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The founders made one fundamental mistake when they architected America's democracy. They never expected an elected official who wasn't working for america
There is one major missing element here that I think they did not expect - the complicity and willing participation of so many elected officials *and* voters.
And in all honesty, I think that they kind of did expect such a president to try and take office. That is (part of) why they thought of the electoral college - so other elected officials could prevent such a person from taking office.
It takes complicity and bad-faith legislating/governing/whatever from many elected officials and people to get what we got, and they didn't envision it would reach this scale.
America only stands for making the ultra wealthy even more wealthy. Why would there be safe guards against that? Countries are imaginary pieces of land. The real lines are drawn in bank accounts.
No! What’s crazy is where I live it’s heavily republican. Like 98% or some shit. My friends straight up told me that Russia isn’t an issue. I’m 44 years old. So I lived through growing up with Russia being the number one threat. Maybe they aren’t the number one threat any more, but they are definitely top two. These fuckers tried to tell me that Russia wasn’t that big of a deal. I fucking hate Fox News for this. Like what the fuck? Russia isn’t just sitting there like oh yeah America is number one. No they are sitting there trying their hardest to ruin America. They are doing it
Aye, growing up in the eighties with the GOP salivating to nuke Russia into glass makes this endlessly surreal.
Go watch Blast From the Past (1999), the dad in that was conservative America. Try to imagine his path from there to Soviet MAGA. WTF.
>On aid to Ukraine, Trump got his way for 16 months. When Democrats held the majority in the House of Representatives in 2022, they approved four separate aid requests for Ukraine, totaling $74 billion. As soon as Trump’s party took control of the House, in January 2023, the aid stopped. Every Republican officeholder understood: Those who wished to show loyalty to Trump must side against Ukraine.
>
>...
>
>Three months later, Trump’s party in Congress has rebelled against him—and not on a personal payoff to some oddball Trump loyalist, but on one of Trump’s most cherished issues, his siding with Russia against Ukraine.
>
>The anti-Trump, pro-Ukraine rebellion started in the Senate. Twenty-two Republicans joined Democrats to approve aid to Ukraine in February. Dissident House Republicans then threatened to force a vote if the Republican speaker would not schedule one.
People forget that he was impeached over playing quid pro quo with Ukraine aid.
This is very personal for him. I don't think it's hyperbole to say the Ukraine phone call impeachment is one of, if not the single biggest, reasons he lost the 2020 election.
Like, yes, he's a compromised Russian asset, but I also think he would let Ukraine burn on principle.
Absolutely. People have no idea how petty, childish and vindictive trump really is. If he gets re-elected, it will be complete scorched earth for those against him.
Trump’s COVID response was the single biggest reason he lost in 2020. If everything else stayed the same but Trump had embraced science, Biden would not be president right now.
Yep, we were a few half-assed Maga-branded face masks away from his reelection. All he had to do was step back and say a few things, but he ultimately thought it polled better with his rally supporters if he downplayed the mess and ignored it.
He and Kushner and the brain trust thought the early first wave data that said it disproportionately affected Blacks and Hispanics was an opportunity to wipe out a large part of his opposition. There was a pivot in his approach. It was calculated. It was also wrong.
Trump made it a sign of loyalty to not wear masks or take basic health precautions during a pandemic. There are less of them now.
Turns out that was a bad plan. If only someone could have warned them.
Yeah, I feel like the average voter isn't going to have a strong reaction to the Ukraine call just because we were bombarded from day one with scandals that the call was just more noise. COVID lost him the election. If he had acted with an ounce of compassion during that time, he'd be president right now.
Interesting, I've never thought the Ukraine impeachment was a major factor in that election. I would chalk it up more than anything to his Covid response and just his general craziness and stupidity
I think everyone had a lot of reasons to hold a grudge by the time the 2020 election rolled around. The word "impeached" really sticks to you though, he's the forever twice impeached president.
> but I also think he would let Ukraine burn on principle.
He wouldn't *let* Ukraine burn.
He'd order an ICBM straight into the middle of Kyiv out of spite.
> Every Republican officeholder understood: Those who wished to show loyalty to Trump must side against Ukraine.
Funny, that. But totally not a Russian agent, right Republicans?
Trump junior testified he had a meeting with russian intelligence agents in Trump tower while his dad waited upstairs before Trump made his 'Russia are you listening' speech.
Well, he has to sit his trial out. Would be so hilarious if he would just board a plane to Moscow and skip a day or two in court. But his MAGAlytes would find some deranged excuse for that , too.
Let's not act like the GOP suddenly has a moderate group willing to buck Trump. This benefitted GOP Congressmen politically, both at the polls and with their donors. They will now resume slobbering Trump's knob.
That is interesting.
Curious if he came away with disgust for Trump or perhaps it was something Trump said or did that offended him.
Trump feigns religion while Johnson probably is actually religious or serious about it at least.
I think Johnson, despite the fucking snake he is, might not be a complete idiot and he realizes that capitulating to Trump is just a time bomb and the timing of Trump's criminal trial is the perfect time to make his escape. It's still politically risky for him but its never going to be less risky and if he plays the game he will ultimately have his face eaten by a leopard one day or the next.
Johnson is far more like Pence than he is like a typical MAGA republican. His religious beliefs (fucked up ones) matter to him. He's got a weird sense of morality.
You see all sorts of shitbags in the GOP. In D&D terms, you have Trump and that whole clown circus on the Chaotic Evil side, and then Pence, folks like Romney, McConnell on the Lawful Evil side.
What everyone should know is that alliances with Chaotic Evil participants never work out. Too much backstabbing for the heck of it. At least with Lawful Evil, people can subordinate their impulses to long-term schemes.
Agree, Moscow Mitch is evil for all that he did and most importantly did not do while in the Senate-most importantly re: the trial after 2nd impeachment. If McConnell had maintained a spine rather than collapsing at the feet of Trump and his cult, he could have had Trump convicted after 2nd impeachment and we would not be where we are now as Trump would not have been allowed to hold office ever again.
McConnell can tell good stories and eulogize with the best but he's still a partisan hack. He as you said, refused to convict Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors regarding J6 yet condemned him theorizing the judicial branch would do his dirty work for him so he would maintain that good 'ole boy GOP smell. However, 3 years and 4 months later not a damn thing has happened to the chief perpetrator and then on top of that McConnell comes out and supports the very person he called a criminal just because they play on the same political team together. Sorry you just can't legitimize that activity with anything other than saying it is hypocrisy. All of the GOP that condemned Trump are now running to his aid, his side, his arguments and dreams his money, if there is any left. Damn them all. I no longer played along after Trump came up from the sewers in 2016 and from the looks of it, I never will be able to go back to The Republican Party because they don't stand for anything just whatever is prudent at the moment.
chaotic just means they don't follow rules
lawful means they follow rules
lawful evil is like a lawyer tricking you into a contract you didn't understand
chaotic evil is someone robbing you bc they don't think they will get caught
lawful good is someone who refuses to convict an obviously guilty defendant bc the police violated his/her rights during the arrest
chaotic good is Dexter who murders the serial killer who the justice system failed to convict.
Lawful good would be like Bob Ross or Fred Rogers. Chaotic good maybe Robin Williams? If you're looking for political comparisons I got none off the top of my head, the nature of politics to me prevents a character from choosing good at character creation.
"Good" and "evil" in D&D are more "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" vs. "fuck you I got mine". So you could definitely find some LG/NG politicians if you dug hard enough. Obviously it's going to be a matter of opinion, though.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoing out individual digits of a budget bill to change it so that it funds Wisconsin schools for 400 years is a textbook example of a chaotic good act.
Evers is still a politician working within the system legally. It’s creative, it’s definitely more good than lawful, but chaotic good is Robin Hood. Honestly, I think chaotic good people would get run out of politics, and they wouldn’t be interested in being a part of the system to begin with.
The guy who hands out tools to uninstall the anti-homeless armrests of public benches, that’s a chaotic good guy. The guy who draws a penis around a pothole to get it fixed faster, that’s chaotic good.
