The end is near. At least, that’s what the prosecutors of Veep Sara Duterte are thinking.
After meandering through different theories, presenting multiple witnesses before the Senate impeachment court, and having strewn our screens with documents and experts (and boring us with arguments galore on obscure points of law), the prosecution has zeroed in on just one charge: that of Sara’s unexplained wealth.
The rest, it will drop. Goodbye to the mike-drop moments. No need to rehash the hash. All those fiery exchanges and rulings by the Senate presiding officer, useless. Ergo, we are left with no other conclusion than that the prosecution thinks it’s a slam dunk, and impeachment is a certainty.
Risky strategy, but in many, many ways, brilliant.
First, it focuses the attention of our cognitively-impaired brains on only one thing: the money. It’s the cash, stupid. All those obscene amounts that are wallowing in her bank accounts whilst we wallow in poverty. This strategy constrains us from looking elsewhere, and allows us time to ponder on the millions and billions that flowed through her fat fingers.
Second, it effectively impairs the ability of the defense to blow smokescreens and diversionary tactics in respect of the other charges. For all we know, they may already have lined up bombshells and exposés, just waiting to be triggered. Those might be enough to make us forget that this charge of unexplained wealth is valid. So that danger has been avoided.
Third, it wasted the time and resources of the defense building up their evidence against the other charges. It certainly wasted the time of the vice president, since she had to go to all those powwows trying to figure out how to answer the evidence and documents being presented. Now all those hours spent prepping witnesses and rehearsing talking points have been poured down the drain. And the billable hours? Expensed.
Fourth, it crams their ability to prep for this, the only charge left, into just a few short days. That’s assuming they didn’t use the time wisely and made preparations since the day one. Or even day zero, ever since her impeachment was stymied last year with the Supreme Court decision to block the original charges. A fair assumption, given their cringy performance so far.
And fifth, why give that enormous platform for the veep to grandstand away for the next few weeks, when they can squeeze her airtime into just that short period defending the money in her bank accounts (and her voracious purchases of Nike)? Less mileage for publicity, less opportunity for viral moments, less manipulation of the electoral base. Plus side benefit, more discussion of the moolah.
Yet, all these great points notwithstanding, the prosecution wouldn’t have made this decision were it not for their belief that the lone remaining charge is enough. That it was strong enough to convince a super-majority of the Senate that she is guilty. That they have presented enough evidence to warrant a conviction.
Oh, what am I talking about. I must be delusional.
In all probability, the real score is that the headcount has been done, and they are confident that they have the votes. Over the past few weeks, we have seen more Senators peel away from the minority block and slink towards the slim majority. The minority has been making their beds with the former enemies (well, former allies too), and wringing deals while certainly being wrung dry. Now that they are sleeping with the enemy, the faster that voting day arrives, the better.
Last count, we had 15 votes, which is the needed majority based on current self-interpretation, although we should await a sixteenth senator to jump ship to make sure the conviction is iron-clad. That way, the naysayers cannot bring their negativity to the Supreme Court.
So why waste time yammering away when the prosecution can just sit back, watch the defense flail away a few more days, and await the voting. The senators are busy people, you know. And there’s so much shopping to be done.
Hello, Christmas is fast approaching.