You think Senator Rick Scott gives one iota of thought about his constituency when he’s not up for re-election? Ha!
~Max
So?
Same thing with Cruz. He’s not up for re-election. Why should I call him?
Because it matters. They literally tally up these calls, put them on charts, and track them daily. What are people talking about? How hot are they? What’s the call volume, per issue?
And Rick Scott may not care. May not change him one iota. But, in the end, you can say you tried. And that’s what America needs right now, citizens who try.
The sense I get – and I’m no expert – is that not only is he a political novice who’s in over his head, he’s also stuck between Putin’s tanks and Trump’s … Trumpy-ness. That’s gotta be tough. But since he ran on a “clean sweep” platform of returning integrity to Ukraine, I’m guessing he means well.
Fun Call to Action: Everybody send Bill Barr pics (email, social, snail mail, whatever) of John Mitchell. 
You can be sure that any Republicans in your state/district are contacting them to complain. Don’t let those be the only calls they get; make sure they are swamped by calls of support.
Emailing them is also fine if you’re not a phone person. Those get tallied too.
I can’t say I’ve seen a tame dog attack, but I’m not about to put myself in a position where I’d find out. We don’t know what people would do when placed in the highest position of power on the planet and then watch everything cave in around him and face the real possibility of incarceration. Take an unstable person, give him the most power in the planet, and then place under extreme pressure. This is not a controlled experiment, this is frightening.
This from CNN:
Update: Some kids have to work through recess:
Dude: Rosa DeLauro is, like, Nancy Pelosi’s right-hand woman. And perhaps you’ve seen Sens. Blumenthal and Murphy on the TV lately? Trust me, Republican phone calls are not an issue. There’s no wavering here in the Land of Steady Habits.
Guys, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Just stop it. The command doesn’t go from Trump to Airman Jones, missileer.
I concur.
Everyone else, please drop this hijack regarding going rogue and nuking everyone that RioRico started (Welcome to the StraightDope!). This thread is about the impeachment inquiry and things related to that.
[/moderating]
Well, I agree with Mr. Cruz so I don’t see much point in contacting him. I don’t agree with Mr. Scott and eight years of experience - my entire adult life and then some - tells me that he literally doesn’t care about the people he was elected to represent unless it is an election year.
I’m a bit of a defeatist when it comes to politics. If you really think my calling or writing in will make a difference, now is your chance to change my mind. I don’t think it’s going to happen absent some sort of insider report that my opinion counts for my representatives during the off-season, or compelling evidence that Mr. Scott is a great guy and cares about his constituents (ha!).
And my representative in the House? Years ago he visited our school and practically told us, to our faces, that he is ‘a man of principle’. We got what we voted for, and for him to flip on an issue is out of the question (like that “traitor”, Charlie Christ). I didn’t vote for him.
~Max
I agree and thank you for keeping us focused. There is plenty to discuss on the main topic.
Some committee members will be working through the recess. I think that’s the right thing to do. We really should wrap this up by Christmas, or at least by March. Otherwise it’s going to get tangled up in the election season.
When I stated that the guys at the end of that chain of command would push buttons, turn keys or (if flying, flip switches) when told to do so, it’s because I’ve seen the training they go through, the psychological testing they go through and the isolation they endure while on duty. They have no way of knowing the ultimate source of the commands they receive, and they certainly aren’t in any position to determine whether the orders they receive are legal or illegal. If the President does something untoward and those orders get to the people at the end of the line without being stopped somewhere else in the chain of command, those orders will be carried out.
I know you’ve been busy the last 17 years and not able to post often, but I must take a moment to say how much I’ve enjoyed your posts now you’re posting. 
I think one reason Dems hope to move swiftly (not hurriedly, but swiftly, as I heard Swalwell say this morning) is because they understand the peril of giving the Trump people time to regroup and mount some counter-offensive, disingenuous though it [del]will[/del] may be.
The Trump cabal knows the value of narrative and messaging – even if based entirely on lies. One of the most important questions asked of Acting DNI Maguire yesterday was whether the whistleblower’s complaint matched in substance what was contained in the phone conversation summary released by Trump. He said it did. That answer boxes Trump in based on the known facts to date.
Another reason is due to the obvious insane, inherent volatility of this “president.” I think even Republicans know how destructive it may be to try to shoo him from the Oval Office in a close election in 2020. They’ve done the math. They know they are in peril for 2020.
Much as they may hate to do it, an incontrovertible vote in the Senate that requires removal may do more to safeguard our election in 2020 than anything else.
They’ve got to get the drop on him, however. There won’t be another chance, even as Dems mount additional impeachment efforts with bank and tax fraud, emoluments, etc. If they allow those further impeachment efforts to go forward because they failed to remove Trump over the Ukraine criminality, it’s a constant, slow dribble of filth against them in the run-up to November 2020, and they’ll be stuck with Trump as a candidate. If they get rid of him now, there is still a chance they can mount a successful run with an alternative candidate.
Here’s a good picture and article about Mitchell that everyone could send to Barr.
Tulsi Gabbard now supports impeachment.
Looks like this was too much, even for Russia! 
CNN has a list of the 13 house democrats that are not yet supporting impeachment.
Thank you for reminding me to send an email to Cornyn and Cruz. I will tell them that I walked the streets for Beto last year (and he came close to winning) and plan to do the same for whoever runs against Cornyn. And I will tell Marc Veasey to keep the faith – he’s already in the impeach group.
“The spinning that’s been done by the president’s defenders over the last 24 hours since this very damaging whistleblower complaint came out … is not surprising but it is astonishing and I think deeply misleading.” - Chris Wallace live on Fox News this morning