Voting for the current crop of Republicans is like brushing your teeth with the water running. It is a waste of resources, has no purpose, but all your friends do it. Nothing was more symbolic than the displays of blubbering pique by Congressmen Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan. The House January 6 Committee voted unanimously to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress. Bannon turned down at least three options to comply with the subpoena, plead the fifth, verbalize his claim of Executive Privilege or answer the questions. The law provided him with those options but not contemptuous refusal. Mr. Bannon chose to ignore the committee, in essence, placing himself above the law. Unfortunately, while Bannon brushes his teeth, the Republicans in Congress run the water.
The hearing Wednesday before the vote by the whole congressional body on Thursday was filled with jabbering nonsense by Jim Jordan and his sidekick Matt Gaetz. Jordan did everything Wednesday and Thursday to disrupt the hearings and subsequent vote but balance a ball on his nose. Jordan even wore a jacket Thursday, disdaining his rolled-up sleeve every man look. Rep. Jordan brought up every ill in the world to change the hearing’s focus to Joe Biden’s perceived failures. Jordan went so far as to say that the ten months of President Biden’s administration were the worst in history. “[They] can’t talk about inflation, real wages going down, supply chain problems, empty shelves in the stores – can’t talk about that – nope gotta go after this [Trump Supporters]. “[They] Don’t want to ask those questions,” said Jordan descending into one of his patented rapid-fire auctioneer’s performances.
Rep. Gaetz is himself a doozy. Taking up time and probably clean air with his hair sprayed updo and bluster, he too took the committee down the road to nowhere. Mr. Gaetz, like a lot of Republicans, revealed his true motive by obfuscating on a critical question asked by Democratic Rep. of Maryland Jamie Raskin; “Do you accept that Joe Biden won the 2020 election?” Of course, Mr. Gaetz resorted to the don’t tweet at me Trump answer used by cowardly Republicans, “I accept that Joe Biden is the President,” Gaetz said. He then went on to talk about mail-in ballots polluting the system. I would venture a guess that 140 injured Capitol Hill and Metropolitan police officers would say the real pollutant is the foul-smelling hot air coming from the mouths of Republicans.
January 6 has stained this country’s great history and denials; half-truths and lies cannot remove the stench. Although I am opposed to Republican Reps Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger’s political ideology, I have to give them due credit for at least being sane in the face of their party’s absurdity. Much like their denial of Covid science and the overwhelming evidence that vaccines and masks work, photos, video, testimony, and eyewitness accounts of the insurrection have only entrenched and encouraged Republicans to ignore what the rest of the world already knows. The waters are circling the bowl, and the Republican party is going right down the drain along with it.
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