What will actually come of these proceedings? Ask Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who is retiring from the House after holding on to his seat for two decades. (His would-be successor lost to a Democrat.) For nearly half a decade, Issa, whom Trump has nominated to head the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, went after the IRS for its alleged targeting of conservative non-profit groups, held Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to admit that he had masterminded a narco-terrorist plot to arm the world’s most dangerous drug cartels, and insinuated that the murder of American diplomatic personnel in Benghazi, Libya, had been covered up by Hillary Clinton. It was exhausting, expensive, and pointless.

The same thing will be true of Post Office-gate, AT&T-gate, Acosta-gate, and any other gates bored Democrats decide to crash in the next two years. They will have the undivided attention of The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and even a few progressive outfits whose editorial staff should know better while Fox and National Review patiently — and hypocritically — explain their grasping insignificance. Yawn.

Don’t get me wrong. For Democrats whipping up outrage on behalf of the rights of the world’s wealthiest corporations and white-knighting for self-righteous journos is a brilliant strategy. It is also a nearly perfect expression of the party’s identity in 2018.