Republicans are bored — and they hope the American public shares their tedium.
The first week of President Trump
Donald John TrumpSchiff pleads to Senate GOP: 'Right matters. And the truth matters.' Anita Hill to Iowa crowd: 'Statute of limitations' for Biden apology is 'up' Sen. Van Hollen releases documents from GAO investigation MORE’s impeachment trial has been met with regular assertions from GOP senators — as well as outside allies — that there is nothing to see here.
Whether their personal lack of excitement is real or confected, it seems to clearly have a tactical purpose: to encourage voters to pay little heed to what is going on.
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Democrats have pushed back hard, emphasizing that the Senate is conducting one of its gravest duties — deciding whether a president has committed such egregious deeds to warrant his removal from office. The question, they say, is one of substance, not of entertainment.
“This is not a television show, and it shouldn’t be thought of, or judged, based on the standard of what is entertaining television,” Sen. Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi HarrisHarris weighing Biden endorsement: report California Democrat Christy Smith launches first TV ad in bid for Katie Hill's former House seat Steyer spokesperson: 'I don't think necessarily that Tom has bought anything' MORE (D-Calif.) told CNN on Thursday. “This is a trial on the impeachment of the president of the United States.”
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from pushing forward the idea that the Senate trial is a snoozefest, short of a fist fight breaking out between the House impeachment managers and the White House legal team.
“I think the troubling thing for many of us is actually staying alert enough to be able to follow it,” Rep. Mark Meadows
Mark Randall MeadowsSchumer urges declassification of letter from Pence aide Republicans take aim at Nadler for saying GOP senators complicit in 'cover-up' The Hill's Morning Report - Trump trial begins with clash over rules MORE (R-N.C.), a close ally of the president, said Wednesday. “I would suggest that the American people, if they could turn their channel and watch something else, that is what they are doing.”
Republicans have signaled their boredom in other ways, too.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn
Marsha BlackburnMarsha Blackburn shares what book she's reading during Trump Senate trial Taylor Swift talks politics, her new song: 'I wrote it after the midterm elections' GOP senator: 2020 candidates must recuse themselves from impeachment trial MORE (R-Tenn.) tweeted Thursday that she was reading a couple of books during the trial, sharing the titles with her followers.
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Other senators appear to have fallen asleep or skipped out on parts of the hearing.
For most in the GOP, an impeachment process that does not shift President Trump’s approval numbers or the public appetite for the president’s removal would be a perfectly acceptable outcome.
Current polling shows the nation evenly divided over Trump’s fate.
The RealClearPolitics (RCP) polling average on Thursday afternoon showed less than one percentage point separating those who want Trump removed from office (47.0 percent) from those who do not (47.9 percent).
The president’s overall job approval numbers remain in the same general range as they were a year ago — tepid but not catastrophic. The RCP average indicates that his performance in office gets 44.3 percent approval and 52.4 percent disapproval.
Republicans can live with that — so long as it gets no worse. For the moment, therefore, they are playing down the significance of the action on the Senate floor.
“Just a few hours into their opening arguments, they’re already repeating the same points they made for 13 hours yesterday,” Sen. Ted Cruz
Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzDemocrats sharpen case on second day of arguments What to watch for on Day 3 of Senate impeachment trial Democrats' impeachment case lands with a thud with GOP — but real audience is voters MORE (R-Texas) complained on Wednesday, as Democratic impeachment managers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff
Adam Bennett SchiffSchiff pleads to Senate GOP: 'Right matters. And the truth matters.' Democrats hammer abuse of power charge, allege Trump put self over country Female impeachment managers say American public know a 'rigged' trial when they see one MORE (D-Calif.), pressed the case against Trump.
“A rehashing of yesterday’s charade,” echoed Sen. Tim Scott
Timothy (Tim) Eugene ScottWhat to watch for on Day 3 of Senate impeachment trial Democrats' impeachment case lands with a thud with GOP — but real audience is voters Restlessness, light rule-breaking and milk spotted on Senate floor as impeachment trial rolls on MORE (R-S.C.) to a group of reporters at the Capitol, also on Wednesday.
“You’re not going to win the game by time of possession,” Sen. Mike Braun
Michael BraunDemocrats hammer abuse of power charge, allege Trump put self over country Democrats' impeachment case lands with a thud with GOP — but real audience is voters Senate Republicans muscle through rules for Trump trial MORE (R-Ind.) told Slate on Tuesday, referring to the 24 hours allowed, over three days, for the Democrats to lay out their arguments.
