2018 Republicans thread

[pcq]

29 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

RIP John McCain 

I go back a ways with Obama but total admiration for McCain. Thanks Senator for not towing the company line. Walk with the good ghosts. 

[Middle Buffalo]

4 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

RIP John McCain 

I definitely voted for him a few times for the Senate.There was a lot to like about him politically. I wish there were more like him who weren't afraid to reach out to the other side. RIP.

[caulfield12]

Can thhttps://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/26/gop-party-of-ideas-policy-politics-paul-ryan-219595e GOP Get I

Can the GOP Get Its Ideas Mojo Back?

With Paul Ryan leaving and a backward-looking president in charge, the “party of ideas” faces an innovation crisis. Is anyone ready to lead?

ts Ideas Mojo Back?

With Paul Ryan leaving and a backward-looking president in charge, the “party of ideas” faces an innovation crisis. Is anyone ready to lead?

[caulfield12]

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/26/gop-party-of-ideas-policy-politics-paul-ryan-219595

Can the GOP get its ideas mojo back?

Rubio, Sasse, Lee, Scott or Kasich...there aren’t many independent thinkers left.

Edited August 26, 2018 by caulfield12

[The Beast]

Some people are really responding to McCain’s death in strange ways. John Kass posted about “The Obama smear on McCain” today and his supporters declared it the best post since sliced bread.

Pence posted a response that was more presidential than Trump’s, highlighting McCain’s career and contributions as opposed to offering thoughts and prayers with a picture of himself instead of McCain.

[Middle Buffalo]

Yeah, based on the comments below some of the articles I've read, you'd think Republicans didn't like McCain. Then, how did he get re-elected so many times and run as the presidential candidate? Democrats voted for him?

[southsider2k5]

And of course the flag over the White House which was at half staff, is now up at full height.

[southsider2k5]

On 8/25/2018 at 12:12 PM, southsider2k5 said:

We could also see a backroom deal where Pence pardon's him to take the heat off.

 

On 8/23/2018 at 9:14 PM, southsider2k5 said:

I really think at some point that a group of Republicans will eventually sell out Trump in impeachment in a deal to make Pence President,  especially if the Dems can take at least on chamber. Then they will spend the rest of his term blaming everything bad on Trump to try to get Pence reelected 

 

Or Pence will just cut Trump's throat himself.

[Balta1701]

10 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

 

Or Pence will just cut Trump's throat himself.

If there's one thing the people working in this administration, and in this Congress with R's after their names, have repeatedly demonstrated: they're cowards. 

I can give no better evidence than yesterday.

[southsider2k5]

Realistically if you ever wondered what a coup looks like, you are seeing the first steps to one happening right in front of you.

[Dick Allen]

9 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Realistically if you ever wondered what a coup looks like, you are seeing the first steps to one happening right in front of you.

 

 

I can't believe it was Pence directly, way too dangerous for someone who thinks God told him he would be President., but I can believe it was someone either he or his minions put up to the task. 

 

It would be far more entertaining if it came out it was Jared.

 

 

Edited September 6, 2018 by Dick Allen

[southsider2k5]

3 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

 

 

I can't believe it was Pence directly, way too dangerous for someone who thinks God told him he would be President., but I can believe it was someone either he or his minions put up to the task. 

 

It would be far more entertaining if it came out it was Jared.

 

 

If it wasn't Pence, it was someone else who wanted it to either sound like Pence, or to sound like Pence was on board.  Who would that be?  Man, that is a great question. 

[Balta1701]

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

If it wasn't Pence, it was someone else who wanted it to either sound like Pence, or to sound like Pence was on board.  Who would that be?  Man, that is a great question. 

One important thing to remember - the New York Times wouldn't give anonymity for a column like that to someone's low level staffer if they have any credibility at all. Assuming they do...they would only grant it for a piece like that to someone at the cabinet level or higher. If I was in that chair, I wouldn't have published that without talking to the actual "Secretary of whatever" in person to verify that is what they want published.

[StrangeSox]

Just now, Balta1701 said:

One important thing to remember - the New York Times wouldn't give anonymity for a column like that to someone's low level staffer if they have any credibility at all. Assuming they do...they would only grant it for a piece like that to someone at the cabinet level or higher. If I was in that chair, I wouldn't have published that without talking to the actual "Secretary of whatever" in person to verify that is what they want published.

It's the NYT editorial board that made this decision, not the news room. Big difference in standards there.

[southsider2k5]

2 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

One important thing to remember - the New York Times wouldn't give anonymity for a column like that to someone's low level staffer if they have any credibility at all. Assuming they do...they would only grant it for a piece like that to someone at the cabinet level or higher. If I was in that chair, I wouldn't have published that without talking to the actual "Secretary of whatever" in person to verify that is what they want published.

Eh, I don't have that kind of faith in the NYT, but I also would assume that we are probably talking about someone with some level of pull.  I can really buy Pence as Pence is a guy who thinks he is much smarter than he actually is, and probably wouldn't catch that he had left the breadcrumbs of using a specific word like lodestar in other speeches. 

If someone else did this, they really had to do some work to pick out a specific word like that in conjunction with Pence.  Who else in that administration would pay that close of attention to specific word choice?  For me you pretty much work down to lawyers or someone like Sanders (or another speechwriter) who has to pattern her words and speech to mimic and support her boss.

