http://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/04/and-the-emmy-goes-to-congressman-adam-schiff/
OPINION
And the Emmy goes to … Congressman Adam Schiff!
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
House Benghazi Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, during a break in the committee’s closed-door hearing.
By JOHN PHILLIPS | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: May 4, 2017 at 12:06 am | UPDATED: May 5, 2017 at 10:42 am
The District of Columbia may be a perennial target for international terrorists, have a sky-high crime rate and extreme weather conditions, but there is no question that in 2017 the most dangerous place to be standing in our nation’s Capitol is between California Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and a television camera.
If you want a visual, rent Godzilla.
The previously obscure nine-term congressman is now enjoying his time in the sun as President Donald Trump’s chief antagonist on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he serves as ranking member.
It is this platform that gets Schiff television bookings to advance his unproven theory that President Trump colluded with the Russians in the 2016 presidential election. The more reckless the allegation, the more TV time he gets.
Now he’s on the boob tube more often than reruns of “The Golden Girls.”
In a recent interview on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily,” host Chuck Todd asked Schiff if his case against Trump is entirely circumstantial.
“Actually, no, Chuck. I can tell you that the case is more than that. And I can’t go into the particulars, but there is more than circumstantial evidence now,” Schiff said.
When he was asked if he’s seen direct evidence of collusion, Schiff said, “I don’t want to go into specifics, but I will say that there is evidence that is not circumstantial, and it very much worthy of investigation. So, that is what we ought to do.”
I just hope that whenever he decides to do his big reveal, he does it on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC program, since she’s already conditioned her audience to cope with massive disappointment.
All of this begs the question, if he has nothing of substance connecting Trump to the Russians that he can tell us about, why does he keep going on TV and winding up the Democratic base?
I’m not a mind reader, so I can’t tell you for sure, but I do know that two very important, very political motivations play into what Schiff is doing.
First, Schiff entered Congress in January of 2001, after defeating Republican incumbent James Rogan in what was the most expensive House race ever at the time.
The 27th District, which included Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, had a long history as a Republican stronghold and Schiff became only the second Democrat to represent this district since its creation in 1913.
During that campaign, Schiff promised to govern as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat and quickly joined the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative Democrats after he won.
Since then, redistricting has forced Schiff into a very different, very liberal district. Schiff now represents California’s 28th District, which includes the Hollywood sign, West Hollywood, Los Feliz and Echo Park.
This means that Schiff faces potential electoral threats, not from Republicans, but from fellow Democrats running to his left.
This problem is particularly acute since local elected officials in West Hollywood and Los Angeles face voter-imposed term limits and are constantly looking for new offices to run for.
Schiff’s political survival requires him to establish street cred with his new liberal constituents, and a public feud with Trump helps him achieve this goal, even if he comes up with nothing.
It’s also no secret that Schiff has long had his sights on the U.S. Senate, but any individual congressmember represents less than 2 percent of the California electorate. To garner the type of statewide name identification he would need to win a Senate seat, he has to either raise a lot of money, or figure out a way to get on TV for free.
The Russia story serves this purpose for Schiff.
Whether he stays in the House or runs for the Senate, Schiff needs to push this narrative — for self preservation.
Conducting a fair investigation is undoubtedly a lesser priority.
John Phillips is a CNN political commentator and can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on “The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips” on KABC/AM 790.
OPINION
And the Emmy goes to … Congressman Adam Schiff!
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
House Benghazi Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, during a break in the committee’s closed-door hearing.
By JOHN PHILLIPS | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: May 4, 2017 at 12:06 am | UPDATED: May 5, 2017 at 10:42 am
The District of Columbia may be a perennial target for international terrorists, have a sky-high crime rate and extreme weather conditions, but there is no question that in 2017 the most dangerous place to be standing in our nation’s Capitol is between California Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and a television camera.
If you want a visual, rent Godzilla.
The previously obscure nine-term congressman is now enjoying his time in the sun as President Donald Trump’s chief antagonist on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he serves as ranking member.
It is this platform that gets Schiff television bookings to advance his unproven theory that President Trump colluded with the Russians in the 2016 presidential election. The more reckless the allegation, the more TV time he gets.
Now he’s on the boob tube more often than reruns of “The Golden Girls.”
In a recent interview on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily,” host Chuck Todd asked Schiff if his case against Trump is entirely circumstantial.
“Actually, no, Chuck. I can tell you that the case is more than that. And I can’t go into the particulars, but there is more than circumstantial evidence now,” Schiff said.
When he was asked if he’s seen direct evidence of collusion, Schiff said, “I don’t want to go into specifics, but I will say that there is evidence that is not circumstantial, and it very much worthy of investigation. So, that is what we ought to do.”
I just hope that whenever he decides to do his big reveal, he does it on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC program, since she’s already conditioned her audience to cope with massive disappointment.
All of this begs the question, if he has nothing of substance connecting Trump to the Russians that he can tell us about, why does he keep going on TV and winding up the Democratic base?
I’m not a mind reader, so I can’t tell you for sure, but I do know that two very important, very political motivations play into what Schiff is doing.
First, Schiff entered Congress in January of 2001, after defeating Republican incumbent James Rogan in what was the most expensive House race ever at the time.
The 27th District, which included Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, had a long history as a Republican stronghold and Schiff became only the second Democrat to represent this district since its creation in 1913.
During that campaign, Schiff promised to govern as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat and quickly joined the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative Democrats after he won.
Since then, redistricting has forced Schiff into a very different, very liberal district. Schiff now represents California’s 28th District, which includes the Hollywood sign, West Hollywood, Los Feliz and Echo Park.
This means that Schiff faces potential electoral threats, not from Republicans, but from fellow Democrats running to his left.
This problem is particularly acute since local elected officials in West Hollywood and Los Angeles face voter-imposed term limits and are constantly looking for new offices to run for.
Schiff’s political survival requires him to establish street cred with his new liberal constituents, and a public feud with Trump helps him achieve this goal, even if he comes up with nothing.
It’s also no secret that Schiff has long had his sights on the U.S. Senate, but any individual congressmember represents less than 2 percent of the California electorate. To garner the type of statewide name identification he would need to win a Senate seat, he has to either raise a lot of money, or figure out a way to get on TV for free.
The Russia story serves this purpose for Schiff.
Whether he stays in the House or runs for the Senate, Schiff needs to push this narrative — for self preservation.
Conducting a fair investigation is undoubtedly a lesser priority.
John Phillips is a CNN political commentator and can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on “The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips” on KABC/AM 790.
