Breaking News: Mike Pence called on Republicans to stop attacking the nation’s top law enforcement agencies over the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s home. Pence also said he would consider talking to the Jan. 6 committee if he were “summoned to testify." https://t.co/a4Xc4DlIgE
the border thing, the "wall", must be a big selling point for voters they want, because they just keep hammering on it as if Biden's not doing a way better job of what they want than Trump EVEN THOUGH HE IS. It's truly wack in the Trumpian Orwell sense - war is peace, freedom is slavery etc.
More from Ron; he's on a roll as there's lots of material for him :
Eric: “Last night, my father killed another political dynasty, and that’s the Cheneys. He first killed the Bushes, then he killed the Clintons.” pic.twitter.com/3hB7sUykCz
Bannon isn’t happy about Pence today denouncing MAGA who want to defund the FBI: “Pence, you’re a disgusting coward! Just even the sight of you bugs me. Notice that didn’t get big applause either .. but go ask Mother.” pic.twitter.com/GoC7Eyqwvv
also follows this simplistic warped interpretation to put Cheney there, especially given her father's legacy and reputation! There is a strong anti-Pentagon angle to Trumpism and that does go with anti-big-wars, a policy that Trump himself usually takes.
Republicans talked themselves into the corner where there’s a zero-sum choice between choosing sane, competent leaders who back insanely unpopular entitlement cuts (Romney, Ryan) and choosing clowns (Trump) because their personal belief is that only a clown wouldn’t cut Medicare.
Long story short, I think conservatives convincing themselves that Romney’s problems were his personal characteristics rather than the issue-positions he took is their version of leftist cope about mobilization.
Romney won an election *in Massachusetts* he’s a very likable guy!
The issue with his 2012 campaign is he didn’t run as Mitt Romney rich and successful businessman who served as the moderate governor of Massachusetts, he ran as a “severely conservative” rich and successful businessman who proposed a radical rollback of popular programs.
and my two cents is that in a national race, a Republican pandering to the "severely conservative" like that is the same thing as a Democrat pandering to lefty Woke. That's not to say either can't work, just that it's highly unlikely.
A study finds that between 1972 and 2017, Democrats became more liberal on 16 different policy issues. In the same time period, Republicans grew more liberal on 7 of those 16 issues. https://t.co/QYTsqmgwPu
On some issues, Republicans stayed sort of in the same place. On no issues did Democrats or Republicans grow more conservative in this time period. pic.twitter.com/DAshr7OUx4
It makes the case that at least during the recent period, politics in US has shifted leftward in both parties. Of course this might be different if we were looking at difference in politics between 1940s and 1980s rather than 1970s to 2010s.
On some issues, Republicans stayed sort of in the same place. On no issues did Democrats or Republicans grow more conservative in this time period.
I'd have to see a much deeper analysis to accept this. I've seen numerous articles with data that claims that while the dems have moved a bit left the republicans have moved much farther right in the same period.
I see a lot more Republicans denying reality. I see a lot more Republicans flipping 180 on their "core beliefs". From that, I'm not sure I care so much about their specific policy positions - if someone tells them different tomorrow, they may just go along and switch. Insurrection, Russia, FBI law enforcement, fiscal responsibility - all just temporary positions of convenience.
More specifically, 62% of Democratic college students and 28% of Republican students say they wouldn't room with someone who votes differently from them.
32% of independent students say the same, but Democrats are the only ones with a majority.
McConnell with some shade for JD Vance, Dr Oz, Hershel Walker, and Blake Masters in explaining why Republicans may not retake the Senate: “Senate races are just different, they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome." https://t.co/VgLNscet68
this really strikes me that THE TRUMPIE NARRATIVE is loony (like a lot of Woke ones)
Leah has lived as a rino and she will go down in history as a rino! She and Mitt Romney have secured their place in history. They have no one to congratulate or blame but themselves!! https://t.co/xqrJbnZE14
Given that Cheney voted Trump's wishes like 95% of the time.PLUS Trump's talk, especially during the primary, was to the left of conservatives like Cheney. It's true that Romney is more moderate on some things, but not Cheney. It's all strings and mirrors hung off delusions.
