February 15, 2021
The evidence fit, but they still acquit. In the latest iteration of the McCarthy (Kevin) hearings, evidence was introduced and dismissed. Unlike the original McCarthy (Joe) hearings, people were actually guilty. Mitch McConnell did his best impersonation of Captain Renault in Casablanca, who famously said, “I have no conviction, if that’s what you mean. I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy.” We will have a 9/11-style commission where we will learn more than we want to, and Bill Barr won’t be there to whitewash it. The latest Republican talking point is that it really wasn’t much of a riot anyway, which is just baiting the white supremacists to do it bigger and better next time. Given the surge in gun sales, the next insurrection may already be in the works. Regardless, we have to move on, but how?
One of the keys to getting opposing sides together is to “force” them to work on a mutually agreeable and mutually beneficial project. Based on research into group psychology, there are conditions that increase the chance that groups will be successful. Being a real team results from having a shared task with clear boundaries with stability in group membership. The group must have a compelling direction, which results from a clear, challenging, and consequential goal. Defining the goal is up to President Biden. Hopefully, it will be infrastructure and the environment. The question remains will Republicans want to play nice, and chose cooperation. As of now, there is no evidence that they want to.
The Spin Doctor 