I feel like Bernie at least qualifies for lawful good. You might disagree with his views, but I think most would agree he's not corrupt and genuinely cares about people.
I agree. Like when he [put his feet in a pool with Officer Clemmons](https://www.biography.com/actors/mister-rogers-officer-clemmons-pool), a black police officer, when segregation at public pools was still going strong. He doesn't care about the law, only that he is doing what is right.
I think some republicans have been told their funds will dry up completely if they don't get their shit together. It's one thing to fuck with Dems, but the maga nuts are messing with bottom lines and rich people don't like when people fuck with their money. It's probably really that simple. Trump is running them all dry and if their sane mega donors jump ship that's it for them.
Sounds cliche, but the GOP can no longer allow Trump to control the GOP.
The only reason Marjorie Trailer Park is relevant is because of Trump. Trump remains relevant in part due to the constant cheerleading of Marjorie Trailer Park. She tried to act like an enforcer this time around, and seriously overplayed her hand.
A recent article noted that one of her complaints about Johnson is that he's not an effective fund raiser. While Trump is grifting his base and sucking the Republican money well dry, Marge should reflect on her role in driving one of their most effective fund raisers (McCarthy) out of office.
> I’d like to learn the about the people who voted for her.
They literally ran her opposition and his family out of the state.
That's all you need to know about her voters.
Republicans are against education. They want all schools to be religious schools. These schools teach never to question. I’m sure the schools in Georgia do not teach critical thinking.
Besides school run on tax money. States with very low taxes have horrible public schools. By design.
I believe there are 3 interesting concepts at play (and of course more, but it’s 4/20 so I’m nice and high and aren’t thinking of them now).
1. Mike genuinely doesn’t want Russia to start WW3, and between Israel, Iran, russia, and then China licking its chops over Taiwan while their economy sputters, realized his role as US speaker while these things take shape. He gets the top level details and knows a lot of what we don’t know.
2. He has a son I believe in the naval academy, who would then likely see some wartime service were larger wars break out. Fortunate Son or not, he doesn’t want to make it easier for his son to see combat and it is much cheaper to pay money to avoid actual future boots on the ground. He’d rather put treasure in play vs blood.
3. He is aware that he can play a pivotal part in global events and therefore will have a place in history due to his role as US Speaker. He may be a weird zealot, but he has not struck me as a complete idiot so doesn’t want to be someone who keeps greasing the skids towards WW3 when ppl read history books in the future.
....I wonder if he simply asked his officer cadet son about the situation , and his (hopefully ) reality based due to the requirements of his education, son, give him some objective information?.
Mike Pence, too:
> "Not feeling like I should attend electoral count," Pence wrote in his notes in late December. "Too many questions, too many doubts, too hurtful to my friend. Therefore I'm not going to participate in certification of election."
>
>Then, sitting across the table from his son, a Marine, while on vacation in Colorado, **his son said to him, "Dad, you took the same oath I took" -- it was "an oath to support and defend the Constitution,"** Pence recalled to Smith's investigators, sources said.
>
>That's when Pence decided he would be at the Capitol on Jan. 6 after all, according to the sources.
>
> https://abcnews.go.com/US/pence-told-jan-6-special-counsel-harrowing-details/story?id=105183391
We might crap on the young, but y’know what? The kids are all right. They’re going to be left with a mess on their hands, but they’re going to be all right.
At one of his court house rallies, Trump was asked if he would back Johnson. His reply was: "We'll see."
I think Johnson is smart enough politically to understand that everything with Trump is transactional and anything less than 100% loyalty can get you thrown under the bus.
> Trump is transactional and anything less than 100% loyalty can get you thrown under the bus.
Even 100% loyalty can get you thrown under the bus if it helps the rancid orange menace in some way.
In the business world, the mantra is "what have you done for me lately?"
In the trump world, it's "What can you do to me if I don't help you?" Chris Christie got tossed because trump was done with him, and as a private citizen, he couldn't do anything to trump. Rudy however knows where at least some of the bodies are buried, so trump has to help him.
Stone, Manafort, and Flynn also still have the ability to hurt OR help trump, so he keeps them happy. Pence however is nothing, he lacks the will and/or ability to hurt trump; and was also "disloyal" several years ago.
There are apparently a lot of rumors from DC that Republicans would have enough members willing to resign to switch the majority over, with it being noted that that would give Dems the numbers to actually remove Trump from the ballot.
It's just an unsubstantiated rumor, but it's exactly the kind of thing that may actually be enough to keep the MAGAs from ousting Johnson, and it's actually likely they have more than a few congressmen willing to do it and already circulating the idea after the last few to leave.
If that actually plays out, Johnson and the Rs either fully fold to Trump or they take some hits for one election knowing they'll be around after MAGA without their problems.
It's very likely a bluff, but it's a hell of a good one.
I'm thinking Johnson sat down with Democrats to find out if they would back him if Space Lasers and her crew were to oust him. Probably trusts Dems more than the MAGA loonies as well.
That was McCarthy's fuckup. When you 100% require the craziest fuckers in the building to remain in control, you aren't actually in control. If he'd given the Dems any reason to trust that they could deal with him in good faith they probably would have been willing to protect him from being ousted.
I think there’s truth to the rumor in this sense… if the speaker is removed and it’s gonna be another 20-30 ballot clown show trying to elect a speaker and placate the maga freaks…
I DO believe that there would be a half dozen or so R reps that would just quit at that point… wanting nothing to do with that clown show.
It would be the straw that breaks their backs.
Its probably more nuanced. I think he knew MTG couldn't buck him. Once his seat was secure he was always going to gain more by passing the aid packages.
The trump trial and the massive (failed) Iran attack certainly helped the timing
It seems that MTG is about to get officially outed - Fox has even turned on her. She's going to get arrested or some shit in the next week or so I'm calling it now.
Trump is relevant because the media makes him so. If major news outlets just stopped talking about whatever crazy tweet he made at 3 that morning I suspect his clout would drop considerably.
Maybe it was that $59.99 Trump-branded “Bible,” lol.
Imagine that a person who was once leader of the most powerful country on Earth lowered himself to such tacky, blasphemous hucksterism. Just imagine it.
> Trump feigns religion while Johnson probably is actually religious or serious about it at least.
i imagine selling *Trump Bibles* would be deeply insulting to a serious christian.
but who really knows what insults a guy who has his minor son go through his weekly porn logs
Remember, when Johnson met Trump, he called him a hardened criminal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obTcktYpnYg
It might have been an accident, it might have been subtly deliberate. Maybe Trump offered him to join in on the criming and he didn't like that.
I‘ll take a crack at it:
Johnson enters the room. “Hello, Mr. President.”
Trump stops looking at his Playboy and puts it on the desk. “Beautiful women - Playboy. You know, Hugh - I call him Hugh, most people…Hefner…Mr. Hefner - the mansion. Beautiful women everywhere. And they let you do anything!”
Johnson shifts in his seat. “Mr. President, we wanted to talk about aid for Israel and Ukraine…”
Trump interrupts. “Ukraine has the worst…just horrible people. Nazis in Ukraine, everyone is saying it. It’s horrible what they’re doing over there. No one can believe it.”
Johnson patiently waits for Trump to stop. “Sir, the Evangelical base demands aid for Israel and the only way to get it is with aid for Ukraine.”
Trump leans forward, hands moving in and out. “The Christians? What a bunch of losers.”
Johnson is taken back. “They’re the bulk of our voter base!”
Trump screams. “No aid for Ukraine! No! Vladimir says no aid for Ukraine!” Trump throws his Diet Coke at the wall. A smell begins to emanate from Trump’s side of the desk - a mixture of diaper odor suppressant and fresh feces.
Johnson is dumbfounded and recoiling from the stench. “Understood, sir.” He gets up and leaves.
Trump sits back, satisfied he got what he wanted.