Now someone like Rand Paul, he's someone you could label a "RINO", simply because he's basically a pretty extreme Libertarian.
I wanted to post elwhere that Gail Collins wrote about the Mitt dog-on-roof vacation about 60 times, wondering why US politics is so bizarre and unserious - part has to do with jokers in media.
A judge has declared the Ron DeSantis-backed Florida law that restricts race-based conversation and analysis in business and education unconstitutional.
Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said the 'Stop WOKE' act violates the First Amendment and is impermissibly vague.
Starting in PA, where women have accounted for >56% of new registrants in that time period. Those women new registrants are 62%D to 15% R and 54% are under the age of 25. Compare that to men new registrants at 41% <25 and 43% D, 28% R.
Excellent reporting (with quiet help , I suspect, from Team Mitch!) on the failures of Rick Scott's NRSC.
"The NRSC [has raised] $173m...[It] has burned through nearly all of it...spending just $23m on ads...[It] spent at least $13m on consultants."https://t.co/A64MxorD3R
Good to see Team McConnell (on background!) blaming NRSC chair Rick Scott for failures in Senate races, to see McCarthy-world (on background!) undermining possible rivals, to see Stefanik (on background!) attacking others as she seeks to move up, etc.
Rick Scott has gotten amazingly far in politics for a guy who perpetrated the largest Medicare fraud in history but I’m not sure why you’d put the guy who perpetrated the largest Medicare fraud in history in charge of a large sum of money. https://t.co/zkVppMGcx7
Dems are known to do it too, though GOP does it a lot more simply because more rich dilettantes are involved who have no concept of budgeting money, just throw it all around
Republican leaders keep wishcasting around for some way to have Trump and Trump-like clowns not be the face of the party that doesn’t involve directly criticizing Trump and it keeps not working. https://t.co/rN4YYyU0UC
more from Cheri Jacobus#NeverTrump, former GOP, Exec Producer "America Reads The Mueller Report", Cancer survivor!
Thread: Mitch McConnell is upset and "confused" as to why MAGA Senate candidates suck so terribly and Dems have a great shot at holding the Senate. But here's why. He no longer chooses the candidates. Trump does. MAGA does. GOP is dead. In it's place is the MAGA fascist party.1/9
Remember, in 2016 the Establishment GOP did NOT back Trump in the primary. The Washington and state capitol elected officials and party leaders around the country were aghast, appalled, and disgusted by him. But they all fell in line after he was nominated. 2/9
The evolution of MAGA gives us these scary, stupid, lying, un-American Trump/DeSantis Senate candidates and puts them on display -- and they scare the hell out of sane Americans, including many Republicans who've been told by FOX that MAGA is normal and great. It's not. 3/9
Formerly seemingly normal and sane incumbents have gone full fascist MAGA and it's not working out for them since they need more than just fascist, violent, crazy, uneducated Trump voters.
McConnell didn't create this Frankenstein, but he sure did feed it and helped grow it. 4/9
Generic congressional ballot is tied for the first time this year, giving Dems a slight edge. Generic congressional numbers don't ensure a congressional majority, but it sure does provide an ounce or two of rocket fuel to House Democratic candidates in tight, winnable races. 5/9
For Dems to have moved generic numbers in traditionally quiet summertime shows the J6 committee hearings matter, Trump under investigation for violations of the Espionage Act and other crimes, and GOP/FOX News support for him despite this, causes McConnell a world of hurt. 6/9
The J6 Committee hearings start back up again after Labor Day, a time when Americans start paying much closer attention to politics in an election year. That Democrats are doing unexpectedly well despite President Biden's low poll numbers is a positive and encouraging sign. 7/9
The Biden White House is standing back for now, racking up impressive legislative, executive and international accomplishments while Trump and his MAGA GOP allies step on landmines they planted for themselves for 6 years, thinking they were tossing rose petals in their path. 8/9
I fully expect that come September and October, we'll be seeing a robust effort to properly showcase President Biden as the grownup he is (age, wisdom and experience are needed and welcome assets at this time) in contrast to Trump burning everything to the ground. 9/9
~fin~
The Brian Kemp-Liz Cheney contrast is illuminating but so is the Mitt Romney-Liz Cheney one. Although Romney offered many of same criticisms of Trump, hasn’t really campaigned against the GOP writ large, hasn’t berated own voters, and very active on governing and legislating.
