All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Kirby101]

It's 70%. GOP membership is at its lowest point of percentage of the population in decades. And independents are breaking for Democratic support, and Trump opposition.

Yes, but I also consider Trump's approval ratings.

[babyblob]

The thing that makes me upset as a Republican is that the gop cant see or refuse to believe that they are hurting the party they claim to love by backing Trump. The party cant be fixed while Trump and Mitch are major players. I get wanting to back your president and show support for your party but this has gone too far. It is really making me question if I will even be a Republican any more. The only problem is I disagree with many of the Democratic candidates on a lot of things. I dont know what to do.

[worstblogever]

Back from recess... Jim Jordan just made things very partisan (even by these standards) and started sniping at Chairman Schiff after Schiff let him go past his time to ask a question...

AND THEN JORDAN NEVER ASKED A QUESTION. AND THEN STARTED IN WITH A PETTY INSULT TO GROANS FROM THE GALLERY.

Like... what a s***show. The GOP have nothing. NOTHING.

[BeastieRunner]

Summary of the day:

Adam Schiff is f***ing baller in how he wields that gavel, and uses the rules established to reign in the moonbats.
Danny Heck just brought up Trump slandering the ambassador, and recalled that Trump has previously besmirched John McCain and the Khan family, people who nobly served the nation, even after their deaths right before a recess. Powerful stuff.
GOP attorney Steve Castor is really, really bad at this. He's asked questions that have only led to the ambassador's credibility, and insinuated how much corruption there is.
Jim Jordan has been quiet today, and the GOP Reps have not ceded their time to him by default as on Day One. Instead, they're ceding time to Elaine Stafanik, who's been trying to use her time to smear Adam Schiff and out the whistleblower. Stefanik asking questions of the ambassador does appear a smarter strategy than having Jordan doing it, because it would look sexist as hell if he badgered her.

Democrats remain mostly calm, and respectful of the process, with a few moments where people like Eric Swalwell rebut conspiracy theories. The GOP, as a whole, are agitated and grasping at straws.

One side has a winning hand. The other side knows it's gonna lose, and are freaking out as it all comes unraveled and they can't stop it.

Spoke too soon about Jerkass Jordan.

I'm pretty much of the opinion that when you declare yourself a Republican, you are saying, "I'm an *******! Vote for me!"

[worstblogever]

Spoke too soon about Jerkass Jordan.

I'm pretty much of the opinion that when you declare yourself a Republican, you are saying, "I'm an *******! Vote for me!"

I'm honestly surprised Trump hasn't started playing Denis Leary's "***hole" song at his rallies to just own it.

[Kirby101]

The thing that makes me upset as a Republican is that the gop cant see or refuse to believe that they are hurting the party they claim to love by backing Trump. The party cant be fixed while Trump and Mitch are major players. I get wanting to back your president and show support for your party but this has gone too far. It is really making me question if I will even be a Republican any more. The only problem is I disagree with many of the Democratic candidates on a lot of things. I dont know what to do.

Not sure how long you have been a Republican. But the Party IS now Trump and McConnell. Their main interest is power, not the country and they will not turn on them. Time for you to be an independent I would think.

[worstblogever]

Holy f***. Schiff just hits the gavel to close out the open hearing and Yovanovitch gets a spontaneous standing ovation from Democrats and the gallery as a GOP rep bellyaches about not getting to respond to Schiff's closing statement after the hearing is adjourned.

Two hearings over the past three days, and the witnesses are being heralded as heroes.

GOING GREAT FOR YOU, PARTY OF TRUMP.

[Mecegirl]

Holy f***. Schiff just hits the gavel to close out the open hearing and Yovanovitch gets a spontaneous standing ovation from Democrats and the gallery as a GOP rep bellyaches about not getting to respond to Schiff's closing statement after the hearing is adjourned.

Two hearings over the past three days, and the witnesses are being heralded as heroes.

GOING GREAT FOR YOU, PARTY OF TRUMP.

That was so great. He's just ignoring their mess. But you know they will just complain some more about "process" even though they technically they got more time today.

[Kirby101]

It's a batter complaining about the umps, when everyone saw it was a strike.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The thing that makes me upset as a Republican is that the gop cant see or refuse to believe that they are hurting the party they claim to love by backing Trump. The party cant be fixed while Trump and Mitch are major players. I get wanting to back your president and show support for your party but this has gone too far. It is really making me question if I will even be a Republican any more. The only problem is I disagree with many of the Democratic candidates on a lot of things. I dont know what to do.

I can understand your frustration as it feels like your party betrayed you and abandoned you in favor of the crazies and mouth foaming lunatics who’ve thrown in with Trump and Moscow Mitch. As for what to do next, I can only suggest you follow your heart and decide what you feel is right, and that includes going the independent route.

[Gray Lensman]

I'm honestly surprised Trump hasn't started playing Denis Leary's "***hole" song at his rallies to just own it.

That takes me back, when I worked as a quality inspector at my previous job that was our unofficial theme song. Three of us on the off shift even did the Monkees walk down the center walkway between the machines singing that. Fun times.

[babyblob]

I can understand your frustration as it feels like your party betrayed you and abandoned you in favor of the crazies and mouth foaming lunatics who’ve thrown in with Trump and Moscow Mitch. As for what to do next, I can only suggest you follow your heart and decide what you feel is right, and that includes going the independent route.

The Independent way is the way I am really thinking of going. I will vote Republican with a few candidates that I feel I can support. And I will vote Democrat after reaching them and making sure they are not too far left. I have been giving it a lot of thought the last few months and have to go the independent route. Most Republicans are just too far gone.

[BeastieRunner]

The Independent way is the way I am really thinking of going. I will vote Republican with a few candidates that I feel I can support. And I will vote Democrat after reaching them and making sure they are not too far left. I have been giving it a lot of thought the last few months and have to go the independent route. Most Republicans are just too far gone.

As a recovering conservative of 15 years, I hope you will be as happy as I have been since I left.

[Gray Lensman]

The thing that makes me upset as a Republican is that the gop cant see or refuse to believe that they are hurting the party they claim to love by backing Trump. The party cant be fixed while Trump and Mitch are major players. I get wanting to back your president and show support for your party but this has gone too far. It is really making me question if I will even be a Republican any more. The only problem is I disagree with many of the Democratic candidates on a lot of things. I dont know what to do.

I was a Northeastern Republican myself until after Trump got elected and I saw the party line up behind him. Granted, I was losing faith with them for years previous, but it was easier to stay Republican when I still lived in an area with pretty corrupt Democrats in charge of a lot of stuff ( like Sheldon Silver holding up disaster aid for spite ) and Republicans who were able to keep their bad sides under wraps. Of course, I moved away, the masks slipped off a lot of the conservatives I used to vote for, and so done who makes Woodrow Wilson look racially progressive is in the White House, and I am registered as something else now.

[Mister Mets]

Julián Castro doubles down on criticism of Iowa's early state role



He's right.

It's a fair point, but what's the right way to determine which state goes first?

There are some suggestions for a national primary all on the same day, but that's going to favor the initial frontrunners and wouldn't have the potential winnowing effect as we get down to a handful of finalists.