In debates: Pontius Pilate and a wine cave

What a week!

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, the House of Representatives voted along party lines to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

He is only the third president to be charged under the Constitution with high crimes and misdemeanors. A trial in the Senate is next.

On Thursday, Dec. 19, the sixth Democratic presidential debate leading up to the 2020 election was hosted by the PBS NewsHour and Politico magazine in Los Angeles.

Positions taken by the seven candidates showed that the gap between progressives and pragmatists seeking the party’s nomination is still wide.

So much for the big news from the two events. Let’s turn our attention to some notsobig news.

Impeachment debate

Two Republicans cited the New Testament.

Rep. Fred Keller of Pennsylvania said this of House Democrats:

“From the Gospel of Luke, the 23rd chapter, verse 34: And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”

Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia compared Trump to Jesus as he stood before Pontius Pilate.

“Before you take this historic vote today, one week before Christmas, I want you to keep this in mind,” said Loudermilk.

“When Jesus was falsely accused of treason, Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers. During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than the Democrats have afforded this president in this process.”

Loudermilk’s claim was rated false by PolitiFact, an arm of the Poynter Institute, a journalism training center and think tank.

Researcher Tom Kertscher wrote this at the end of his long report posted on PolitiFact.com:

“Biblical accounts cited to us by experts in law and religion say Jesus was questioned by the Roman governor, not given an opportunity by Pilate to face his accusers. Trump has yet to go on trial in the Senate. But before being impeached by the House, he was given the opportunity to present a defense.”

Democratic presidential debate

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., engaged in what Politico later called “the fight over billionaires in wine caves.”

Warren scolded Buttigieg for holding a private fundraiser in a lavish Napa Valley, Calif., wine cave.

According to news reports, the Hall Wines company’s subterranean storage space boasts a chandelier with 1,500 Swarovski crystals, an onyx banquet table and bottles of cabernet sauvignon that sell for as much as $900. (They are four times larger than regular bottles.)

Buttigieg struck back. “I’m literally the only person on this stage who is not a millionaire or a billionaire,” he said.

Positions taken by the seven candidates showed that the gap between progressives and pragmatists seeking the party’s nomination is still wide.