The Republican Agenda 2021 and Forward

[Chew Toy McCoy]

National Public Radio is a gem. They profiled the new book:

The Destructionists by Dana Milbank: 9780593466391 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A scalding history of twenty-five years of Republican attempts to hold on to political power by any means necessary, by a hugely popular Washington Post political...

www.penguinrandomhouse.com

A mix of what this book is about and my perspective:

• It started with Slimey Newt who decided that truth was a liability and Lies are much more productive.
• A direct attack on the basics of Democracy that has been going for 25 years.
• The Republican base believes lies, no facts, no proof required.
• Racism- Propelled by the fear of the White loss of influence.
• How and why we started The Iraq War.
• Vince Foster murdered by Hillary Clinton.
• Obama born in Kenya.
• Global Warming is a hoax.
• Trump is under attack, they’ll be coming for you next!!
• Hey, we need to throw out our Espionage Law to protect Lord and Master.

You might ask are liberals just as bad as the Republican base? I’d hope that the liberals would expect proof of any such accusations. With the GOP you just have to say it and the base cheers, the bar is set low , your good to go.

I can imagine the GOP leadership sits around and discuss lying like you would talk about campaign strategies.
Be very clear, today’s GOP is a direct and dire threat to the United States of America.

As I learn more about what has been going on behind the scenes since the Reagan revolution (which scared the shit out of Democrat politicians and is the main cause of their obsession with the center and abandonment of the left ever since) I’ve started to question the whole “what went wrong with the Republican party?” line that might get traditional Republicans to rethink their current alignment. I’ve concluded they’ve probably always been this way but until recently haven’t had the power to show their true colors. Sucks for sane Republican voters who believed otherwise but that doesn’t change where their party is at and what it's about.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Jesus Christ, I can’t even…

The buffoonery of the GOP is not all doom and gloom. Some of it is downright funny. Dr. Oz has been a laughingstock. He really should have stuck to TV.

For context (link to story), Dr. Oz tried to pretend he’s a normal Pennsylvanian shopper and confused the names of two chains, Redner’s and Wegman’s, and said he was shopping at “Wegner’s”. He was also pointing out inflation while shopping for items to make a “crudité”, which I guess is a veggie tray. The Fetterman campaign pounced, creating a mock Twitter account.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1559290958843449346/

 

[Cmaier]

Jesus Christ, I can’t even…

The buffoonery of the GOP is not all doom and gloom. Some of it is downright funny. Dr. Oz has been a laughingstock. He really should have stuck to TV.

For context (link to story), Dr. Oz tried to pretend he’s a normal Pennsylvanian shopper and confused the names of two chains, Redner’s and Wegman’s, and said he was shopping at “Wegner’s”. He was also pointing out inflation while shopping for items to make a “crudité”, which I guess is a veggie tray. The Fetterman campaign pounced, creating a mock Twitter account.

View attachment 16787


https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1559290958843449346/

I only shop at the Giant Eagle. Yins don’t shop at Wegman’s in my neck of the woods.

 

[Yoused]

while shopping for items to make a “crudité”, which I guess is a veggie tray

Crudité is nicely cut up bite-size vegetables, usually accompanied with a dip, like ranch or a sour cream and dill type thing. The key part is that they are raw: the still shot I saw of him elsewhere had him holding a bundle of asparagus – who eats raw asparagus?

 

[Cmaier]

Crudité is nicely cut up bite-size vegetables, usually accompanied with a dip, like ranch or a sour cream and dill type thing. The key part is that they are raw: the still shot I saw of him elsewhere had him holding a bundle of asparagus – who eats raw asparagus?

Big surprise that the weirdo is a weirdo

 

[GermanSuplex]

Crudité is nicely cut up bite-size vegetables, usually accompanied with a dip, like ranch or a sour cream and dill type thing. The key part is that they are raw: the still shot I saw of him elsewhere had him holding a bundle of asparagus – who eats raw asparagus?

I guess “veggie tray” sounds too working class for him.
He also grabbed the salsa and said it was $6, but that was for the bruschetta next to it.