I agree, and Romney has special assets in Utah. although I still believe that if a lawmaker is seen as responsive to constituents they’ll do much better in a democracy than someone seen as an opposition media figure.
Prediction markets not really buying the "actually, the FBI allegedly finding extremely sensitive national security documents at Mar-a-Lago is good for Trump!" narrative.https://t.co/63I3bxw2DXpic.twitter.com/GBcn4vGLSg
Mainstream Republicans once laughed at Mark Finchem. Now the 2020 election denier and his Trumpist allies are close to taking power.
By Hank Stephenson, a journalist in Phoenix and co-founder of the Arizona Agenda, a newsletter about Arizona politics and government
For Politico Magazine, Aug. 18
[....] “Never in a million years” would Paul Boyer, a fellow GOP state legislator, have imagined that Finchem would crush a field of qualified candidates and win a nomination to statewide office.
“Mark is known as the guy that’s probably the dumbest — well, there’s a long list, but one of the dumbest — legislators in the state House,” he says. (Finchem’s retort: Boyer is an “utter disgrace.”)
But Finchem’s rise makes sense in light of the broader shift within the Arizona Republican Party. Trump’s slate of political insurgents swept the GOP nomination for every state office in which he offered his blessing, from the U.S. Senate down to state Senate races.
After decades of civil war, the Arizona primaries mark a decisive swing in the state GOP’s balance of power. The center-right, pro-business wing of the party led by the late Sen. John McCain and Gov. Doug Ducey has been defeated, at least for now. Finchem and other far-right outsiders — the original tea party activists and the new Trumpist hard-liners — have taken over.
“We drove a stake through the heart of the McCain machine,” Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake bragged, while making a stabbing motion, at a CPAC event following the primary. “We threw together a rag-tag team of nonpolitical people to run the most exciting campaign in the country. And we won.” [.....]
If the GOP retakes Congress this year, that will be in large part because of the tireless efforts of @ScottPresler. He has more passion, drive and work ethic than anybody in the conservative movement. The GOP would be wise to make him the party chairman. (He’s also a giant). pic.twitter.com/LaqzQh2R7C
Sen. Mitch McConnell correctly noted today that there's "very little election fraud" in the United States, a fact that perhaps would've been useful to publicly and forcefully articulate, say, between Nov. 4, 2020 and Jan. 6, 2021.
he doesn't do politics but one shouldn't underestimate this guy's influence:
WATCH: @stoolpresidente says he needs to “get the hell out of New York” and move to Florida so that the Government can’t steal all of his money pic.twitter.com/47h5uTujSS
Washington establishment Republicans may feel Ron Desantis is “Trump without the craziness”, but the party still belongs to Donald Trump. 35% of the Republican base will vote for him no matter what. Sound on to hear @TheRickWilson talk about it on @KatiePhangShow. pic.twitter.com/5xGZpXXuoF
That's a really good article! Realistic analysis! I especially liked the comments of Matt Bennett of Third Way and also got a lot out of going to the embedded link of Riedl's thread on Twitter. One thing of several that stands out to me is the thing about IRS buildup, that will eventually resound, but it will take time as the (inevitable as all law enforcement has bad apples) reported cases of abuse by IRS agents won't start happening for years
"There are lots of Republican and Republican-leaning voters out there who care about keeping abortion legal, who don’t favor extreme bans, and the Republican Party can’t build a majority coalition in most states without them." https://t.co/RbyUt6JyX6
Donald Trump's Republican supporters did not hesitate to denounce the FBI's search of his Florida residence this month. But with the release of a redacted affidavit detailing the justification for the search, Trump's allies were largely silent. https://t.co/m4jk4ANevo
(I'm going to take things out of order in this thread because it's early and I don't feel like booting up the computer just to discuss these chucklefucks.)
Grassley struggling with pandering to Trumpism, according to his opponent:
FIRST, he tells FOX News the IRS will shoot Iowans.
