fulfill its constitutional role.
Now I don’t insist that Kane reject the Republican party, but I do insist that he never reject facts and logic again. I think it would be best for him to quit and look for a job which he is willing to do.
Robert:
Murkowski and Collins are both cowards, the same as Alexander. Two of the three could have also gone with Romney. The senate (small “s” for the grade school antics they represent) knew trump lied and did the things he was accused of by others. They coulda straightened it out and handed trump a defeat. They failed. They need to be held accountable. Yes, I know Collins voted for impeachment. It is more than just then where she could have voted on other things and sent a message she would not be a part of his lies.
The state of journalism in this country is beyond sad.
The number of bothsiderists is outnumbered only by the foxnewsbased crowd.
Neither one feels like any facts are needed.
It was a long time ago that I recognized the radical middle as merely the good cop arm of the bad cop Right.
Or as C.S.Lewis once said “Isn’t it essential to keep both a fierce Left and a fierce Right…each terrified of the other? That’s how we get things done….Of Course we’re non-political. The real power always is.”