AMEN!!!!

Yes yes yes.

I agree. Also want to add that if we want to keep our democracy everyone of voting age should vote. The average is around 40% who did not vote for the last two presidential elections. Too bad about the wild card electoral college.

thank you. When reading complaints about pre-empting a frikking tv show in lieu of news of international importance, it makes me somewhat sad but mostly it makes me realize how this loser got elected (not by the popular vote, I must remind) in the first place.

I certainly agree with the sentiment that the proceedings should be broadcast and available to the public and that in the long run, the impeachment trial is much more important than any television entertainment. That said, the impeachment proceedings have been going on well into the night, and I don’t think NBC, CBS, or ABC has been pre-empting prime time programming to show them live during those time periods. So I’m certainly sympathetic to the argument that the soaps didn’t need to be pre-empted either; if it’s important enough to pre-empt programming, that doesn’t change magically at 7 pm. I think the question isn’t “Should the soaps have been pre-empted?” but “What wasn’t ALL network programming pre-empted whenever the trial was in session?”

As for watching or not watching: no, I didn’t, and it isn’t because I don’t care about the future of the country or the (theoretical) importance of what’s going on. It was clear from the beginning–at least to me–that no witnesses were going to be called (not to mention that several senators were foolish enough to declare which way they were going to vote before the trial had even started–I mean, OK, your mind is already made up, probably the majority of senators had made up theirs too, so in that sense it’s just honesty, but to say that out loud? Yikes!), which in turn made it crystal clear to me that I wasn’t going to be able to “draw [my] own conclusions,” at least not any meaningful ones, and I wasn’t going to get any information beyond what’s already out there in the public domain through the endless news coverage over the last couple of months.

I do agree that people should care, at least in theory. But when those in charge behave so irresponsibly as to make a mockery of the process, I’m not going to waste my time on watching the debacle. The fix was in from the beginning–in both the House and the Senate. There wasn’t a chance in Hades that the House would not impeach. Ever. And there wasn’t a chance in Hades that the Senate would convict. Ever. We can’t do anything anymore in this country–not even something as significant as impeach and try a president–without partisan bias taking center stage. If anything should be making people mad, it’s THAT. And THAT is what keeps me up at night worrying about the fate of our democracy, much more than the behavior of the President or this impeachment trial. I find that behavior disturbing, and I have lots of questions, but I never for a minute–not from the start, back when the word “impeachment” was first spoken–believed that I was going to get any useful information from the impeachment process about what that behavior was, how far it went, how significant it really was, etc. And both the House and the Senate have proved me right (the latter having done so more blatantly, thus angering me more, but I’m under no illusion that what went on in the House was totally untainted by partisan maneuvering, either).

So when the networks are pre-empting the soaps (and other programming) to cover serious discussions about how we’re going to mend this rift among the populace and move forward in this country without splintering further, count me in; if they’re truly serious discussions, I will so totally watch. But this impeachment trial fiasco? No thank you. I’m grateful it was there and available to me if I wanted to watch it (I do agree that one network covering it each day might have been sufficient, although I’m wondering if there are still areas of the country that have access to only one television station, in which case, no, it wouldn’t have), and I’m glad to see that a fair number of people on here felt differently from me, thought it was worth their time, and did take advantage of the opportunity, but: no. And I don’t feel the slightest bit unpatriotic or lacking in civic responsibility for not bothering.

Millions don’t have, can’t afford, or just don’t want Cable or internet. Their choice. And it IS the responsibility of the broadcast networks to bring this crucial time in history to those people. END OF!

What frightens me is encouraging people to vote who obviously do not understand a Democratic Republic or the Constitution. If you lose the Electoral College, you lose the Republic.

Well said Timmm but it is going to be ok I think most Americans are worn out they just as my family does want you to get out of our way !! We are not fools we have and always will take the bull by the horns as my daddy god bless him use to say and let’s get going !