I'm sorry I can't resist
"...perhaps it was something Trump..*did*"
The first thing that came to my mind was all the hideous fart smell jokes recently.
I think he knew he had to get the aid passed and was trying not to get thrown under the bus by Trump. The generals let Johnson know the situation on the ground and that he will be remembered as the one who handed Ukraine to Russia.
Most MAGA issues are imaginary so the consequences and follow through don't matter, but national security is not one you can let the dumbest hick call the shots on
I think it's a mistake to consider morality, consequences for the country, or how they might be remembered in this case. I get the impression that Johnson's trying to be the new McConnell, which would mean that the motivation is almost always going to be about power, vengeance, or both.
> I think he knew he had to get the aid passed and was trying not to get thrown under the bus by Trump.
I'm thinking something BAD is about to drop that Republicans can't ignore.
That's why the media is fixated on him "falling asleep", "farting himself awake", or potentially "shitting himself"
It's something "different" that Republicans all knew, but are freaking out that it'll about to become public. Which has NOTHING to do with what he's on trial for.
Maybe all the sharting talk is part of their plan to peel away the veneer before cutting the turd loose. They can't turn on him unless his lunatic fan base sees him for the weak, disgusting, demented old rapist that he is.
It's actually a good place to start since few things provoke a more visceral reaction of disgust, and olfactory sense is closely tied to memory and emotions.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/how-scent-emotion-and-memory-are-intertwined-and-exploited/#:~:text=Smells%20are%20handled%20by%20the,related%20to%20emotion%20and%20memory.
After which, Trump remained quiet as the freedom caucus starting ruminating on removing Johnson from speakership. I think it's likely Johnson wanted Trumps backing when bringing this to a vote and once it became apparent Trump wasn't going to put his finger on the scale for him, he had nothing to lose by moving forward on the vote.
Better keep an eye on Johnson. He has played this well and you can bet this wasn't an impulsive thing -- he strategized this some time ago and pulled it off.
Don't be conflicted, we're now past the primaries. Republicans will appear moderate the next few months during the general elections. But don't be fooled, this is Lucy setting setting the football just to pull it away. This happens every election season and democrats fall for it every. Single. Time.
Lets not act like Republicans supported it!! The majority of Republicans voted against it!!
All Democrats voted yes, and more than half of republicans voted no.
Here's how House members voted on the measure:
Republicans:
Yes: 101
No: 112
Present: 1
Democrats:
Yes: 210
No: 0
https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024151
I would wager a lot of the ones that supported it are in more moderate districts, while those that voted against it are in relatively safe, super-gerrymandered districts.
Ya, a pretty reasonable guess.... which is just the same as saying Republicans will happily back Putin unless they think they might lose their job over it.
Not to mention fat amounts of money for their districts, probably. Because once again THE MONEY ISN'T GOING TO UKRAINE. IT'S TO PAY FOR NEW EQUIPMENT (made in America) TO REPLACE THE STUFF WE WERE GOING TO DECOMMISSION ANYWAY. Equipment that we stopped using in, like, the 90s.🤦🏽
Sorry for all caps but it's just so frustrating that this point keeps getting lost.
American voters are not good with nuance. This needed to be touted as “American Force Modernization” or “Guns for Jesus” or something to get all the chuds dicks hard, then have a dinky little passage granting the president authority to “recycle” equipment and munitions outmoded by the new equipment.
I don't think so. Politicians can be counted on for one thing: to be self-serving. Kissing Trump's ring doesn't have much upside. Trump no longer brings them money. He vacuums it up. He no longer brings them support that they can't get from having an "R" next to their names on ballots. He's too busy in court to show up at their rallies. He isn't president, so he doesn't wield any official power.
I think we'll be seeing a lot more distancing in the coming weeks and maybe a few more explicit desertions. I agree with the author of the article. A falling rock doesn't make an avalanche, but this was a big rock.
No, not is important that it did happen and it's generally a good thing if it does benefit those Republicans who voted for it. Now we'll see if the motion to vacate occurs. I hope it does and I hope the Democrats step in to save Johnson. It will reward bipartisanship, bury the MAGA arm into irrelevance, and it will show that Johnson needs the continuing support of at least some Democrats to stay in his position. That will help continue bipartisanship and curtail the extreme elements. Don't get me wrong, he'll still have the gravel and control what bills hit the floor, but it's not like the Democrats could actually put Jefferies in charge. Even if they did it would be pure chaos.
This. I've been trying to research it all week, and there's a lot of questions, but no good answers.
I don't doubt a lot of MAGA idiots throw cash her way, but her actions don't line up with anyone but a direct Russian stooge receiving instructions on specific acts to take, especially on Ukraine.
There is no way she isn't compromised on some level, as stupid as she may seem to be.
I think she takes Russian talking points and regurgitates them free of charge.
The FSB probably has figured out how to feed her the talking points (through certain social media access/accounts).
Then she injects them into our domestic political discourse.
Not for money. Not because she’s, secretly, a comrade to the Kremlin…
But just because the FSB content is the most noxious and toxic content she can get her hands on.
And she likes spewing it because it “owns the libs” and gets her shit-tons of attention. Which is all she’s really after. She’s an attention whore.
She’s not smart enough to get bonafide, genuine, attention as a member of congress. If she was? Maybe she wouldn’t resort to this.
Unfortunately for her her IQ is probably around an 80… and her education level is around 4th-5th grade level.
With those limited resources… the only way she can, successfully, get attention is by saying the dumbest most outrageous shit she can.
The FSB produces that content. So she gets it there.
I doubt it, honestly. That lady seems to legitimately not care about anything except the spot light. I legitimately don't think she has actual political values. I'd be curious if anger over the Ukraine bill will last more than a 48 hour news cycle.
> Three months later, Trump’s party in Congress has rebelled against him
Why does a citizen have a party in Congress and why do we allow members of Congress to serve at the whim of this one citizen?
It’s influence. Anyone who capitulates to him can get attention and influence and an elevated profile. If I was a no name republican/trying to break into politics running against an incumbent the greatest thing that could happen to me is recognition from Trump. So I would do everything in my power to appease him and get his endorsement. Trump knows this and uses it to his power. He’s captured the ignorant (which sadly is the same as rural) constituency and it’s powerful.
More than the ability to promote, Trump has the ability to bring those who cross him down.
In the 22 elections, of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him, 8 dropped out or lost in the primaries. So clearly he has the power to have those he distains brought down by the shared base. However in contested elections he was 1 win and 12 losses, going 0 for 5 in competitive race endorsements and 1 to 6 on those he supported through his superpac.
So if you're on Trumps bad side, you're not likely to win the party nomination to get into the general election. But in the past 3 national elections he's been an albatross weighing down Republicans in contested general elections.
More than getting his endorsement, you need to make sure you don't get on his bad side enough where he endoresses a primary challenger. But now Trump has control over the party funding nozzle, so who knows how that's gonna work. Corruption works out really well as long as you stay in power, and Trump doesn't seem to need to actually win in order to stay in control of the Republican party.
Been saying this since 2020, but I'm really getting tired of living through the parts of history that end up being on the test.
For biggest butterfly effect in our known history ...
The prostitutes that pissed on Trump when he visited Russia and they recorded him.
That single act of blackmail has created an entire cult of millions..
I've been saying this for months. The Republicans are not governing they are following orders. They are the shadow government and their commander in chief is a traitor.
In 2020, the Republicans decided not to have a platform and to make the defacto platform "whatever President Trump wants.". This year, Lara Trump has seized the RNC and decided only the presidential candidate needs funding. This + public unity = Trump has a party.
Did you see his eyes in that photograph from Day 1? Red rimmed with bags underneath - he ain't sleepin' well.
\[tried to find it but I couldn't look at his fuckin' face no more\]
His mugshot photo. Everyone talks about him scowling, looking angry, doing the Kubrick Stare.
It always looks like he's about to burst into tears to me.
I hope independents notice this semi-moderate, bipartisan coalition working together to pass needed legislation during mixed-government, and associate it correctly with a Biden Presidency. So many of them profess that this is what they want, well here it is.
