Thread by @HNIJohnMiller

1) What you're seeing play out now is a battle for tempo. By tempo, I mean the timing of the development of events.

https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1042852924794253313

2) With their control over the media, Democrats typically have the tempo advantage. They control when information and new details about stories break to cause maximum damage.

3) This has been prevalent and obvious over the past 2 years, their mastery of tempo to give a story maximum exposure. However, this strategy of controlling the tempo has been backfiring as corrections and opposing details have foiled the stories too quickly. IE, the #fudgerule

4) How the tempo of the stories was getting foiled is still a bit unclear, but there is a wider strategery behind it. Foil the stories before the Dems can use their tempo advantage to grow them into shitstorms, and you get rid of the shitstorms.

5) What's happening HERE, though, is that Grassley has actively taken the tempo AWAY from the Democrats.

It started off in their favor. Rumors of the letter surfaced in The Intercept, then a few days later the WaPo printed the full story.

6) Standard practice. Given a bit more time, the shitstorm would occur, and Kavanaugh MAY have been forced to step down.

But something different occurred.

7) First, the 65 signature letter, a godsend that probably bought Grassley the breathing room he needed to wrest back tempo. Then, Grassley's offensive.

First, he went to the possible flips, namely Flake and Co, and gave them a perfect fucking deal.

8) "Hedge all you need to, but back there being a new hearing on Monday. We'll hold off the vote, just back me on there being a hearing."

The Democrats of course crowed and bayed and bitched, as they typically do.

But the GOP stuck to the gameplan.

9) For the Flake crew, it was a win-win. They needed to appear to give Ford credence and the benefit of the doubt, without thumbing their noses at Kavanaugh. For Grassley's crew, they scored big in appearance, as they actively investigated the accusations while the Dems flaked.

10) So, what's happening NOW?

The Dems realized they lost control of the Tempo, and are trying to reseize it by having Ford's lawyer say, 'Ok, she can testify, but not MONDAY.'

11) This is a delaying tactic. If they get another few days, one of the journoperatives working with the Dems on the issue will have the time to sling out some more mud at Kavanaugh to disrupt things.

Grassley and Co have 2 options at this point.

12) The most likely option is they hold firm on Monday. Its been the date for a week, and Ford's lawyer. It allows them to keep control of the Tempo, and is the fastest way of getting Kavanaugh through the committee.

13) The second option, as I see it, is they attempt to hold a VERY public negotiation over the date. "We said monday, you say not monday. We can do tuesday or wednesday, but we need the Dems to ok that. Dems?"

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

"Alright that's out. We're not delaying any more"

14) They then hold the monday hearing anyways, and things proceed the same way.

15) One way or another, we're getting Kavanaugh.

Relax.

/end

ADDENDUM:

One final point.

Remember: Ford's lawyer and the Dems are working on cohesion here.

Their demand was no hearing without an FBI investigation.

THEY CAVED ON THAT DEMAND.

If they caved on THAT, what else will they cave on? Look at what happens after Trump gets someone to cave on one item. It becomes a fucking avalanche.

Someone taught Grassley the Art of the Deal.

/end