House Speaker Nancy Pelosi must be feeling pretty cheery at this moment. I mean literally as I write this. Her House Democrats took a beating at the polls in November. That would have been in the news cycle for a while, but then Donald Trump gave her a belated Christmas present last Wednesday, a gift that just keeps on giving. On the floor of the House Wednesday morning, it’s giving a lot.

So much so that she feels invulnerable. That’s the only rationale behind her naming Rep. Eric Swalwell of California as a House impeachment manager.

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Swalwell is damaged goods. His likely affair with a Chinese spy makes him more of a laughing stock on the Hill than he was before, which is a difficult task. Swalwell is known on both sides of the aisle for his airhead posturing, failed presidential campaign, and severe digestive issues. Democrats make fun of him more than Republicans do. He is not taken seriously by anyone with any influence on Capitol Hill, including Pelosi. And that’s why she put him on the team.

His reputation is so low that she is buying his eternal loyalty at rock bottom prices. Not just the usual backbencher to Speaker thing. But a whole other level of subservience. We’re talking liege man of limb here. He does whatever she wants whenever she wants it. Such is what he will pay because of this small morsel tossed his way.

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She thinks she can do this, and much else she wouldn’t gamble in another political environment, because Trump has temporarily put the GOP out of action on any subject regarding him. Pelosi can run amok because there is no effective price to be paid for doing it. Oh sure, Republicans largely won’t vote for impeachment.

But read their statements on it. It’s all about “healing” and such. Not a word defending Trump or his recent actions. They want the assault on the Capitol and Trump to go away and are willing to rhetorically lay down for impeachment as long as its done quick and clean on the Capitol attack. Pelosi has obliged them and made Swalwell one of the stars of the show.