Republicans used closed door hearings during multie Benghazi hearings.

[sinkingfeeling]

Don't you find it ironic (and insane) that Republicans are calling closed door hearings like something from the old Soviet Union and communist. But we all seem to have forgotten they held multiple closed door hearings to gather testimony in their expensive, endless, and futile Benghazi hearings.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/after-clinton-spectacle-benghazi-panel-goes-back-behind-closed-doors/447768/

[htuttle]

1. I don't think there is any sense in shutting down their talking points,

...since they'll just make up new ones. Endless cycle.

It seems to bother them that they can't spew messaging to counter each day's testimony in real time. I think that's good.

It will all come out in the near term, but all at once, instead of a little bit more at a time. Though there is plenty of that just from leaks, public statements, news articles, etc.

[Sherman A1]

2. And

just how would "we" do that?

[ooky]

3. Everything Republicans rail about is all stuff they do.

They can't turn closed hearings into a circus. So all they can do stew over it. Ha ha.

[Hortensis]

4. No, not really. How would "we" have done that in 2015 when

Republicans controlled the house? Or even now when Democrats control the house and Republicans have the senate?

These posts are more aggravating to me than Trump. He's a disordered idiot, while we should be slightly better informed than average here and incredibly more respectful of our own legislators than he can manage. We don't tell house majorities how to do their job at any time (but especially when they're Republican). No more than we instruct road construction crews what proportions we want mixed into asphalt or where and how to roll out our roads.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Funny, I can speak and write letters to the editor. Hopefully

Democrats who appear on CNN and MSNBC, etc., as well as some of the hosts, could point out that Republicans were big fans of using closed-door hearings when they ran them.

Kind of like, same people should constantly run videos of Republicans claiming the necessity of impeaching Clinton and obeying Congressional subpoenas every chance they get.

P.S. I participate in politics. One would think those on DU do also.

[Hortensis]

6. And? Will that alter the proportions in which asphalt is mixed?

Or add a pretty blue color because you think it'd look better? You need to understand what is appropriate for voters to weigh in on and what is not.

The current wave of contempt for expertise was created by "the giant RW conspiracy" to weaken the electorate and turn us into fools so we won't respect or believe experts and will be easy suckers for liars.

We need to reject that and respect that immense knowledge is required to understand the workings of congress. Have you at least looked up the rules regarding closed and open proceedings? That would be only the beginning, but at least you'd know the very basics, what rights the Republican minority has for instance, even if you didn't know what strategies have been decided on by our leadership team and why. Hearings are often secret because identities are being protected and information must be kept secret. Too bad for curious outsiders.

Btw, overall Republicans in congress are often defeated by Democrats when the playing field is fairly level because Democrats tend to play smarter. Republicans are best at smashing the rules they don't respect and gross strategies, not using them with sophistication.

[TeamPooka]

7. Then they will just say we are committing treason in public. They move goalposts!