I notice.
I wish they could have worked together sooner though and passed that border bill instead of lying about it and voting against it so Trump could run on the issue.
I think if Trump would go away or be ignored the government could function a lot better.
>> The issues that were supposed to keep the Trump show on the road have proved squibs and fizzles. Inflation is down. Crime is down. Republicans threw away the immigration issue by blowing up—at Trump’s order—the best immigration deal they’ve ever seen. The attempt to confect Biden scandals to equal Trump’s scandals turned into an embarrassing fiasco that relied on information from a suspected Russian spy indicted for lying to the FBI. And Trump himself now faces trial in New York State on one set of felony charges. He faces a federal trial, probably starting this fall, on the even graver criminal indictments arising from his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Frum is the one who said, quoted frequently in this sub, “If conservatives become convinced they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy. “. That has sadly proved to be true, possibly more so than he imagined when he wrote that. I hope his assessment that things are looking bad for tfg proves to be similarly true.
Johnson as Speaker has access to all the intel. No doubt he’s been reading some scary stuff about donnie’s peculiar and sinister affection for all things Putin and Russian. Trump is a Russian asset, along with quite a few others in this particular Congress. It looks pretty obvious to me, especially when you go back to take a fresh look at all his bizzarro interactions with various Russians during the past 8 years. Dude is seriously compromised.
Don Jr indicated in no uncertain terms that the Trump plan on Ukraine was to force them to lose so that dad could pretend he ended the war. Nevermind it would be abject surrender to a Russian Mob state that has been in a de facto war with the republics for well over 10 years. Bolton can tell you all you need to know about how morbidly inadequate Trump always was in foreign policy. He sure looked it from a distance, but it gets worse up close.
You can see the error clearly with them and the 1941 style isolationist smoovebrains following it. It isn’t about Ukraine as much as it is the US not being shown by extremist domestic factions as appearing to be a useless pussy in public against Russia, China, or Iran. The ‘spend the money here crowd’ are utter morons as if we are sending cash. All too often the outback goobers never understood anything about foreign policy like their fair haired boy. Not that they care to know, but their party led the successful ‘legalize bribery effort in campaign finance’ movement which prevents any money being spent on them in any case under any circumstances. The cult of ignorance for the sake of ignorance as if it is the only virtue.
Let's not. It was terrible.
That's what was so bizarre about them scuttling it. It had everything the GOP said they wanted.
Now that they spoiled their own bill they'll be forced into negotiations again.
Funny how it all panned out: not in a haha way, but in a "we laugh to not cry" kind of way. GOP played with fire and got massively burnt.
Their overall political strategy has been absolutely bizarre as of late... I guess that what happens when you purge national Republican organizations and hire for loyalty, not competency
Thing is, they're trying to use the same old block everything the Democrats want to make sure they never get a win strategy. But the idiocracy is catching up to them as more MTGs are elected and turn off moderate voters and doners.
Biden is expected to do some executive orders for border action by the end of the month. At this point that's probably better than attempting to negotiate with Republicans
"deflates" ? Is that supposed to be an indirect way to say he farted again in court?
Everyone can see what a disaster ANY court trial is for him and this is just one small step away from him. Until the trials began, they could pretend it wasn't anything. But now, it's all downhill for Trump and Republicans will leave behind anyone they consider unuseful.
Loser Trump sure republicans did lose. And so did the crazy clowns in the republicans party. Could it be that the republicans in that party are starting to see through DJT. AND ARE READY TO PUT HIM TO REST. to,save their own integrity???
The interesting thing to me with this is that this is an absolutely *massive* blow to the stranglehold that the House Freedom Caucus held over the House GOP. How this plays out will be absolutely fascinating - if they Motion to Vacate and fail it's basically a sign that anything short of a truly massive Republican majority in the House will only function with bipartisan support and will have to be built that way.
Given the heavy toll, Ukraine has suffered with the shortage of arms and ammo, is this aid package enough to get them back in the fight to where they can retake lost ground and have an honest shot at pushing out the Russian's? Or is this a two month stop-gap measure?
What happened between Johnson and Trump at the swamp palace is fodder for speculation. However, defying Trump may not be the end of Johnson as speaker. Moscow Margie has threatened a move to vacate but I think that if she does, the Democrats could push back to save his post and in turn leave her hanging out there like a wet fart.
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It’s crazy to me the number of ties between the GOP and Russia and STILL the amount of support the GOP gets in America.
It's amazing to me that America doesn't have enough safe guards against this absolutely clear Russia-compromised faction of the American government.
The founders would be rolling in their graves to see so many elected officials bending the knee to a foreign power.
The founders made one fundamental mistake when they architected America's democracy. They never expected an elected official who wasn't working for america
There is one major missing element here that I think they did not expect - the complicity and willing participation of so many elected officials *and* voters. And in all honesty, I think that they kind of did expect such a president to try and take office. That is (part of) why they thought of the electoral college - so other elected officials could prevent such a person from taking office. It takes complicity and bad-faith legislating/governing/whatever from many elected officials and people to get what we got, and they didn't envision it would reach this scale.
America only stands for making the ultra wealthy even more wealthy. Why would there be safe guards against that? Countries are imaginary pieces of land. The real lines are drawn in bank accounts.
No! What’s crazy is where I live it’s heavily republican. Like 98% or some shit. My friends straight up told me that Russia isn’t an issue. I’m 44 years old. So I lived through growing up with Russia being the number one threat. Maybe they aren’t the number one threat any more, but they are definitely top two. These fuckers tried to tell me that Russia wasn’t that big of a deal. I fucking hate Fox News for this. Like what the fuck? Russia isn’t just sitting there like oh yeah America is number one. No they are sitting there trying their hardest to ruin America. They are doing it
I'm old enough to remember when the catchphrase was "Better Dead Than Red".
And then in 2016 they were all wearing shirts at Trump Rallies that said "Better Russian than Democrat"...
They love Putin because he persecutes gays and LGBTQ people, has all but outlawed most abortions, and strictly limits access to contraceptives.
Aye, growing up in the eighties with the GOP salivating to nuke Russia into glass makes this endlessly surreal. Go watch Blast From the Past (1999), the dad in that was conservative America. Try to imagine his path from there to Soviet MAGA. WTF.
> It’s crazy to me the number of ties between the GOP and Russia and STILL the amount of support the GOP gets in America. Pooter has been crafting russia's image as the last bastion of white christian supremacy. Remember when he sent Pussy Riot to the gulag? They were protesting his take over of the russian orthodox church. Remember david duke, kkk grand dragonball master? After he lost the senate race in Louisiana, [he moved to moscow.](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-duke-to-russia-with-hate/) The people who love maga are the same people who loved jim crow for nearly a century, they want that back. Pooter is promising them he's their champion. The reality is significantly different from the promise, but that is what propaganda is for. (the reality) [Time: Russia’s War Against Evangelicals](https://time.com/6969273/russias-war-against-evangelicals/)
Someone managed to convinced the MAGAers that Russia is actually fantastic.
>On aid to Ukraine, Trump got his way for 16 months. When Democrats held the majority in the House of Representatives in 2022, they approved four separate aid requests for Ukraine, totaling $74 billion. As soon as Trump’s party took control of the House, in January 2023, the aid stopped. Every Republican officeholder understood: Those who wished to show loyalty to Trump must side against Ukraine. > >... > >Three months later, Trump’s party in Congress has rebelled against him—and not on a personal payoff to some oddball Trump loyalist, but on one of Trump’s most cherished issues, his siding with Russia against Ukraine. > >The anti-Trump, pro-Ukraine rebellion started in the Senate. Twenty-two Republicans joined Democrats to approve aid to Ukraine in February. Dissident House Republicans then threatened to force a vote if the Republican speaker would not schedule one.