Nevertheless, Dr. Oz is clearly an out of touch carpetbagger. The whole video stinks of a guy trying way too hard - and failing - to connect with average Americans. Gets the name of the store wrong, pretends to be outraged about the price of avacados when I doubt he can tell you what the average price was before inflation hit.

If the price to make “crudité” upsets him, he should see how much healthcare costs the average person, even if they have health insurance.

 

[Cmaier]

I guess “veggie tray” sounds too working class for him.
He also grabbed the salsa and said it was $6, but that was for the bruschetta next to it.

Nevertheless, Dr. Oz is clearly an out of touch carpetbagger. The whole video stinks of a guy trying way too hard - and failing - to connect with average Americans. Gets the name of the store wrong, pretends to be outraged about the price of avacados when I doubt he can tell you what the average price was before inflation hit.

If the price to make “crudité” upsets him, he should see how much healthcare costs the average person, even if they have health insurance.

Not to mention - who eats salsa with a veggie tray?

 

[GermanSuplex]

Stuart Stevens had a poignant remark on MSNBC moments ago. He said Trump didn’t hijack the Republican Party, he revealed it. The Republican Party is exactly what it wants to be, and they’ve proved it over and over again. And that is anti-democracy. As he put it, to be pro-democracy when you win and against it when you lose is not pro-democracy at all.

 

[Cmaier]

Stuart Stevens had a poignant remark on MSNBC moments ago. He said Trump didn’t hijack the Republican Party, he revealed it. The Republican Party is exactly what it wants to be, and they’ve proved it over and over again. And that is anti-democracy. As he put it, to be pro-democracy when you win and against it when you lose is not pro-democracy at all.

I think that’s brilliantly put. I’ve had similar thoughts from time-to-time while hearing or reading never Trump Republicans - at least from a policy perspective the difference between Trump and ”normal” Republicans often feels like little more than style.

 

[Huntn]

As I learn more about what has been going on behind the scenes since the Reagan revolution (which scared the shit out of Democrat politicians and is the main cause of their obsession with the center and abandonment of the left ever since) I’ve started to question the whole “what went wrong with the Republican party?” line that might get traditional Republicans to rethink their current alignment. I’ve concluded they’ve probably always been this way but until recently haven’t had the power to show their true colors. Sucks for sane Republican voters who believed otherwise but that doesn’t change where their party is at and what it's about.

The only hope for a 60s era fiscal conservative Republican Party, minus the racists, would be for the sane Republicans to split away from today’s GOP. For the rest, these people are mired in their White Supremacy, Sell your soul, stake democracy for the win Koolaid drinking fantasies.

I’ll apologize to our local Christians as it seems like I attack Christianity daily. But I’ll remind you that Some Thing that calls itself Christian and appeals to people who call themselves Christian resided in the GOP that is anti-democratic and anti-freedom of religion.

 

[Joe]

On my way to work today I saw a billboard that said:

"It's not political. ITS ABOUT SURVIVAL! Vote Republican!"

These mother fuckers are scared. Survival lmao

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

The only hope for a 60s era fiscal conservative Republican Party, minus the racists, would be for the sane Republicans to split away from today’s GOP. For the rest, these people are mired in their White Supremacy, Sell your soul, stake democracy for the win Koolaid drinking fantasies.

I’ll apologize to our local Christians as it seems like I attack Christianity daily. But I’ll remind you that Some Thing that calls itself Christian and appeals to people who call themselves Christian resided in the GOP that is anti-democratic and anti-freedom of religion.

I think this also shines a harsh spotlight on the so-called one issue voter. Previously it was portrayed that both parties are roughly the same and this single issue was their deciding factor. The reality is they have their one issue while completely ignoring how horrific the rest of the platform and actions of the party are.

 

[lizkat]

The only hope for a 60s era fiscal conservative Republican Party, minus the racists, would be for the sane Republicans to split away from today’s GOP. For the rest, these people are mired in their White Supremacy, Sell your soul, stake democracy for the win Koolaid drinking fantasies.

I’ll apologize to our local Christians as it seems like I attack Christianity daily. But I’ll remind you that Some Thing that calls itself Christian and appeals to people who call themselves Christian resided in the GOP that is anti-democratic and anti-freedom of religion.