Even some Republicans who are not part of the praetorian guard around Trump have expressed a distinct lack of enthusiasm about proceedings. “Yesterday was a long day,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann MurkowskiSchiff pleads to Senate GOP: 'Right matters. And the truth matters.' Senate Republicans confident they'll win fight on witnesses Tensions between McConnell and Schumer run high as trial gains momentum MORE (R-Alaska) told reporters on Thursday, echoing that the arguments became repetitive.
But the cries of tedium have come loudest and most insistently from Trump-friendly media figures.
Sean Hannity
Sean Patrick HannityHannity: 'Lunatic' Schiff 'the worst liar in all of politics' Hypocrisy is the currency of the realm for GOP in the age of Trump GOP threatens to weaponize impeachment witnesses amid standoff MORE told his Fox News viewers that he was “not going to torture you” by broadcasting large swathes of the trial. On the same network, “Fox & Friends” anchor Steve Doocey complained that the proceedings were “unbelievably boring.”
On Thursday, Laura Ingraham
Laura Anne IngrahamGiuliani says he was 'misled' by Parnas Bill Kristol on McSally calling CNN reporter a liberal hack: 'I guess I'm liberal' McSally dismisses calls to apologize to CNN's Raju for 'liberal hack' comment: 'Called it like it is' MORE retweeted a post showing strong ratings for Fox News shows the previous evening and added, “I thought impeachment was supposed to be the left’s big ratings breakthrough?”
Democrats say there is a strategy behind their long, and at times, repetitive arguments, however.
Throughout the day, viewers are likely to tune in and out of the hours-long Senate trial coverage coverage, so hammering key points again and again gives Democrats the opportunity to deliver their message to different audiences.
“We are trying this case before two juries: The Senate and the American people,” Schiff said Wednesday afternoon.
“I have to hope that some if not all of the senators will abide by that oath and will hear us with an open mind. But even if they don’t, I do suspect the American people are watching and the American people are listening and they do have an open mind. And it is those Americans we are talking to also,” the lead impeachment manager added.
The boredom talk has further inflamed the partisan debate over whether the Senate should hear testimony from new witnesses and receive documents that the White House withheld from the House during its impeachment inquiry.
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Whenever Republicans insist that they have heard nothing new in the impeachment managers’ arguments, Democrats have shot back that testimony from key witnesses like former national security adviser John Bolton
John BoltonSenate Republicans confident they'll win fight on witnesses Hakeem Jeffries tells Senate in impeachment proceedings they should subpoena Baseball Hall of Fame after Jeter vote Susan Collins asked Justice Roberts to intervene after Nadler late-night 'cover-up' accusation MORE and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney
John (Mick) Michael MulvaneySenate Republicans confident they'll win fight on witnesses Hakeem Jeffries tells Senate in impeachment proceedings they should subpoena Baseball Hall of Fame after Jeter vote Video becomes vital part of Democrats' case against Trump MORE would resolve their complaints.
Democrats argue that these witnesses, who refused to testify in the House impeachment inquiry, are central players with first-hand accounts of Trump’s pressure campaign towards Ukraine. And their push was aided earlier this month when Bolton in a statement said he would be willing to testify if the GOP-controlled Senate subpoenaed him for testimony.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate Republicans confident they'll win fight on witnesses The Hill's 12:30 Report: Dems to present case on abuse of power on trial's third day The Hill's Morning Report - House prosecutes Trump as 'lawless,' 'corrupt' MORE (R-Ky.), however, has been cold to the idea, casting uncertainty about whether the Trump officials will be ordered to appear before the upper chamber.
Even though the debate around impeachment had fallen primarily along very partisan lines, there have been some exceptions.
One Republican senator who bucked the Republican “boring” talking point Wednesday was Sen. John Kennedy
John Neely KennedyMORE (R-La.). who suggested that he has, in fact, learned new things from the trial.
“I've learned a lot. Everybody has. Senators didn't know the case. They really didn't. We didn't stay glued to the television. We haven't read the transcripts,” Kennedy told reporters.
“If you poll the United States Senate: Nine out of ten senators will tell you they have not read a transcript of the proceedings in the House. And the tenth senator who says he has is lying,” the senator added.
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