THEN, he backtracks on local TV.
NEXT, he sends an e-mail "sounding the alarm."
AFTER THAT, he reverts to D.C. doublespeak.
It’s quite possible, even likely, that Dobbs is a bigger threat to Trump’s 2024 chances than either 1/6 or any of the investigations into him https://t.co/1drpbJzZEI
@maryrziegler: “What’s striking about this post-Roe push is the speed with which even moderate anti-abortion actors have embraced a punitive interpretation of fetal personhood, despite clear political headwinds.” https://t.co/rqJGZXiwsE
NEW: How the NRSC raised a record $181.5 million entering August — yet spent 95% of it.
My deep dive on Rick Scott’s big bet on digital gone bad w/ internal docs, new $$$ ties revealed and a texting scheme so deceptive that WinRed cracked down.
58% of respondents — including one in four Republicans — believe Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement is threatening America's democratic foundations.
A majority of likely voters said Republicans have not made a strong enough case to earn their support in the November midterm elections, according to new survey results.https://t.co/GCoQcfVKha
"Fox abandoned Graham’s nationwide abortion ban because it wants to help the GOP win the midterms"
This is a really interesting point from @MattGertz — Fox News is obviously quite right-wing but when something happens (like Graham's abortion bill or Rick Scott's social security cuts) that's politically inconvenient for the GOP, they don't hype it up. https://t.co/274GcRFLY7
I DID notice that Biden jumped right on the 'third rail' thing, trying to brand them with it:
President Biden slams Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI): "You paid for your Social Security. Every single paycheck from the time you were a kid ... Then along comes Ron Johnson from Wisconsin ... He wants to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every single year." pic.twitter.com/Fg9C0m7wMW
Comments
more of the same nonsense AS HERE -
the border thing, the "wall", must be a big selling point for voters they want, because they just keep hammering on it as if Biden's not doing a way better job of what they want than Trump EVEN THOUGH HE IS. It's truly wack in the Trumpian Orwell sense - war is peace, freedom is slavery etc.
by artappraiser on Wed, 08/17/2022 - 5:52pm
by artappraiser on Wed, 08/17/2022 - 8:26pm
More from Ron; he's on a roll as there's lots of material for him :
by artappraiser on Wed, 08/17/2022 - 8:32pm
Crenshaw is a "deep state puppet" according to Trumpists:
also follows this simplistic warped interpretation to put Cheney there, especially given her father's legacy and reputation! There is a strong anti-Pentagon angle to Trumpism and that does go with anti-big-wars, a policy that Trump himself usually takes.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 7:19am
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 11:14am
Yglesias added more:
and my two cents is that in a national race, a Republican pandering to the "severely conservative" like that is the same thing as a Democrat pandering to lefty Woke. That's not to say either can't work, just that it's highly unlikely.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 11:29am
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 11:44am
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 11:58am
On some issues, Republicans stayed sort of in the same place. On no issues did Democrats or Republicans grow more conservative in this time period.
I'd have to see a much deeper analysis to accept this. I've seen numerous articles with data that claims that while the dems have moved a bit left the republicans have moved much farther right in the same period.
by ocean-kat on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 9:02pm
I think that might be why he tweeted it.
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:12am
I see a lot more Republicans denying reality. I see a lot more Republicans flipping 180 on their "core beliefs". From that, I'm not sure I care so much about their specific policy positions - if someone tells them different tomorrow, they may just go along and switch. Insurrection, Russia, FBI law enforcement, fiscal responsibility - all just temporary positions of convenience.
by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 4:00am
another one that upends conventional 'wisdom'
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 8:00pm
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:12am
this really strikes me that THE TRUMPIE NARRATIVE is loony (like a lot of Woke ones)
Given that Cheney voted Trump's wishes like 95% of the time.PLUS Trump's talk, especially during the primary, was to the left of conservatives like Cheney. It's true that Romney is more moderate on some things, but not Cheney. It's all strings and mirrors hung off delusions.
Now someone like Rand Paul, he's someone you could label a "RINO", simply because he's basically a pretty extreme Libertarian.