It will be interesting to see if Trump's ongoing antics and reaction to the documents search at Mar a Lago might accelerate the doubts that some evangelicals have started to have about voting for Trump one more time.

Anyway Mike Pence --unmistakably an evangelical Christian-- has hinted publicly a few times that he wouldn't be averse to considering a request to testify before the 1/6 committee, meaning he can visualize some daylight opening up between hard-core Trump fans of the 1/6 Capitol incursion, and regular Republican conservatives. Also interesting that Pence will apparently release a memoir just AFTER the midterm elections.

Pence: ‘I would consider’ testifying to Jan. 6 committee

“The American people have a right to know what happened,” Pence said. “And in the months and years ahead, I’ll be telling my story even more frequently.”

www.politico.com

After the midterms, that's when things will get even more interesting for the hapless Trump, since by then we'll know how voters actually feel about some pro-Trump primary winners in a general congressional election.

All the Republican politicians can then quit tippy-toeing around both Trump and their colleagues' re-election bids. In short order they'll get down to openly clawing their way onto the scoreboards for the 2024 presidential primaries. What they focus on to get there may have a lot to do with results of the midterm contests as well as whatever the DoJ may reveal of their investigations as time goes on.

Mike Pence is a scary guy, don't get me wrong. Not an impulsive scary guy like Donald Trump, and not by nature one for lighting up the night with incendiary posts to social media. What he is, though, is an example of someone capable of more calmly advancing goals of a bunch of authoritarians in the GOP, especially if the Rs have made headway in Congressional elections of 2022. His social views are pretty extreme and pretty regressive. The red state legislatures have certainly helped make a credible pathway for a guy like Pence to campaign and possibly to win "somehow" in 2024.

Meanwhile the Dems must begin wrestling in earnest with their own 2024 issues, on whether President Biden will run again and if not, how to step aside early on without weakening his leadership meanwhile and.... what oh what to do about Vice President Harris? Somewhere in there you can bet the DNC has still not ousted all the Clintonistas.

I found the (doubtless tongue in cheek) results of a recent poll of conservative students about Dem prospects for 2024 rather disheartening. In reality that would reflect a combination of paucity of vision and reliance on "star power"... and leaving out some worthy and attractive options in the Democrats' bench, including some strong candidates who ran in the 2020 primaries. But it's early days yet... lol for a few more months and hopefully the real polls don't run like that!

Newsom Hardest Democrat to Beat in 2024 Presidential Race: TPUSA Straw Poll

The California governor would be a far more formidable candidate than Biden, according to attendees of this weekend's conservative Turning Point conference.

www.newsweek.com

 

[ronntaylor]

I think this also shines a harsh spotlight on the so-called one issue voter. Previously it was portrayed that both parties are roughly the same and this single issue was their deciding factor. The reality is they have their one issue while completely ignoring how horrific the rest of the platform and actions of the party are.

“There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” - Audre Lorde

 

[Cmaier]

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-714895

So far, the list of political parties opposed to having the Diary of Anne Frank in schools is:

- Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
- The Republican Party

 

[lizkat]

“There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” - Audre Lorde

Too many people won't be voting on even a single issue any more really. After 2020 and the resulting turmoil, Trump himself is the issue, on both the left and the right in this country.

Single-issue voters in 2016 got tax breaks and conservative court picks "from him" --actually from Congressional Republicans-- but now that party is pretty much out of policy carrots, just cravenly sticking with Trump's our guy and hoping to retain power long enough to cement in the missing pieces of a permanent authoritarian rule, enabled by new vote manipulating features of state level laws since 2020.

Funny how the 2022 midterms may decide the fate of the RNC's decision to go that route. Well, and the DoJ may have something to say about it too, though... one may still hope.

 

[Yoused]

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1559988561029513221/

 

[shadow puppet]

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1560058655759802368/

 

[shadow puppet]

I can't get past the paywall, but the description / lead-in alone, is really beginning to sound scary.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1560258648701640705/

 

[GermanSuplex]

Wow, that’s the second time in less than an hour I’ve seen Eric Trump desperately trying to catch up to his older brother in the stupid, scary shit-talking contest.