I am really struggling with what the Republicans are striving to accomplish lately. Especially this new twist where Trump and the GOP have decided to back an accused pedophile just because our misleading and somewhat of a perverted President decided to endorse him.
Now I am somewhat of a fiscal Conservative so I almost always vote Republican, however it is getting really hard to defend an organization that seems to have lost its morals and character. And of course the irony of this whole situation is that they are supposed to be the morally uptight party.
It is a good thing I don't have to vote for another year. Hopefully something changes between now and then. Maybe the GOP will get a backbone and fire Trump... I think Pence would be a much better President and role model for our children.
CNN A Very Scary Number for GOP
Now I am somewhat of a fiscal Conservative so I almost always vote Republican, however it is getting really hard to defend an organization that seems to have lost its morals and character. And of course the irony of this whole situation is that they are supposed to be the morally uptight party.
It is a good thing I don't have to vote for another year. Hopefully something changes between now and then. Maybe the GOP will get a backbone and fire Trump... I think Pence would be a much better President and role model for our children.
CNN A Very Scary Number for GOP
30 comments:
Republicans in Minnesota do a pretty good job of distancing themselves from the national party, to my despair. Rep. Erik Paulsen runs very well in one of the few districts in the country that elect Republicans while going Democratic for president. In rural Minnesota, Republicans have done an outstanding job exploiting various real and imagined grievances while benefiting from population distributions.
The way Trump runs doesn't necessarily mean a lot to local Republicans. The Donald takes advantage of the arithmetic. He has a very solid 36% of the vote. The key for him is dividing the other 64%. That strategy works for him but is unique to him. It can't be the way that Erik Paulsen wins elections because Trump isn't popular with his base in the third district. Luckily for Paulsen, Trump isn't interested in politics at a low level, nor does he care about states which he is unlikely to carry. Paulsen just plugs along, talks about his membership on Ways and Means, and in general is a good fit temperamentally for his district. I don't see him losing next year even in the unlikely event that 2018 turns out to be a wave year for Democrats.
--Hiram
I'm tired of this "death by innuendo" routine that the Democrats have used as standard campaign procedure for years. I want to know, re: Moore, WHERE is the proof?! If what he did was actually a crime, which isn't obvious, and if we care about something that happened 40 years ago, which we likely don't, AND if what is alleged is actually true, which it almost certainly is not, why does it matter? Because it will cost Republicans a seat in the Senate? That offers a tremendous motive for the detractors that is hard to put aside when weighing the situation.
This is a good place to apply "qui bono" logic.
WHERE is the proof?
Lots of women have come forward and made statements. Leading Republicans senators have publicly stated that they believed them.
--Hiram
Does it matter whether a candidate for senator is a child molester? I guess that's a decision each of us will have to make for ourselves.
The innuendo thing. I have noticed that lots of people seem to hear what we are thinking in addition to what we are saying. Certainly what we think about Donald Trump is much more critical than much of what we are willing to say in so many words, at this point. I am amused when various tv commentators have a hissy fit when they hear of an FBI investigator expressing a negative opinion on Trump. Let's be honest hear. Does anyone think that any FBI agent doesn't think Donald Trump is a crook? Would you take his real estate seminar? Would you buy a bond in one of his real estate enterprises? Would you loan Donald Trump ten bucks?
--Hiram
Jerry,
The unfortunate reality is that the religious right is simply lowering their standards. Apparently it does not matter what their candidate does as long as he says the right things today...
One Religious Right person rationalized it that "the Lord used many sinners in the Bible and converted them into saints..."
Unfortunately in the real world leopards rarely change their spots. Especially egotistical self centered ones.
Now as for noticing his attractive wife when she was 16 years old, I am the last one who should complain. I know there are many very mature looking and attractive young women in their upper teens.
The challenge of course is that I expect the folks in the Religious Right to expect more from their Leadership... So I am very interested to see what the folks of Alabama decide.
My point is why did the National Republicans go back into the mire with Trump?
Which is definitely not good for the party since a bunch of smart protective Parents see what Moore did as morally unacceptable. Lord knows I get terrible looks / comments when I even notice a hot younger woman of legal age. My spouse gets angry and my girls say it's gross. And now the GOP has just blessed not only looking at younger women, but pursuing them.
