Perception: The Senate had a chance to hear witnesses in the impeachment trial because several Republican senators were retiring and the Democrats only needed four votes.
Reality: The Democrats only got two votes, those of Mitt Romney of Utah ad Susan Collins of Maine. They were never going to get four votes, because Lisa Murkowski of Alaska found the badgering of the Chief Justice by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to be highly politicized (nice going, Liz!), while Lamar Alexander of Tennessee thought there was enough evidence already to convict on an offense he didn't consider impeachable anyway.
Perception: The Senate is the world's greatest deliberative body.
Reality: The Senate ain't even the world's greatest smoking club. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate hate each other, and they can't even bear to be in the same committee room with each other. There was no way they could run a fair-minded, sober impeachment trial.
Perception: John Bolton's book is going to reveal so much about Trump's dealings with Ukraine that he will be found guilty in the court of public opinion.
Reality: Are you talking about the same public who thinks that John Bolton is the guy who sang "Love Is a Wonderful Thing"? Even if people are paying enough attention to make an informed decision about Trump, Bolton's book will never see the light of day apart from the passages that have already been leaked, because the White House will block it from ever getting published. We have a better chance of seeing what is likely Woody Allen's last movie released first.
Perception: People will remember what the Senate did on Friday and they will exact revenge on the Republicans in November.
Reality: People can't even remember how "This Is Us" ended last week, and it's being pre-empted by the State Of the Union address this week, so it's a wonder anyone will pick up the storyline of "This Is Us" next week. I won't, but then it's just about the only current scripted show I ever watch anymore.
Perception: The Democrats will remind everyone what Trump did all the way through November.
Reality: The Republicans will shut them up and shut them down. If you're a Republican, you prevent any discussion of an issue that doesn't work in your favor from happening. It's what you do. If you buy car insurance from Geico, you save 15 percent or more. It's what you do.
Perception: Democrats will win in 2020 by talking not just about impeachment but also about kitchen-table issues like health care.
Reality: What did I just say?
Perception: Now that the impeachment trial is nearing its end, Joe Biden will benefit from not having to hear about Burisma anymore.
Reality: The only thing Republicans do better than shutting down discussions of stuff they don't want to talk about is amplifying and perpetuating stuff they do want to talk about. Expect Burisma to be the new Benghazi, and expect the mention of one Robert Hunter Biden as well. In fact, despite his absence from the campaign trail, Bernie Sanders has been gaining in in Iowa, and he will likely win tomorrow's presidential caucuses and leap his way to the nomination. And, as the Democratic nominee, he will likely lead the party to a crushing defeat so bad that it will take them until 2032 to recover if they're lucky. Did I happen to mention that Sanders isn't even a Democrat?
Perception: The impeachment trial sham will encourage young people to follow the lead of young progressive leaders like Sanders supporter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and get to the polls in droves in the fall.
Reality: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has turned out to be more of a show horse than a work horse. She has since joined Beto O'Rourke as one of this century's Great American Phonies. And I am sorry I, even in jest, proposed marriage to her on this blog.
Perception: The United States will survive the Trump Presidency.
Reality: How do I break this to you?
Perception: The American people have a lot of questions about how this trial was conducted and what answers about Trump's misdeeds.
Reality: Yeah, right. The only question Americans have right now is, "Who's going to win the Super Bowl tonight?"
Perception: Democracy is important to Americans.
Reality: But it won't save you money on car insurance!
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Why haven't you called Geico? :-p
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