All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[SquirrelMan]

Republicans fall in line. Ask Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz. Tax cuts for the rich and screwing the poor are just too much of a priority for them to do anything else.
Romney has shown some integrity, but remember this was the man who said 47% of the country were "takers" who did not contribute anything.

You have to admit, though, that McConnell does not have his team under control as well as he used to.

[Kirby101]

You have to admit, though, that McConnell does not have his team under control as well as he used to.

That remains to be seen. I don't see the Trumper Senators going against anything McConnell wants to do during the Biden Administration. Certainly none of them will try to help Biden and the Dems do anything positive.

[ed2962]

That remains to be seen. I don't see the Trumper Senators going against anything McConnell wants to do during the Biden Administration. Certainly none of them will try to help Biden and the Dems do anything positive.

Exactly. It'll be 2008 all over again.

[kidfresh512]

The Republican Party is not crashing and burning. When it's over on January 20th and they get back to trying to wreck the country, every Republican will vote together. Romney and Murkawski will vote the same as Johnson and Hawley.

Exactly. The proof is in the pudding. When Mitch is bothered to actually have votes on anything they vote as expected. When was the last time the GOP had surprise defectors? McCain on Obamacare probably. Even thought they don't all love trump they went down the rabbit hole with him and the most you would get out of any of them the past 4 years is "disappointment" at even the worst of the trump transgressions.

I don't see any of them going out of their way to get anything positive done in a Biden Administration either. They wont go against Mitch and force him to bring the bills to the floor he will clearly block.

[ed2962]

Having said that, it was kinda funny to see Chuck Todd get a little snippy with Ron Johnson this morning regarding the election fraud stunt..." I've almost had enuff of this. You're like the arsonist who says, 'Gee look at this fire!' You know the election isn't going to be overturned, are you doing this just to gain favor?"

Of course Ron Johnson had to deflect by saying, "No the mainstream media started this fire. Why aren't you reporting on Hunter Thompson?"

[Jack Dracula]

My Call With Ron Johnson: He Knows Biden Won But Won’t Admit It: The Wisconsin senator says it would be “political suicide.” - December 2, 2020

My discussion with Senator Ron Johnson was one that I have hesitated openly discussing for three weeks. As a former chairman for the Brown County Republican Party, I have people I respect deeply who are still members of the party. There are many elected officials whom I consider friends and I do not want to give reason to think twice about any conversation we have. Additionally, I didn’t want my family to become a target, especially with my wife days from giving birth to our child. However, given what was discussed, and given the war that leaders of the GOP such as Senator Johnson are waging on the very foundations of our democracy, I could no longer stay silent.

The TL;DR of the call was this: Senator Johnson knows that Joe Biden won a free and fair election. He is refusing to admit it publicly and stoking conspiracies that undermine our democracy solely because it would be “political suicide” to oppose Trump. I find this unconscionable.

It seems like instead of blaming Ron Johnson for his decisions this person should be taking a long, thoughtful look at the ethical stance of the party, the sort of people he stands shoulder to shoulder with, and the eventual destination their policies would take our country. Especially given the part in bold. Having to worry about the safety of your pregnant wife because you say something out loud is sort of a huge red flag imo.

Just because she's not Bernie Sanders doesn't mean she's been doing nothing but drinking champagne and laughing at proles starving. Do you know what she's actually been doing all these years? She may not be a s o******t in name but it's not like her policies don't have common ground with leftists and protecting the poor and marginalised groups. They do stand for something rather than not being the GOP. Have you looked at the bills she cleared through the house which McConnel spiked? Don't blame her for McConnell's work.

I agree with this.

[Jack Dracula]

Watching MSNBC and a comment was made that it is not healthy for a Democracy to have only One Political party. I agree. If the Republican Party crashes and burns, something is gonna happen to balance things out.

I disagree. I think parties create disunity and opportunities for special interests to influence our government. The time and energy which should be devoted to making life better for our whole society is instead spent on political maneuvering. We've become locked in a struggle where one side undoes the accomplishments of the other and therefore practically nothing gets done for the actual people. I could go on, but you get the idea.