Maybe the folks in Alabama will be fine with pursuing child brides...
Hiram,
Even though I have disliked Trump from day 1, the bigger problems exists that I disliked Clinton even more...
I wonder who the Dems will choose in the future and if they become fiscal Conservatives some day...
Or if this divergence between the Left and Right will ever lead to a viable third party candidate who is fiscal Conservative and not a hypocritical Religious Right person.
A FB Friend linked to this.
WP Flake Sends Jones a Check
Another sign that the GOP is off track.
Here is another reason Moore should have been the GOP candidate
"Moore in 2006 wrote an article headlined, "Muslim Ellison Should Not Sit in Congress." It compared the decision by Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, to be sworn into office with his hand on the Quran to a (hypothetical) new member choosing, in 1943, to "take their oath on Mein Kampf.""
So much for freedom of religion...
Even though I have disliked Trump from day 1, the bigger problems exists that I disliked Clinton even more...
It's something I find strange. Hillary is often irritating, but I have never found here unlikable. I have never heard anyone who has encountered describe her as anything besides a nice lady. I have seen her endure hours of congressional grilling with patience, good humor, and sometimes even candor. Donald Trump could never do that. In terms of her politics, the problem generally was that they were too middle of the road, too cautious. That sort of bugs me as someone who is further to the left, but it's hard for me to see how that provokes such hatred among Republicans. Hillary was always the comfort choice.
In contrast, there is Donald Trump. Now I preach against projection, but I am vulnerable to it myself. It's obvious to me that Trump is a crook. It's what Jerry quite rightly says we innuendo about. The projection comes in when I say or believe that's what is perfectly obvious to me isn't obvious to everyone, despite the hugest hints imaginable. Last week the president's lawyer adopted the classic legal position embraced by every presidential scoundrel in history; that if the president does it, it isn't a crime. Doesn't that tell you, tell all of us, something? Could anything make the case for cimrinality clearer short of a guilty plea to a felony?
--Hiram
"a bunch of smart protective Parents see what Moore did as morally unacceptable."
Whoa! Back the truck up! Nobody apparently saw "what Moore did." Nobody apparently noticed for something like 38 years, when all of a sudden a political opportunity arose and Democrats deployed their favorite tactic of smearing the opposition and depending on us holding our candidates to a higher standard.
standards
Question: is truth a legitimate defense against charges of slander?
is truth a legitimate defense against charges of slander?
Historically, under American law, truth is a defense to slander or defamation, generally. The law in this area was changed substantially by the Supreme Court case, Sullivan v. New York Times.
Moore is a public figure under Sullivan. That means that he must prove the charge against him is either untrue, or published with a reckless disregard to it's truthfulness or falsity. As a matter of practice, Moore has no defamation case. Lately, a lot of defamation cases have been brought just to run up fees. The Washington Post which originally published the story is owned by Jeff Bezos, one of the richest people in America. He can afford the legal fees.
--Hiram
"Question: is truth a legitimate defense against charges of slander?"
Sure, but Moore's denials don't exactly hold water. Now, he claims he didn't know any of the accusers after he first acknowledged he did, but didn't do anything wrong. Maybe he sent cards to folks he didn't know or signed yearbooks for high school girls he didn't know, too?
Moore could sue the women individually. The problem he has there is that he opens himself up to discovery. Each woman would have the right to make him testify under oath. What that means is that testifying and preparing to testify would be pretty much what he spends the rest of his life doing. And the very most he can hope for after answering a vast number of charges is a result that is inconclusive. No, there will be no suits from Judge Roy Moore.
With the Franken likely resignation, Democrats are clearly positioning themselves both for an expulsion battle over Trump, and ultimately the impeachment of Donald Trump.
--Hiram,
Should be "expulsion battle over Moore," I think, but whatever. It doesn't appear Franken will resign or be pushed out, and that's fine with me. I like having him available to tar every Democrat we can with his creepiness.