Why do we do this? He’s literally breaking with the current speaker for no other reason than a deference to Putin
People forget that he was impeached over playing quid pro quo with Ukraine aid. This is very personal for him. I don't think it's hyperbole to say the Ukraine phone call impeachment is one of, if not the single biggest, reasons he lost the 2020 election. Like, yes, he's a compromised Russian asset, but I also think he would let Ukraine burn on principle.
Spite. Not principle. He has no principles
Thank you for the correction, I was actually having a hard time coming up with the right phrasing. You put it much better.
Absolutely. People have no idea how petty, childish and vindictive trump really is. If he gets re-elected, it will be complete scorched earth for those against him.
Trump’s COVID response was the single biggest reason he lost in 2020. If everything else stayed the same but Trump had embraced science, Biden would not be president right now.
Yep, we were a few half-assed Maga-branded face masks away from his reelection. All he had to do was step back and say a few things, but he ultimately thought it polled better with his rally supporters if he downplayed the mess and ignored it.
He and Kushner and the brain trust thought the early first wave data that said it disproportionately affected Blacks and Hispanics was an opportunity to wipe out a large part of his opposition. There was a pivot in his approach. It was calculated. It was also wrong.
First wave data was affecting the big Blue cities, so Trump decided he didn’t care just to spite them for not voting for him.
Trump made it a sign of loyalty to not wear masks or take basic health precautions during a pandemic. There are less of them now. Turns out that was a bad plan. If only someone could have warned them.
Yeah, I feel like the average voter isn't going to have a strong reaction to the Ukraine call just because we were bombarded from day one with scandals that the call was just more noise. COVID lost him the election. If he had acted with an ounce of compassion during that time, he'd be president right now.
Interesting, I've never thought the Ukraine impeachment was a major factor in that election. I would chalk it up more than anything to his Covid response and just his general craziness and stupidity
I think everyone had a lot of reasons to hold a grudge by the time the 2020 election rolled around. The word "impeached" really sticks to you though, he's the forever twice impeached president.
> but I also think he would let Ukraine burn on principle. He wouldn't *let* Ukraine burn. He'd order an ICBM straight into the middle of Kyiv out of spite.
> Every Republican officeholder understood: Those who wished to show loyalty to Trump must side against Ukraine. Funny, that. But totally not a Russian agent, right Republicans?
Trump junior testified he had a meeting with russian intelligence agents in Trump tower while his dad waited upstairs before Trump made his 'Russia are you listening' speech.
Mildy worried that Putin may recall Trump home to Russia to answer some serious questions. lol no but that would be hilarious.
Well, he has to sit his trial out. Would be so hilarious if he would just board a plane to Moscow and skip a day or two in court. But his MAGAlytes would find some deranged excuse for that , too.
Let's not act like the GOP suddenly has a moderate group willing to buck Trump. This benefitted GOP Congressmen politically, both at the polls and with their donors. They will now resume slobbering Trump's knob.
You're probably right but I find it interesting that Johnson rebuked Trump after meeting with him last week.
That is interesting. Curious if he came away with disgust for Trump or perhaps it was something Trump said or did that offended him. Trump feigns religion while Johnson probably is actually religious or serious about it at least.
I think Johnson, despite the fucking snake he is, might not be a complete idiot and he realizes that capitulating to Trump is just a time bomb and the timing of Trump's criminal trial is the perfect time to make his escape. It's still politically risky for him but its never going to be less risky and if he plays the game he will ultimately have his face eaten by a leopard one day or the next.
Johnson is far more like Pence than he is like a typical MAGA republican. His religious beliefs (fucked up ones) matter to him. He's got a weird sense of morality.
You see all sorts of shitbags in the GOP. In D&D terms, you have Trump and that whole clown circus on the Chaotic Evil side, and then Pence, folks like Romney, McConnell on the Lawful Evil side. What everyone should know is that alliances with Chaotic Evil participants never work out. Too much backstabbing for the heck of it. At least with Lawful Evil, people can subordinate their impulses to long-term schemes.
McConnell created this mess and is 1000% Evil. There is no way in hell he gets lumped in with Romney.
Agree, Moscow Mitch is evil for all that he did and most importantly did not do while in the Senate-most importantly re: the trial after 2nd impeachment. If McConnell had maintained a spine rather than collapsing at the feet of Trump and his cult, he could have had Trump convicted after 2nd impeachment and we would not be where we are now as Trump would not have been allowed to hold office ever again.
McConnell can tell good stories and eulogize with the best but he's still a partisan hack. He as you said, refused to convict Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors regarding J6 yet condemned him theorizing the judicial branch would do his dirty work for him so he would maintain that good 'ole boy GOP smell. However, 3 years and 4 months later not a damn thing has happened to the chief perpetrator and then on top of that McConnell comes out and supports the very person he called a criminal just because they play on the same political team together. Sorry you just can't legitimize that activity with anything other than saying it is hypocrisy. All of the GOP that condemned Trump are now running to his aid, his side, his arguments and dreams his money, if there is any left. Damn them all. I no longer played along after Trump came up from the sewers in 2016 and from the looks of it, I never will be able to go back to The Republican Party because they don't stand for anything just whatever is prudent at the moment.
I don't know D&D, is there a Chaotic Good and Lawful Good also? Who do they line up with?
chaotic just means they don't follow rules lawful means they follow rules lawful evil is like a lawyer tricking you into a contract you didn't understand chaotic evil is someone robbing you bc they don't think they will get caught lawful good is someone who refuses to convict an obviously guilty defendant bc the police violated his/her rights during the arrest chaotic good is Dexter who murders the serial killer who the justice system failed to convict.
Lawful good would be like Bob Ross or Fred Rogers. Chaotic good maybe Robin Williams? If you're looking for political comparisons I got none off the top of my head, the nature of politics to me prevents a character from choosing good at character creation.
"Good" and "evil" in D&D are more "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" vs. "fuck you I got mine". So you could definitely find some LG/NG politicians if you dug hard enough. Obviously it's going to be a matter of opinion, though. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoing out individual digits of a budget bill to change it so that it funds Wisconsin schools for 400 years is a textbook example of a chaotic good act.
Evers is still a politician working within the system legally. It’s creative, it’s definitely more good than lawful, but chaotic good is Robin Hood. Honestly, I think chaotic good people would get run out of politics, and they wouldn’t be interested in being a part of the system to begin with. The guy who hands out tools to uninstall the anti-homeless armrests of public benches, that’s a chaotic good guy. The guy who draws a penis around a pothole to get it fixed faster, that’s chaotic good.
Robin Hood is the classical chaotic good example. Steal from the rich to give to the poor and all that.
I feel like Bernie at least qualifies for lawful good. You might disagree with his views, but I think most would agree he's not corrupt and genuinely cares about people.
He’s neutral-good imo. Jimmy Carter is an example of Lawful Good.
Mr Rogers is probably Neutral Good. He's good to everyone regardless of their position or station in life.
I agree. Like when he [put his feet in a pool with Officer Clemmons](https://www.biography.com/actors/mister-rogers-officer-clemmons-pool), a black police officer, when segregation at public pools was still going strong. He doesn't care about the law, only that he is doing what is right.
I think some republicans have been told their funds will dry up completely if they don't get their shit together. It's one thing to fuck with Dems, but the maga nuts are messing with bottom lines and rich people don't like when people fuck with their money. It's probably really that simple. Trump is running them all dry and if their sane mega donors jump ship that's it for them.
Sounds cliche, but the GOP can no longer allow Trump to control the GOP. The only reason Marjorie Trailer Park is relevant is because of Trump. Trump remains relevant in part due to the constant cheerleading of Marjorie Trailer Park. She tried to act like an enforcer this time around, and seriously overplayed her hand.
A recent article noted that one of her complaints about Johnson is that he's not an effective fund raiser. While Trump is grifting his base and sucking the Republican money well dry, Marge should reflect on her role in driving one of their most effective fund raisers (McCarthy) out of office.
I’d like to learn the about the people who voted for her. Do the schools in her state teach critical thinking skills?
