The Democrats Aren't Really in Disarray Over What to Do About Mueller

[babylonsister]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/04/democrats-want-hear-mueller/587833/

The Democrats Aren’t Really in Disarray Over What to Do About Mueller
Lawmakers are, for the most part, united behind three immediate goals.
Elaine Godfrey
3:49 PM ET


In the five days since Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s final report dropped, stories about the Democrats’ escalating intra-party conflict have permeated the news media. Mueller’s findings, the narrative goes, have driven a wedge between the members of the party who are clamoring for an impeachment inquiry and the ones who view the matter largely as an unwelcome distraction from their kitchen-table agenda. The pundit class has been a fevered mess of speculation: Have the Democrats finally reached their breaking point?

But Democrats in the House are, for the most part, united in how they want to proceed in the days and weeks to come.

A review of Democratic lawmakers’ statements and interviews with more than a dozen Democratic House aides demonstrate that while there are some stylistic differences in how lawmakers are choosing to respond to the Mueller report’s findings, almost all of them agree on three immediate goals: They want to read the full, unredacted report. They want both Attorney General William Barr and Mueller to testify before Congress. And they want each of the relevant House committees to proceed with their investigations. They may argue in the meantime about what the end goal of those efforts should be, but overall, claims of Democratic dysfunction belie these points of consensus.

snip//

Democrats have an incentive to appear on message, which could account for some of the agreement. There are genuine tensions in the party about how aggressively Democrats should go after the president in light of the special counsel’s findings. A small handful of lawmakers in the House called near-immediately for impeachment proceedings to begin, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who announced that she would sign on to an existing impeachment resolution from her progressive colleague Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. “I cannot see a reason for us to abdicate from our constitutionally mandated responsibility to investigate,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter. On the 2020 campaign trail, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was the first candidate to call for impeachment proceedings to begin, followed a few days later by Kamala Harris, her colleague from California.

Other Democrats offered a more cautious response, including Representative Ben McAdams of Utah, whose statement was representative of how many moderate Democrats want to proceed in light of the special counsel’s findings. If the full version of the report is released and “supports the conclusion that no additional criminal matters are unresolved, then it is time for the country and the Congress to move on,” McAdams said.

But most Democrats, including staffers I spoke with privately, have acknowledged that, whether they’re ultimately rooting for impeachment or not, the next few months should be dedicated to getting more information. The attorney general is expected to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on May 2, and Nadler announced in Monday’s conference call that he will be calling on Mueller to appear later that month. He has also summoned former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify next month about the alleged instances of obstruction detailed in Mueller’s report. It may take time for the Democrats to feel like their questions have been adequately answered—buying lawmakers additional weeks and months to debate the merits of impeachment.

“Even Warren has said that we need to do all of the legwork, like holding hearings, etc.,” said one communications aide to a progressive House Democrat. “Everyone is kind of in agreement on what the next steps are.”

[Wounded Bear]

1. Media loves the "Dems in disarray" meme...

sells them ads and grabs clicks.

[gratuitous]

2. No, Democrats aren't in disarray; thanks for noticing, The Atlantic

Now, how about the media start buttonholing Republicans in the House and Senate and ask them what they plan to do about the information contained in the Mueller Report? Any Republican Senators going to convene hearings? Who do they plan to call as witnesses? If they're not going to hold hearings, why not? The report seems to be something Congress should be investigating very carefully as part of its constitutional oversight duties.

[mcar]

3. Zombie meme

It will never die.

[elleng]

4. 'The pundit class has been a fevered mess.'

[Bettie]

5. It looks like disarray in comparison to the other party

we have a diversity of ideas as well as of people.

Our side doesn't generally have pre-written talking points that must be spewed pretty much as written.

So, ultimately, anything but lockstep cookie cutter opinion looks comparatively like "disarray".

We're not them. When did they become the norm?

[stillcool]

6. from Russia with love?

They can't start soon enough. Got to sow those seeds of division. Amplify any little crack they can find. Even when it's over, it lives on. How much bullsh*t from 2016 is still propelled as fact? I think it's going to get very bad..maybe intolerable. I guess that's the point. More division.