Merely "flailing", nothing to see here
I use "Flailing" to describe fight scenes in movies that have no real bearing on anything but the effects budget. The Bad Guy will NOT be stopped, the Good Guy will NOT be killed, since the movie isn't over yet. You know the fight is just a noisy dance scene, so you don't feel suspense or worry. They may as well be sparring at the gym. Maybe an unimportant minor character will die off, but nothing really changes.
The hearings, the replies, it's all just flailing to give the appearance that something is happening. The Bad Guy will NOT be reined in and fined into oblivion, the Good Gals/Guys will NOT be protected from unrestrained surveillance and the sale of our personal lives.
Call me when... IF something actually happens.