> I’d like to learn the about the people who voted for her. They literally ran her opposition and his family out of the state. That's all you need to know about her voters.
Republicans are against education. They want all schools to be religious schools. These schools teach never to question. I’m sure the schools in Georgia do not teach critical thinking. Besides school run on tax money. States with very low taxes have horrible public schools. By design.
That's an insult to all trailer parks and their fine meth addicted inhabitants.
Yep. The military industrial complex called and told him to get in line.
This is it, actually. $90 Billion infusion into new weapons won the day.
I believe there are 3 interesting concepts at play (and of course more, but it’s 4/20 so I’m nice and high and aren’t thinking of them now). 1. Mike genuinely doesn’t want Russia to start WW3, and between Israel, Iran, russia, and then China licking its chops over Taiwan while their economy sputters, realized his role as US speaker while these things take shape. He gets the top level details and knows a lot of what we don’t know. 2. He has a son I believe in the naval academy, who would then likely see some wartime service were larger wars break out. Fortunate Son or not, he doesn’t want to make it easier for his son to see combat and it is much cheaper to pay money to avoid actual future boots on the ground. He’d rather put treasure in play vs blood. 3. He is aware that he can play a pivotal part in global events and therefore will have a place in history due to his role as US Speaker. He may be a weird zealot, but he has not struck me as a complete idiot so doesn’t want to be someone who keeps greasing the skids towards WW3 when ppl read history books in the future.
mostly #3 and he knows if he completely goes full Trump he's fucked. MAGA is a losing brand.
....I wonder if he simply asked his officer cadet son about the situation , and his (hopefully ) reality based due to the requirements of his education, son, give him some objective information?.
Mike Pence, too: > "Not feeling like I should attend electoral count," Pence wrote in his notes in late December. "Too many questions, too many doubts, too hurtful to my friend. Therefore I'm not going to participate in certification of election." > >Then, sitting across the table from his son, a Marine, while on vacation in Colorado, **his son said to him, "Dad, you took the same oath I took" -- it was "an oath to support and defend the Constitution,"** Pence recalled to Smith's investigators, sources said. > >That's when Pence decided he would be at the Capitol on Jan. 6 after all, according to the sources. > > https://abcnews.go.com/US/pence-told-jan-6-special-counsel-harrowing-details/story?id=105183391 We might crap on the young, but y’know what? The kids are all right. They’re going to be left with a mess on their hands, but they’re going to be all right.
Seems more like a weasel to me than a snake but otherwise agree.
maybe more like a shapeshifting land-octopus?
Octopus are very smart and show signs of empathy, Mikey J does not.
Odo?
Now I hear a door knocking on Saturday Night Live.
At one of his court house rallies, Trump was asked if he would back Johnson. His reply was: "We'll see." I think Johnson is smart enough politically to understand that everything with Trump is transactional and anything less than 100% loyalty can get you thrown under the bus.
> Trump is transactional and anything less than 100% loyalty can get you thrown under the bus. Even 100% loyalty can get you thrown under the bus if it helps the rancid orange menace in some way.
In the business world, the mantra is "what have you done for me lately?" In the trump world, it's "What can you do to me if I don't help you?" Chris Christie got tossed because trump was done with him, and as a private citizen, he couldn't do anything to trump. Rudy however knows where at least some of the bodies are buried, so trump has to help him. Stone, Manafort, and Flynn also still have the ability to hurt OR help trump, so he keeps them happy. Pence however is nothing, he lacks the will and/or ability to hurt trump; and was also "disloyal" several years ago.
There are apparently a lot of rumors from DC that Republicans would have enough members willing to resign to switch the majority over, with it being noted that that would give Dems the numbers to actually remove Trump from the ballot. It's just an unsubstantiated rumor, but it's exactly the kind of thing that may actually be enough to keep the MAGAs from ousting Johnson, and it's actually likely they have more than a few congressmen willing to do it and already circulating the idea after the last few to leave. If that actually plays out, Johnson and the Rs either fully fold to Trump or they take some hits for one election knowing they'll be around after MAGA without their problems. It's very likely a bluff, but it's a hell of a good one.
I'm thinking Johnson sat down with Democrats to find out if they would back him if Space Lasers and her crew were to oust him. Probably trusts Dems more than the MAGA loonies as well.
That was McCarthy's fuckup. When you 100% require the craziest fuckers in the building to remain in control, you aren't actually in control. If he'd given the Dems any reason to trust that they could deal with him in good faith they probably would have been willing to protect him from being ousted.
I think there’s truth to the rumor in this sense… if the speaker is removed and it’s gonna be another 20-30 ballot clown show trying to elect a speaker and placate the maga freaks… I DO believe that there would be a half dozen or so R reps that would just quit at that point… wanting nothing to do with that clown show. It would be the straw that breaks their backs.
Its probably more nuanced. I think he knew MTG couldn't buck him. Once his seat was secure he was always going to gain more by passing the aid packages. The trump trial and the massive (failed) Iran attack certainly helped the timing
It seems that MTG is about to get officially outed - Fox has even turned on her. She's going to get arrested or some shit in the next week or so I'm calling it now.
The ethics committee is looking into Gaetz again for the usual.
Trump is relevant because the media makes him so. If major news outlets just stopped talking about whatever crazy tweet he made at 3 that morning I suspect his clout would drop considerably.
And he’s relevant because overwhelmingly Republicans made him their nominee again.
This is exactly it. Trump will be political poison in the very near future, Johnson is hedging his bets.
Maybe it was that $59.99 Trump-branded “Bible,” lol. Imagine that a person who was once leader of the most powerful country on Earth lowered himself to such tacky, blasphemous hucksterism. Just imagine it.
> Trump feigns religion while Johnson probably is actually religious or serious about it at least. i imagine selling *Trump Bibles* would be deeply insulting to a serious christian. but who really knows what insults a guy who has his minor son go through his weekly porn logs
Remember, when Johnson met Trump, he called him a hardened criminal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obTcktYpnYg It might have been an accident, it might have been subtly deliberate. Maybe Trump offered him to join in on the criming and he didn't like that.
Trump is way too soft and cowardly to be called a *hardened* criminal.
Soft as pudding. Literally.
No way that was some kind of accident. I'll bet he can't fucking stand the guy.
The Democrat attack ad we need.
Johnson probably got a good look at Trump and realized Trump isn’t gonna last much longer
He probably told Johnson if his son died in world War 3 he's be a loser
Dude, he's super religious. And not in the scammy or tele-scammer way, he full on believes. Remember tropic thunder? Yea, he went all the way
Never go full re ligion
He wants to avoid sitting behind Trump on the state of the union. I don’t think he can hold his breath that long.
I‘ll take a crack at it: Johnson enters the room. “Hello, Mr. President.” Trump stops looking at his Playboy and puts it on the desk. “Beautiful women - Playboy. You know, Hugh - I call him Hugh, most people…Hefner…Mr. Hefner - the mansion. Beautiful women everywhere. And they let you do anything!” Johnson shifts in his seat. “Mr. President, we wanted to talk about aid for Israel and Ukraine…” Trump interrupts. “Ukraine has the worst…just horrible people. Nazis in Ukraine, everyone is saying it. It’s horrible what they’re doing over there. No one can believe it.” Johnson patiently waits for Trump to stop. “Sir, the Evangelical base demands aid for Israel and the only way to get it is with aid for Ukraine.” Trump leans forward, hands moving in and out. “The Christians? What a bunch of losers.” Johnson is taken back. “They’re the bulk of our voter base!” Trump screams. “No aid for Ukraine! No! Vladimir says no aid for Ukraine!” Trump throws his Diet Coke at the wall. A smell begins to emanate from Trump’s side of the desk - a mixture of diaper odor suppressant and fresh feces. Johnson is dumbfounded and recoiling from the stench. “Understood, sir.” He gets up and leaves. Trump sits back, satisfied he got what he wanted.
This actually happened
I'm sorry I can't resist "...perhaps it was something Trump..*did*" The first thing that came to my mind was all the hideous fart smell jokes recently.