Sean, I see Moore's fumbling around not as proof of anything except that 40-year-old memories aren't very reliable, and the same could be said of his accusers. Either way, I see that he is rapidly adopting the standard Democrat defense-- deny, deny, deny.
Interesting piece today saying that Democrats messed up. They "pulled the trigger" too soon on their standard October surprise smear tactics, not allowing for the fact that the new social media--24/7 news would allow the effect to fade before the election. They won't make that mistake again; it will be the LATE October or even early November surprise next time.
Franken apparently will resign tomorrow.
It would have been very hard for us to move to expel Moore while Franken was in the senate.
It's become increasingly apparent with regard to Trump that innuendo is becoming reality, that Trump has been doing business with Russian gangsters and oligarchs who are now blackmailing. That's what everyone has been thinking and now are increasinly willing to say. Trump has been using the deny, deny, deny, standard Democratic defense, but it doesn't seem to work anymore, as suggested by Franken's departure from the senate.
Could it be that Trump should return to his previous tactics of candor and transparency? Should he go back to being interviewed by Lester Holt?
--Hiram
Something has changed, and I am not sure what. I am long accustomed to Republicans ostracizing one of their own for alleged misdeeds, true or manufactured. But rarely have I seen Democrats willing to throw one of their own under the bus. I would expect Republicans to join the hue and cry, too, just as Democrats always want to "help" Republicans decimate their own ranks. Odd.
Just saw a news item, too, about a "partisan difference" between reactions to "allegations of sexual harassment." Democrats like John Kerry are fond of citing "nuance" in evaluating situations, yet here we are trying to paint two entirely different situations with the same brush. Democrats are racing to do that, while Republicans wait for actual evidence to weigh. Again, what has changed?
Jerry,
The timing on the Moore allegations makes sense to me.
Apparently having a 30+ year old man approaching and trying have physical relations with ~17 year old girls is okay for many Conservative voters in Alabama.
When Moore tried to enter the national realm, the standards were raised.
Do you seriously think it is okay that he was trolling the mall and high school for really young women / girls?
If so, I think you should have a talk with your spouse and pastor...
I'm sorry, is there any actual EVIDENCE for your scurrilous accusations? What is "really young," when the age of consent in Alabama is 16?
And you are excusing what is obviously a politically-motivated smear campaign.
"I am long accustomed to Republicans ostracizing one of their own for alleged misdeeds, true or manufactured."
You've got to be kidding. The Republicans are in a completely different moral universe than the Democrats. That is, they live in a universe without morals.
We have allegations against Franken, Moore, and Trump.
The Democrat has resigned. If you think the Republicans would even think of following suit, you're an idiot.
Moose
So, Moose, is that alternate universe the one you inhabit, or the one the rest of us live in? Franken did NOT resign today. There are a long list of Republicans who have, including 3 Speakers of the House, two recent State legislators, and more. What Democrats, other than Conyers, have done so? Franks? Clinton? Pelosi?
And I am willing for Franken to stay until the charges against him have been substantiated and until those together evidence a "pattern of behavior" that is ongoing. I would expect the same for Judge Moore, but the media/Democrat axis does not seem to want to do that; it's not the name of the game. It is called "smear the Republican just before the election."
"What is "really young," when the age of consent in Alabama is 16??"
I will take this statement as acknowledgement that you are okay with men in their 30's trolling the malls trying to attain sexual relations with High School girls.
Maybe this explains why you liked Mississippi so much? Your beliefs and theirs seem aligned. :-)
I personally have higher expectations for US Senators and am very interested to see what the voters in Alabama decide.
As for Franken resigning, I find it unfortunate since the accusations I have read have been pretty tame. However I assume there may be potential other shoes waiting to drop.
Or may be "that picture" just looked monster like to many... Instead of a guy just being a goof off.
Of course, Franken trying to shame Trump / Moore into taking responsibility for their much worse behaviors is absolutely silly.
It relies on these two having positive characters, and the ability to feel shame and a sense of wrong doing... Which they obviously do not have...
I mean if they did have that positive character, they wouldn't:
- brag about grabbing women by their "pussy" against their will
- troll malls for teenage girls as an adult male.
Here is an interesting related piece
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