Partisan politics on full display during impeachment hearing

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The six hours of impeachment debate pre-empted television programming across the country Wednesday.

Throughout the day, both Democrats and Republicans repeated the same points over and over again. Political analysts say that’s only expected to continue.

“The president used the power of his public office to obtain an improper personal political benefit at the expense of America's national security,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi kicked off the debate, summing up the argument to impeach President Donald Trump.

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Republican Doug Collins of Georgia quickly fired back, calling a political rush job. “To the clock and calendar, facts don't matter. The promises to the base matter, and today is a promise kept for the majority,” Collins said.

The speeches continued for hours, Democrats and Republicans each taking a minute or two to state their case. Very rarely did either party directly respond to each other.

“You are not going to convince the person next to you. They are not your audience,” said Thad Kousser, UC San Diego Political Analyst.

Kousser says the way this is set up is purely for show. Different representatives are trying to reach their constituents, who may not be watching live. The clips of them either deriding or defending President Trump could serve them well come election season.

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“So it is, get your press release out, get your talking points out, put them on video,” Kousser said.

Kousser says nobody expects the Senate to convict President Trump and that American voters will ultimately judge the President and, by association, the impeachment.