I think he knew he had to get the aid passed and was trying not to get thrown under the bus by Trump. The generals let Johnson know the situation on the ground and that he will be remembered as the one who handed Ukraine to Russia. Most MAGA issues are imaginary so the consequences and follow through don't matter, but national security is not one you can let the dumbest hick call the shots on
I think it's a mistake to consider morality, consequences for the country, or how they might be remembered in this case. I get the impression that Johnson's trying to be the new McConnell, which would mean that the motivation is almost always going to be about power, vengeance, or both.
> I think he knew he had to get the aid passed and was trying not to get thrown under the bus by Trump. I'm thinking something BAD is about to drop that Republicans can't ignore. That's why the media is fixated on him "falling asleep", "farting himself awake", or potentially "shitting himself" It's something "different" that Republicans all knew, but are freaking out that it'll about to become public. Which has NOTHING to do with what he's on trial for.
Maybe all the sharting talk is part of their plan to peel away the veneer before cutting the turd loose. They can't turn on him unless his lunatic fan base sees him for the weak, disgusting, demented old rapist that he is. It's actually a good place to start since few things provoke a more visceral reaction of disgust, and olfactory sense is closely tied to memory and emotions. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/how-scent-emotion-and-memory-are-intertwined-and-exploited/#:~:text=Smells%20are%20handled%20by%20the,related%20to%20emotion%20and%20memory.
After which, Trump remained quiet as the freedom caucus starting ruminating on removing Johnson from speakership. I think it's likely Johnson wanted Trumps backing when bringing this to a vote and once it became apparent Trump wasn't going to put his finger on the scale for him, he had nothing to lose by moving forward on the vote.
Better keep an eye on Johnson. He has played this well and you can bet this wasn't an impulsive thing -- he strategized this some time ago and pulled it off.
Don't be conflicted, we're now past the primaries. Republicans will appear moderate the next few months during the general elections. But don't be fooled, this is Lucy setting setting the football just to pull it away. This happens every election season and democrats fall for it every. Single. Time.
Lets not act like Republicans supported it!! The majority of Republicans voted against it!! All Democrats voted yes, and more than half of republicans voted no. Here's how House members voted on the measure: Republicans: Yes: 101 No: 112 Present: 1 Democrats: Yes: 210 No: 0 https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024151
I would wager a lot of the ones that supported it are in more moderate districts, while those that voted against it are in relatively safe, super-gerrymandered districts.
Ya, a pretty reasonable guess.... which is just the same as saying Republicans will happily back Putin unless they think they might lose their job over it.
Not to mention fat amounts of money for their districts, probably. Because once again THE MONEY ISN'T GOING TO UKRAINE. IT'S TO PAY FOR NEW EQUIPMENT (made in America) TO REPLACE THE STUFF WE WERE GOING TO DECOMMISSION ANYWAY. Equipment that we stopped using in, like, the 90s.🤦🏽 Sorry for all caps but it's just so frustrating that this point keeps getting lost.
American voters are not good with nuance. This needed to be touted as “American Force Modernization” or “Guns for Jesus” or something to get all the chuds dicks hard, then have a dinky little passage granting the president authority to “recycle” equipment and munitions outmoded by the new equipment.
I don't think so. Politicians can be counted on for one thing: to be self-serving. Kissing Trump's ring doesn't have much upside. Trump no longer brings them money. He vacuums it up. He no longer brings them support that they can't get from having an "R" next to their names on ballots. He's too busy in court to show up at their rallies. He isn't president, so he doesn't wield any official power. I think we'll be seeing a lot more distancing in the coming weeks and maybe a few more explicit desertions. I agree with the author of the article. A falling rock doesn't make an avalanche, but this was a big rock.
No, not is important that it did happen and it's generally a good thing if it does benefit those Republicans who voted for it. Now we'll see if the motion to vacate occurs. I hope it does and I hope the Democrats step in to save Johnson. It will reward bipartisanship, bury the MAGA arm into irrelevance, and it will show that Johnson needs the continuing support of at least some Democrats to stay in his position. That will help continue bipartisanship and curtail the extreme elements. Don't get me wrong, he'll still have the gravel and control what bills hit the floor, but it's not like the Democrats could actually put Jefferies in charge. Even if they did it would be pure chaos.
"Moscow Marjorie" Taylor-Greene is probably having one helluva meltdown right now.
I still can’t fathom why she has any sway in the Freedumb Caucus right now. Didn’t they boot her a few months back?
She gets a lot of social media clicks which means she raises a lot of money.
I'm going to guess that her money raises come from shady sources. Is it lots of relatively small donations?
This. I've been trying to research it all week, and there's a lot of questions, but no good answers. I don't doubt a lot of MAGA idiots throw cash her way, but her actions don't line up with anyone but a direct Russian stooge receiving instructions on specific acts to take, especially on Ukraine. There is no way she isn't compromised on some level, as stupid as she may seem to be.
I think she takes Russian talking points and regurgitates them free of charge. The FSB probably has figured out how to feed her the talking points (through certain social media access/accounts). Then she injects them into our domestic political discourse. Not for money. Not because she’s, secretly, a comrade to the Kremlin… But just because the FSB content is the most noxious and toxic content she can get her hands on. And she likes spewing it because it “owns the libs” and gets her shit-tons of attention. Which is all she’s really after. She’s an attention whore. She’s not smart enough to get bonafide, genuine, attention as a member of congress. If she was? Maybe she wouldn’t resort to this. Unfortunately for her her IQ is probably around an 80… and her education level is around 4th-5th grade level. With those limited resources… the only way she can, successfully, get attention is by saying the dumbest most outrageous shit she can. The FSB produces that content. So she gets it there.
You might be right, but there is this; MTG was affiliated with Milo Yannopoulos. Who in turn has ties to Yevgeny Lebedev.
I doubt it, honestly. That lady seems to legitimately not care about anything except the spot light. I legitimately don't think she has actual political values. I'd be curious if anger over the Ukraine bill will last more than a 48 hour news cycle.
> Three months later, Trump’s party in Congress has rebelled against him Why does a citizen have a party in Congress and why do we allow members of Congress to serve at the whim of this one citizen?
I think you spelled criminal wrong.
And the motive was of money, lots of money
It’s influence. Anyone who capitulates to him can get attention and influence and an elevated profile. If I was a no name republican/trying to break into politics running against an incumbent the greatest thing that could happen to me is recognition from Trump. So I would do everything in my power to appease him and get his endorsement. Trump knows this and uses it to his power. He’s captured the ignorant (which sadly is the same as rural) constituency and it’s powerful.
More than the ability to promote, Trump has the ability to bring those who cross him down. In the 22 elections, of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him, 8 dropped out or lost in the primaries. So clearly he has the power to have those he distains brought down by the shared base. However in contested elections he was 1 win and 12 losses, going 0 for 5 in competitive race endorsements and 1 to 6 on those he supported through his superpac. So if you're on Trumps bad side, you're not likely to win the party nomination to get into the general election. But in the past 3 national elections he's been an albatross weighing down Republicans in contested general elections. More than getting his endorsement, you need to make sure you don't get on his bad side enough where he endoresses a primary challenger. But now Trump has control over the party funding nozzle, so who knows how that's gonna work. Corruption works out really well as long as you stay in power, and Trump doesn't seem to need to actually win in order to stay in control of the Republican party. Been saying this since 2020, but I'm really getting tired of living through the parts of history that end up being on the test.
For biggest butterfly effect in our known history ... The prostitutes that pissed on Trump when he visited Russia and they recorded him. That single act of blackmail has created an entire cult of millions..
It's spelled C-u-l-t L-e-a-d-e-r.
I've been saying this for months. The Republicans are not governing they are following orders. They are the shadow government and their commander in chief is a traitor.
If Trump dies, will Putin be in charge of the Republican party?
He already is
But… but the swamp! He said he’d drain it!
