5 Reasons the Senate Trial Will Be Better than a Marvel Movie
Before we get started, I’d like to immediately acknowledge that I am not terribly versed in the Marvel genre and have no clue about the source comic book material. The following observations are based on my more detailed knowledge of politics and law and my casual experience with the Marvel Universe, specifically the major blockbuster movies that everyone sees and understands. I know how fanatical comic fans can be, so don’t come for me on the comic front, it’s just a generic reference. I could have used John Hughes movies or the Hobbit or something-action and excitement are the point and politics will be infused with it. Well, as much as it can be. So without further delay, here are the top five reason why an impeachment trial of Donald Trump in the Senate will be bigger than a summer blockbuster.
1. Pelosi is Writing, Directing and Producing
Make no mistake, this whole production is a Nancy Pelosi Joint. There is no politician alive who has a better understanding of the electorate and how the public will respond to major political decisions and reactions. Her sense of perspective is impeccable, but more than that, her timing is flawless. Making the decision to withhold the approved House Articles of Impeachment by refusing to forward them to the Senate was a stroke of genius and made sure that the audience is primed for the experience of a trial. Pelosi is that director who told the studio if she can’t have her full director’s cut, the way she wants to present it, then she won’t release the biggest film of the year. Keep in mind that this is a film the studio has put 3 years and all of its money into.
There are so many excellent reasons for Pelosi to hold back on presentation, but the biggest is that she can completely maintain artistic control over the proceedings. Spoiler alert: we know the Senate does not have the votes to remove the president from office and we know that the slim chance of getting those votes is not even a possibility until November. The act of starting a trial now would just be futile and also allow the Republicans to remaster and edit the final version into a film we no longer recognize. The public knows filming has begun and there are major creative differences, and all of this stirs up excitement for the final version, whenever that may be released.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi leaves the White House after a meeting with Trump with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Steny Hoyer on October 16, 2019. (Photo BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images.)
Pelosi is also living rent free in Trump’s mind. Trump is a villain with a strong aversion to potent female leads, especially ones who are smarter and more experienced than he. Pelosi knows that if she can keep Trump agitated because he has not gotten his way, then he is apt to make more sloppy mistakes in the press and in his disclosures. He has already given us several examples of this and the weeks following his impeachment have shown he is floundering at epic levels. Trump is also known to make impromptu decisions and statements on camera. So, the likelihood that he will further incriminate himself or agree to something that injures his case grows every day with his impatience.
Public perception is everything in politics, and Nancy Pelosi understands the fine aspects of this concept perfectly. A trial in the first few months of the Democratic Primary elections, with several Senators campaigning and being forced to chose between duty and political bids, would be disastrous. Pelosi knows she needs to buy the party time to get some breathing room while they establish the next steps. The optics for Democrats in a trial controlled by Mitch McConnell will always be compromised.
The recent pacing of the news cycle brought to us by the Trump Presidency would have taken a rare impeachment proceeding even further into unprecedented territory. One thing is certain, when you give McConnell control, you lose. Pelosi knows her enemy and is not arrogant enough to ever underestimate him. Given what we know about Pelosi’s unparalleled directing and producing skills, we can rest assured that once her blockbuster is finally released, we will have the best version possible.
There is no one better, no one more skilled at political editing and we can breathe easier knowing the Speaker has also taken over publicity and the timing of the release. As far as teasing the event itself, nothing makes you want to see a summer blockbuster more than an amazing teaser trailer and the delay of an opening day release. For those of us who consider a national convention to be our Comic-Con, delay is the ultimate power move that will peak interest and drive ticket sales.
2. Introducing Chief Justice Roberts as That Guy
Is he the villain, the good guy or the guy who starts out as a good guy with villain tendencies but by the end he choses a side and establishes his cannon. No one can really put Chief Justice John Roberts into a definite category. For every decision where he comes down on something with definitive authority, I can point to another where his contradictory arguments make predicting him to be incredibly difficult. Roberts will also be starring in an entirely new role in the proceeding in the Senate-the character of an arbiter who is supposed to stand for impartial justice, but who we all know favors one side and always has.
Roberts’ role itself is an anomaly. He holds the highest judicial seat for the most elite court of the land that is bound to legal rules and procedure, but he will now preside as a makeshift moot court judge for a Kangaroo court that has rules but no real way to enforce many of them. This quasi-judicial role from a very judicial figure is like asking Judge Judy to play Sandra Day O’Conner in the biopic of her life where there are no real penalties except getting slammed for a terrible performance. This odd juxtaposition alone should make for some phenomenal viewing, both from an entertainment and historical perspective. Considering that we are now back in the Roman days of watching political destruction for entertainment, this Chief Justice set-up presents a fine new addition to the political universe.
