Aaaand we're off...

Sail on, o ship of state

Much has been written already about the soaring and searing statements of Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in front of the U.S. Senate, and the 13-minute video of the armed insurrection of Jan. 6.

Today’s trial started with a discussion as to whether moving forward was constitutional. After roughly four hours of debate, the Senate voted to continue, 56-44. Proceedings will resume at noon Wednesday.

But I want to talk a moment about Trump’s B-team defense, starting with Bruce Castor Jr., the Pennsylvania attorney who gave the opening statement. In a long and winding speech, Castor, who once declined to prosecute Bill Cosby, played the part of the aw-shucks country lawyer, and he:

• Referred to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, but misrepresented whether a person must be convicted for it to apply.

• Infused his aw-shucks presentation with so many asides it was hard to follow him.

• Mansplained.

• Characterized an armed insurrection as something like “robust political debate.”

• Appeared not to understand that his client is charged with inciting an insurrection, not with “conspiracy to incite an insurrection.” Big diff.

He was followed by his partner, David Schoen, a graduate of the Rep. Jim Jordan School of Talking Fast and Talking Loud, who said

I may have zoned there out a bit. As has happened often during the Trump years, the former president’s defenders — this time in the form of Schoen — focus on process, not the actual actions of which their leader is accused — in this case, inciting an armed insurrection.

The hearing was watched closely by political junkies everywhere. While he ripped through his speech, Schoen touched the top of his head every time he swigged from a water bottle, which caused a bit of a Twitteruption. If I was at all QAnon-ish, I’d start circulating the lie that this inability to water regularly is a way Republicans send coded messages to one another.

But in fact:

Schoen, who has also represented Roger Stone, expressed concern that his client is being held accountable for his actions, per the Constitution, which he seemed to think unfair. He also quoted extensively from The Federalist Papers, which may have had their authors spinning in their dusty graves.

At one point, Schoen held up a copy of the Constitution decorated with neon green Post-its notes, but the copy was paperback and the Post-its made it look as if he had just reviewed it. And then he held up Mao’s Little Red Book. As comparison, his Little Red Book contained no Post-its.

In all, it was two teams unequally yoked, though there’s not been much discussion of movement on the part of any one in regard to actually convicting Trump of incitement. If 44 Senators don’t think this trial is constitutional, making up the difference in the final vote (there must be two-thirds of the Senate -- 67 Senators — to convict) is a long hill to climb. At the least, it will be interesting political theater.