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 2:58am
I wanted to post elwhere that Gail Collins wrote about the Mitt dog-on-roof vacation about 60 times, wondering why US politics is so bizarre and unserious - part has to do with jokers in media.
by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 4:08am
Where's the GOP headed? Lookimg like nowhere if Trump is in charge!
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 1:37pm
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 3:00pm
by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 3:25pm
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 5:51pm
Bill Kristol on the NRSC
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 9:57pm
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 10:34pm
one example of how the grift is done:
Dems are known to do it too, though GOP does it a lot more simply because more rich dilettantes are involved who have no concept of budgeting money, just throw it all around
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/20/2022 - 1:48pm
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/19/2022 - 10:49pm
Yglesias & Chait just saying it like it is:
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/20/2022 - 1:24pm
more from Cheri Jacobus #NeverTrump, former GOP, Exec Producer "America Reads The Mueller Report", Cancer survivor!
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/20/2022 - 1:34pm
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/20/2022 - 4:02pm
dupe replaced with Nate Silver tweet
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/20/2022 - 4:09pm
LETTER FROM ARIZONA: ‘Never in a Million Years’: Arizona Republicans Grapple with the Rising Fringe
Mainstream Republicans once laughed at Mark Finchem. Now the 2020 election denier and his Trumpist allies are close to taking power.
By Hank Stephenson, a journalist in Phoenix and co-founder of the Arizona Agenda, a newsletter about Arizona politics and government
For Politico Magazine, Aug. 18
by artappraiser on Sun, 08/21/2022 - 12:47am
by artappraiser on Sun, 08/21/2022 - 4:06pm
two names to know:
by artappraiser on Sun, 08/21/2022 - 5:37pm
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/22/2022 - 7:28pm
he doesn't do politics but one shouldn't underestimate this guy's influence:
by artappraiser on Tue, 08/23/2022 - 1:11am
The Lincoln Project:
by artappraiser on Tue, 08/23/2022 - 1:19am
GOP distracted by Trump
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/22/conservative-grassroots-biden-t...
by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 08/23/2022 - 7:41am
That's a really good article! Realistic analysis! I especially liked the comments of Matt Bennett of Third Way and also got a lot out of going to the embedded link of Riedl's thread on Twitter. One thing of several that stands out to me is the thing about IRS buildup, that will eventually resound, but it will take time as the (inevitable as all law enforcement has bad apples) reported cases of abuse by IRS agents won't start happening for years
by artappraiser on Tue, 08/23/2022 - 11:10am
p.s. DeSantis focusing on culture wars to get ahead nationally (mostly cynically, I suspect) is like "one step forward, two steps back" in context?
by artappraiser on Tue, 08/23/2022 - 11:15am
Believe it or not, he's still going there -
by artappraiser on Tue, 08/23/2022 - 12:44pm
by artappraiser on Tue, 08/23/2022 - 1:17pm
by artappraiser on Wed, 08/24/2022 - 11:51pm
trying the olde flip flopping for the general election:
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 10:36pm
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/27/2022 - 2:28pm
^ when Rove says the party's over, it's really over?
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/27/2022 - 2:30pm
Clownshoes chucklefucks the novel
(it's no surprise few ppl read fiction anymore)
by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 08/27/2022 - 2:40pm
Grassley struggling with pandering to Trumpism, according to his opponent:
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/27/2022 - 3:53pm
by artappraiser on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 9:20am
by artappraiser on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 9:21am
by artappraiser on Sat, 09/03/2022 - 10:39pm
by artappraiser on Sat, 09/03/2022 - 10:42pm
Biden 5 hours ago:
by artappraiser on Tue, 09/06/2022 - 5:05pm
by artappraiser on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 3:46pm
by artappraiser on Sat, 09/10/2022 - 11:18pm
Newsmax:
by artappraiser on Wed, 09/14/2022 - 12:08pm
"Fox abandoned Graham’s nationwide abortion ban because it wants to help the GOP win the midterms"
I DID notice that Biden jumped right on the 'third rail' thing, trying to brand them with it:
by artappraiser on Wed, 09/14/2022 - 12:55pm