[Mister Mets]

And why is it always asked of Democrats to reach across. You never hear about the need for Republican Administrations to appoint Democrats. Not with Reagan or either Bush and especially not with Trump. And that is with two of them losing the popular vote. But the idea they had a "mandate" to rule as they wish was not challenged. But Clinton, Obama and now Biden, must heal a nation the GOP divided.

Reagan and Papa Bush had to work with a Democratic-controlled House.
Reagan appointed multiple Democrats, including UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick (previously a Hubert Humphrey campaign advisor), Japan Ambassador Mike Mansfield (former Democratic Senator majority leader/ Carter's Ambassador to Japan), Special Ambassador Richard Stone (former Florida Senator), Paul Volcker (renominated to be Chairman of the Federal Reserve), and Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos. George HW Bush's Democratic appointees included Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch (working with Cavazos).
George W Bush appointed multiple Democrats as well, including Democratic congressman Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation, Richard Carmona as Surgeon General, former Congressman Pete Geren as Secretary of the Army, former Congressman Tony Hall as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. The keynote speaker at the 2004 RNC was a Democratic Senator.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_...ss_party_lines

There are plenty of articles encouraging Republicans to support things Democrats like, such as amnesty for undocumented immigrants, drug decriminalization, increased spending on green energy, increased spending on public transportation, etc.

It is worth noting that the things Democrats want to do tend to require more spending and regulation. It's hard to pull off without some Republican members of Congress on board, to say nothing of the 26 Republican Governors.

[shooshoomanjoe]

Trump supporters gather in front of Marco Rubio’s West Miami home. ‘You work for us.’

I'm amused that republicans are turning on each other like ravenous rats.

[Malvolio]

Reagan and Papa Bush had to work with a Democratic-controlled House.
Reagan appointed multiple Democrats, including UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick (previously a Hubert Humphrey campaign advisor), Japan Ambassador Mike Mansfield (former Democratic Senator majority leader/ Carter's Ambassador to Japan), Special Ambassador Richard Stone (former Florida Senator), Paul Volcker (renominated to be Chairman of the Federal Reserve), and Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos. George HW Bush's Democratic appointees included Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch (working with Cavazos).
George W Bush appointed multiple Democrats as well, including Democratic congressman Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation, Richard Carmona as Surgeon General, former Congressman Pete Geren as Secretary of the Army, former Congressman Tony Hall as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. The keynote speaker at the 2004 RNC was a Democratic Senator.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_...ss_party_lines

There are plenty of articles encouraging Republicans to support things Democrats like, such as amnesty for undocumented immigrants, drug decriminalization, increased spending on green energy, increased spending on public transportation, etc.

It is worth noting that the things Democrats want to do tend to require more spending and regulation. It's hard to pull off without some Republican members of Congress on board, to say nothing of the 26 Republican Governors.

Interesting that you don't mention the name of that Democratic Senator who was the keynote speaker at the 2004 RNC. It Zell Miller, last of the Dixiecrats, otherwise known as Zig-Zag Zell.

[Tami]

‘I just want to find 11,780 votes’: In extraordinary hour-long call, Trump pressures Georgia secretary of state to recalculate the vote in his favor

President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that election experts said raised legal questions.

The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue his false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking “a big risk.”

Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office’s general counsel rejected Trump’s assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden’s 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

Trump dismissed their arguments.

“The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry,” he said. “And there’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you’ve recalculated.”

Raffensperger responded: “Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.”

At another point, Trump said: “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”

Note: I think the CBR has censored my link. For some reason 'georgia' has been censored. Weird.

[Malvolio]

I think Trump would love it if the election had become like this film:



There's not much Trump enjoys more than schmoozing.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

‘I just want to find 11,780 votes’: In extraordinary hour-long call, Trump pressures Georgia secretary of state to recalculate the vote in his favor

You could FEEL the desperation in that conversation Trump had, because he knows what’s waiting for him in New York after he leaves office (or is removed from same) on the 20th.

[Kirby101]

This is a crime, a serious one. It will be interesting to see if he is above the law.
Just kidding, of course they will let him get away with it.

[kidfresh512]

I hope it emboldens Georgia voters to get out there and get Ossof and Warnock in. This is nuts. Its indefensible but Im sure they will try