At the end of the day, I think Pence makes the most sense.  He has the most to gain, and could very well be trying to push the process along.  I can almost picture his slimy self sitting in the Oval with his feet up on the desk imaging himself in the office while DT is out of town.

[Dick Allen]

7 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

If it wasn't Pence, it was someone else who wanted it to either sound like Pence, or to sound like Pence was on board.  Who would that be?  Man, that is a great question. 

If I had to bet, and the clue was someone we all are pretty familiar, I'd go with Kellyanne. She was rumored to be a big leaker. She bashed Trump before she worked for him. Her husband's tweets don't exactly endorse him. And during the Trump phone call with Woodward, it's pretty apparent she blew off telling Trump Woody wanted to speak to him concerning the book. She has to be sick of trying to spin this ridiculousness daily.  

[southsider2k5]

1 minute ago, Dick Allen said:

If I had to bet, and the clue was someone we all are pretty familiar, I'd go with Kellyanne. She was rumored to be a big leaker. She bashed Trump before she worked for him. Her husband's tweets don't exactly endorse him. And during the Trump phone call with Woodward, it's pretty apparent she blew off telling Trump Woody wanted to speak to him concerning the book. She has to be sick of trying to spin this ridiculousness daily.  

Reading her wiki, she has a background in law, so understands the importance of a particular word or phrase and is probably in tune for them.

[caulfield12]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/05/politics/donald-trump-mystery-op-ed/index.html

13 most likely to have written the piece...although someone directly under Mattis makes more sense, as it’s about patriotism, foreign affairs/standing abroad, etc.  

Coats also would be another logical choice, and his intelligence background would certainly involve trying to use key words like amorality and lodestar to kick suspicion in the direction of Pence.  

Jared and Ivanka aren’t clever enough.

Melania’s speechwriter would make it the best story of the year...especially if she initiated divorce proceedings against him soon.

Edited September 6, 2018 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

Gen. Kelly’s the other “at this point, what the hell...why not?” candidate to be looking at, keep thinking it has to relate back to someone with a military/service background.

He’s much more likely to be on the way out the door anyway, compared to Mattis or Gen. Dunford of JSOC.

[Balta1701]

10 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Eh, I don't have that kind of faith in the NYT, but I also would assume that we are probably talking about someone with some level of pull.  I can really buy Pence as Pence is a guy who thinks he is much smarter than he actually is, and probably wouldn't catch that he had left the breadcrumbs of using a specific word like lodestar in other speeches. 

If someone else did this, they really had to do some work to pick out a specific word like that in conjunction with Pence.  Who else in that administration would pay that close of attention to specific word choice?  For me you pretty much work down to lawyers or someone like Sanders (or another speechwriter) who has to pattern her words and speech to mimic and support her boss.

At the end of the day, I think Pence makes the most sense.  He has the most to gain, and could very well be trying to push the process along.  I can almost picture his slimy self sitting in the Oval with his feet up on the desk imaging himself in the office while DT is out of town.

The piece was polished enough that whoever wrote it, IMO, almost certainly had a staffer or speechwriter prepare it for them or along with them. 

[southsider2k5]

1 minute ago, Balta1701 said:

The piece was polished enough that whoever wrote it, IMO, almost certainly had a staffer or speechwriter prepare it for them or along with them. 

Or someone who knew how to write it on their own.  If you are writing something like that, would you have enough trust in someone else to bring them in to help you with it, thus exposing another person to the identity of the writer?  The only way that happens is if there is a pretty tight knit group behind this, and not just one person, which is a whole other ball of wax.

[Balta1701]

Just now, southsider2k5 said:

Or someone who knew how to write it on their own.  If you are writing something like that, would you have enough trust in someone else to bring them in to help you with it, thus exposing another person to the identity of the writer?  The only way that happens is if there is a pretty tight knit group behind this, and not just one person, which is a whole other ball of wax.

Considering we now have both Woodward's book and this piece saying that there is an entire group of cowards violating the law and possibly committing treason to keep the President from destroying the world, and that there are now multiple Republican senators on the record saying "Yeah that's exactly what we've heard", even if this is just one person and their staffer writing it, there's clearly a whole group of cowards involved in keeping the President from destroying the world who are at the same level. 

[caulfield12]

Once again, that line of thinking (group/cabal) follows the military coup ‘d etat line of thinking...military/industrial complex conspiracy theories, deep state insurgents, etc.

Steady connotes near permanent bureaucracy.

[southsider2k5]

1 minute ago, Balta1701 said:

Considering we now have both Woodward's book and this piece saying that there is an entire group of cowards violating the law and possibly committing treason to keep the President from destroying the world, and that there are now multiple Republican senators on the record saying "Yeah that's exactly what we've heard", even if this is just one person and their staffer writing it, there's clearly a whole group of cowards involved in keeping the President from destroying the world who are at the same level. 

Like I said earlier, this is what a coup looks like.

[Balta1701]

6 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Like I said earlier, this is what a coup looks like.

I don't disagree with that. I would disagree with your earlier use of "First steps", because the Republican cowards in the White House and their enablers in Congress have apparently been ok with this for a good long while.