3. Mitch McConnell is Thanos, Deal With It
I understand that this comparison may offend some, but the point I’m really trying to make here is that if you give Mitch McConnell any leverage in any political situation, he will win. He has decided that his mission is always justified and somehow serves the greater good and so he will lie, steal and cheat to get what he wants. The worst part is that he has convinced half of the country that what he wants is ultimately beneficial for them and the rest of the country. Thanos thought he was doing the right thing for humanity and actually helping the world. McConnell drafts his car off of this same justification but he is really driven by power and control and he is clever enough to use both well.
Once the Articles of Impeachment are sent to the Senate, Mitch McConnell maintains the majority vote, which gives him control. He also has a myriad of procedural tools at his disposal to help him achieve whatever goal he has in the interim of his long game. He is aware of every loophole and every back alley and he will not hesitate to exploit anyone or anything to get what he wants. What’s worse, he leads a party who has no conscience or sense of propriety and none of his supporters will hold him to account in terms of his behavior-they will actually applaud his despicable tactics if it gets them a win. McConnell has most of the infinity stones and is nearly impossible for anyone to stop in this setting without a significant re-write and some major intervening force that changes the boundaries of reality.
While these things make McConnell a despised and ominous character to anyone utilizing rational thought, they also make for some intense drama. You can’t triumph over evil without the precursory evil. As infuriating as Mitch McConnell and his party are, they are a necessary foil to the good guy winning in the end, which is the reason we are all watching in the first place. McConnell is an abhorrent but necessary malevolence for the finale we are all invested in.
4. Giuliani and Bolton Are a Collective Loki
Rudy Giuliani outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 24, 2019. (Photo ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Both Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton have publicly said they will testify in the Senate trial for Trump’s impeachment. The fact that they made a point to make these statements in such a way that garnered them the most press and attention possible pretty much sums it up. Both men are only saying this now because they know that a court would determine that they were required to appear under subpoena and the fact that Justice Roberts will be presiding over things means that the decision would be fast-tracked. They are also both counting on Mitch McConnell to stack the decks in their favor and either make sure they don’t get called or have a set of procedural safeguards in place if they do.
Both of these men are motivated by attention and they will do anything to get it, including mischievous games during a historical Senate trial. But Giuliani as the slap-stick cackling bad guy here rings extra true given his penchant for extemporaneous admissions. Although Giuliani is trained in the law (some would argue not well) and understands some basic guidelines that have seemingly protected him from incrimination so far, he does not enjoy the same privilege that Trump does. It’s clear that both men think they will not have to compromise their loyalty to Trump in anything they might say, but the proof from other witness testimony and their own actions make this a shaky proposition. You never know what Rudy Giuliani will say or do and this will lend to an excellent performance.*
*Apologies to Tom Hiddleston for any unintentional physical comparisons.
5. Putin, Like Ultron, Will Still Be Pulling Strings From Afar
We have done nothing to shore up our cyber security or to stop any election interference from Russia. Nothing. The Republican Party is a patsy, bloated with donations from Russian oligarchs and politicians. We still don’t have the detailed financial records of the President of the United States of America, who likely started this whole fiasco of a presidential run just to make money and get another T.V. show. Many, many men with close ties to President Trump, including his own National Security Advisor, have been arrested and charged with felonies. Trump’s lawyer and former campaign manager are in jail as we speak.
President Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Osaka Summit 2019, in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Putin is Ultron and his power and influence over America has yet to be neutralized and in some cases even discovered. Imagine how many aspects of our government he effectively controls with money or influence or actual agents. This aspect is actually more frightening than entertaining, but my point here is that when this type of insidious threat still exists, we never know what may happen. This provides an added element of danger and suspense to the Senate proceedings that is often overlooked and highly underestimated by all of the hot takes published so far.
From award winning producer and director, Nancy Pelosi comes the story of an epic battle in the democratic halls of history…In a world where evil has dominated truth for too long and our heros are determined by celebrity, can one woman deliver the truth to the millions who look away? Can justice still prevail in a time of power and greed? Will integrity ever be a defining trait that humans celebrate in the good times and cherish in the bad: who will win the final battle for American civilization…
Hopefully coming this summer to a theater near you.
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Amee Vanderpool writes the “Shero” Newsletter and is an attorney, contributor to Playboy Magazine and analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
At least with a Marvel movie, afterward, everyone goes home safe.
This is freaking BRILLIANT!