What Went Down On Day 1 Of The Impeachment Hearings

Kent is talking about raising concerns about Hunter Biden’s Burisma work during the Obama administration. Wonder if that will give him more credibility for Democrats? And/but — you can bet Republicans are going to want to know more, in front of cameras, about the substance of those concerns.

I think largely what Kent is betting on is that the American people have a longstanding animus against Russia/USSR. What’s interesting is that some perception of Russia has been made partisan, post-2016, but I do think there’s no harm in laying out the stakes in a way that has a touch of the Cold War to it.

I think that’s right, Galen. One of the challenges today will be to make voters feel like Trump and Giuliani’s behavior is a real threat to American security. Maybe something like the American Revolution allusion is designed to help hammer that home — but I think career diplomats may overestimate the extent to which the average watcher is interested in geopolitical history lessons!