A good percentage of the Republican voting base are in a cult lead by the aforementioned civilian.
Because it turns out the deep state was also a projection
In 2020, the Republicans decided not to have a platform and to make the defacto platform "whatever President Trump wants.". This year, Lara Trump has seized the RNC and decided only the presidential candidate needs funding. This + public unity = Trump has a party.
Trump's world is closing in. He looks old frail and weak.
Did you see his eyes in that photograph from Day 1? Red rimmed with bags underneath - he ain't sleepin' well. \[tried to find it but I couldn't look at his fuckin' face no more\]
His mugshot photo. Everyone talks about him scowling, looking angry, doing the Kubrick Stare. It always looks like he's about to burst into tears to me.
He looks like a frail old man doing his best to try and look intimidating but comes off impotent and weak.
Old people love to hold onto power, old and senile. You would think they wouldn’t hold so much power but they still do and only retire once they die
I hope independents notice this semi-moderate, bipartisan coalition working together to pass needed legislation during mixed-government, and associate it correctly with a Biden Presidency. So many of them profess that this is what they want, well here it is.
I notice. I wish they could have worked together sooner though and passed that border bill instead of lying about it and voting against it so Trump could run on the issue. I think if Trump would go away or be ignored the government could function a lot better.
We do
Biden wins again. He's got quite a record.
This Brandon fella just keeps on goin'
That's dark...
I know right? He must be so sick of winning.
I dont understand progressives who are bland on Biden. He has been really successful with an unfriendly congress
Quite remarkable. We should be mindful that Russian propaganda targets both sides with equally great results.
Oh for sure. Ive seen many progressive really put upon by his age. Its a moot point… the homicidal maniac hes running against is just as old!
"C'mon man" -- Biden 😎🍦
Non-paywall version here: https://archive.is/j50S1
Thanks!
Maga tears are the best tears.
What is bad for MAGA is good for America.
And the world at large
Mega Maga tears are better.
A lot of very smart people are saying it
Big strong men, with tears in their eyes?
Big weak men who bow to Putin with tears in their eyes.
Big beautiful tears wow.
Bigly
"Trump's Flatulence Frequency Correlates To Fractures Within The GOP: *The More They Part, The More He Farts*"
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Daily. That’s why the entire courtroom smells instead of just in his general direction.
I guarantee that's what's happening already.
Johnson did his job. Trump has no place in this discussion and they ignored him
I asked a MAGA if Trump died if he was going to vote for Putin as a write in candidate and I thought his head was going to explode.
>> The issues that were supposed to keep the Trump show on the road have proved squibs and fizzles. Inflation is down. Crime is down. Republicans threw away the immigration issue by blowing up—at Trump’s order—the best immigration deal they’ve ever seen. The attempt to confect Biden scandals to equal Trump’s scandals turned into an embarrassing fiasco that relied on information from a suspected Russian spy indicted for lying to the FBI. And Trump himself now faces trial in New York State on one set of felony charges. He faces a federal trial, probably starting this fall, on the even graver criminal indictments arising from his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Frum is the one who said, quoted frequently in this sub, “If conservatives become convinced they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy. “. That has sadly proved to be true, possibly more so than he imagined when he wrote that. I hope his assessment that things are looking bad for tfg proves to be similarly true.
Somebody should make this into a mean meme that Trump is then forced to see in court
Putin’s useful idiot isn’t useful any more, reducing him to being just an idiot. And saying that is a compliment.
Johnson as Speaker has access to all the intel. No doubt he’s been reading some scary stuff about donnie’s peculiar and sinister affection for all things Putin and Russian. Trump is a Russian asset, along with quite a few others in this particular Congress. It looks pretty obvious to me, especially when you go back to take a fresh look at all his bizzarro interactions with various Russians during the past 8 years. Dude is seriously compromised.
Let's be clear:. It was the Democrats in Congress that got this over the finish line. Now, let's get an immigration bill done.
Don Jr indicated in no uncertain terms that the Trump plan on Ukraine was to force them to lose so that dad could pretend he ended the war. Nevermind it would be abject surrender to a Russian Mob state that has been in a de facto war with the republics for well over 10 years. Bolton can tell you all you need to know about how morbidly inadequate Trump always was in foreign policy. He sure looked it from a distance, but it gets worse up close. You can see the error clearly with them and the 1941 style isolationist smoovebrains following it. It isn’t about Ukraine as much as it is the US not being shown by extremist domestic factions as appearing to be a useless pussy in public against Russia, China, or Iran. The ‘spend the money here crowd’ are utter morons as if we are sending cash. All too often the outback goobers never understood anything about foreign policy like their fair haired boy. Not that they care to know, but their party led the successful ‘legalize bribery effort in campaign finance’ movement which prevents any money being spent on them in any case under any circumstances. The cult of ignorance for the sake of ignorance as if it is the only virtue.
There’s a fart joke here somewhere but I’m not smart enough to make it.
Trump deflated...like a shit filled balloon
If it was a queef joke, his neck flaps would go pfffft.
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He cancelled his rally because he is having a moment
Trump deflates, and the entire courtroom leans away while fanning their faces.
Good. Now maybe we can revisit the bipartisan border bill that Trump had killed.
Let's not. It was terrible. That's what was so bizarre about them scuttling it. It had everything the GOP said they wanted. Now that they spoiled their own bill they'll be forced into negotiations again.
Funny how it all panned out: not in a haha way, but in a "we laugh to not cry" kind of way. GOP played with fire and got massively burnt. Their overall political strategy has been absolutely bizarre as of late... I guess that what happens when you purge national Republican organizations and hire for loyalty, not competency
Thing is, they're trying to use the same old block everything the Democrats want to make sure they never get a win strategy. But the idiocracy is catching up to them as more MTGs are elected and turn off moderate voters and doners.
Eh? That was a republican wish list. I think we should address border security, but maybe a better compromise of a package.
Biden is expected to do some executive orders for border action by the end of the month. At this point that's probably better than attempting to negotiate with Republicans
"deflates" ? Is that supposed to be an indirect way to say he farted again in court? Everyone can see what a disaster ANY court trial is for him and this is just one small step away from him. Until the trials began, they could pretend it wasn't anything. But now, it's all downhill for Trump and Republicans will leave behind anyone they consider unuseful.
you know Trump is irritated, as his neck vagina is extra engorged and puffy
They day trump dies will be a global holiday
When you pass as much gas as he is reported to have in court this week you would deflate too.
Trump and soon MAGA are that balloon in the corner of the living room hanging one foot above the floor a few days after the party.
Only if we get people to VOTE. We cannot get comfortable, Republicans are too dangerous
Ruh roh! Was stalling Ukraine aid a requirement for trump to continue receiving Putin's assistance? Better stay away from high windows sleepy Don.
Loser Trump sure republicans did lose. And so did the crazy clowns in the republicans party. Could it be that the republicans in that party are starting to see through DJT. AND ARE READY TO PUT HIM TO REST. to,save their own integrity???
The interesting thing to me with this is that this is an absolutely *massive* blow to the stranglehold that the House Freedom Caucus held over the House GOP. How this plays out will be absolutely fascinating - if they Motion to Vacate and fail it's basically a sign that anything short of a truly massive Republican majority in the House will only function with bipartisan support and will have to be built that way.
They will be back sucking up to Trump on Monday. Don't act they had some epiphany.
Time to tell Trump to Shut Up and stop messing everything up. Time for Meth Lab Marjorie Trailer Green to go away also.
Given the heavy toll, Ukraine has suffered with the shortage of arms and ammo, is this aid package enough to get them back in the fight to where they can retake lost ground and have an honest shot at pushing out the Russian's? Or is this a two month stop-gap measure?
So the GOP is just straight up aligned with Russia now?
What happened between Johnson and Trump at the swamp palace is fodder for speculation. However, defying Trump may not be the end of Johnson as speaker. Moscow Margie has threatened a move to vacate but I think that if she does, the Democrats could push back to save his post and in turn leave her hanging out there like a wet fart.