GOP deals with its problems

[billvon 3,096]

The GOP has a lot of problems lately.

Despite a majority in both houses, the presidency and a right-leaning Supreme Court, they haven't been able to get a single major piece of legislation passed. The Trump administration is being arrested and indicted one member at a time. One former member has already pled guilty to lying about Trump's collusion with Russia. Trump is seen as supporting sexual abusers and white supremacists. In Alabama, a sexual predator is trying to stay in a Senate race that the GOP needs to win.

What is the GOP to do? Is it time for them to re-assess their fundamental stance on race and abuse issues, to shed the image that they are courting the worst elements of America for nothing more than political power? Should they repudiate the elements of Trump's policies that conflict with the GOP's long-standing principles? Should they stand up and say "no" to white supremacy and sexual abusers?

Of course not. It's time for them do to the only thing they know how to do - investigate Hillary Clinton again! Maybe the eighth time is a charm. And while they are doing that, maybe they can forget about all their problems and they will just sort of go away without any effort on their part.

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Justice Department Considering GOP Calls for Clinton Special Counsel

by Pete Williams and Ken Dilanian

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered senior federal prosecutors to evaluate whether a special counsel should be appointed to investigate concerns raised by Republicans, including alleged unlawful dealings by the Clinton Foundation and the sale of a uranium company, according to a document obtained Monday by NBC News.

In a letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said the Justice Department lawyers would make recommendations to Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about whether an investigation should be opened or expanded, or whether a special counsel should be appointed, related to a host of issues of concern to Republicans.
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[billvon 3,096]

Roger Stone gives a good overview of why the GOP is pursuing this:
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Roger Stone Says This Is Trump’s ‘Only Chance For Survival’ In Mueller Probe

ALEX PFEIFFER
White House Correspondent
Daily Caller

Longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone told The Daily Caller Monday that President Donald Trump directing the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate an Obama-era Uranium deal is Trump’s “only chance for survival.”

. . .

Russian firm Uranium One ended up being approved to purchase a Canadian firm that controlled around 20 percent of America’s uranium supply. No charges were brought by federal officials and Stone said that there was a “cover up.”

“Mueller can’t be a special prosecutor when he himself is under investigation,” Stone said. “Mueller is guilty of obstruction and cover up in Uranium One.”
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[kallend 2,135]

billvon

Of course not. It's time for them do to the only thing they know how to do - investigate Hillary Clinton again! Maybe the eighth time is a charm. And while they are doing that, maybe they can forget about all their problems and they will just sort of go away without any effort on their part.

Does your count include the Inspector General's investigation and the FBI investigation?

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[ryoder 1,590]

Looks like Fox's Shep Smith went off-script.
Take the link at the top of the page to avoid the paywall: https://www.google.com/search?q=Fox+News+Shepard+Smith+debunks+this+network%E2%80%99s+favorite+Hillary+Clinton+%E2%80%98scandal,%E2%80%99+infuriates+viewers+site:washingtonpost.com&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAgd6p6MDXAhUQ6GMKHeZRBdMQBQgjKAA&biw=1222&bih=1036

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Phil1111 1,157]

ryoder

Looks like Fox's Shep Smith went off-script.
Take the link at the top of the page to avoid the paywall: https://www.google.com/search?q=Fox+News+Shepard+Smith+debunks+this+network%E2%80%99s+favorite+Hillary+Clinton+%E2%80%98scandal,%E2%80%99+infuriates+viewers+site:washingtonpost.com&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAgd6p6MDXAhUQ6GMKHeZRBdMQBQgjKAA&biw=1222&bih=1036

Good post. If Fox kept that up it might become a real news organization.

[billvon 3,096]

>Good post. If Fox kept that up it might become a real news organization.

But would severely limit the news stream for deplorables. Breitbart can't maintain the volume of constantly streamed news that FOX can.

[DJL 235]

Shep is being shouted down by Fox viewers. I guess they don't like it when someone brings the truth to the table instead of feeding them political fast food.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[ryoder 1,590]

Well, at least the last guy had a clue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMupq6zB1Tc

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[JerryBaumchen 1,454]

Hi Robert,

Quote

the last guy had a clue

And one more time: The average American voter is uninformed and prefers to stay that way.

I have been saying that for more years than I can remember; and it is still true.

Jerry Baumchen

[billvon 3,096]

>Shep is being shouted down by Fox viewers. I guess they don't like it when
>someone brings the truth to the table instead of feeding them political fast food.

It is severely messing with their normal escalation.

1) He didn't do it
2) OK he did it but it's not that bad
3) Clinton did it first

How can they use 3) if Shep won't follow Trump's script?

[Phil1111 1,157]

JerryBaumchen

Hi Robert,

Quote

the last guy had a clue

And one more time: The average American voter is uninformed and prefers to stay that way.

I have been saying that for more years than I can remember; and it is still true.

Jerry Baumchen

Because of the corruption of the process.

American elections ranked worst among Western democracies. Here’s why.

"As well as repeated procedural flaws, there has been speculation that public disgust with the role of money in politics, and the role of major donors in buying access to Congress, is one of the major factors driving the primary campaigns.,,,

In the 2012 National Election Survey, for example, when the public was asked whether ‘Rich people buy elections’, two-thirds of Americans agreed with this statement....

Americans often express pride in their democracy, yet the results indicate that domestic and international experts rate the U.S. elections as the worst among all Western democracies.

Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are at the top of the ranking, all scoring over 80 on the 100 point PEI Index. Several democracies from diverse regions and cultures – for example, Israel and Canada – are ranked in the middle of the pack.

But the U.S. scores 62, a full 24 points lower than Denmark and Finland. The UK also performs fairly poorly, along with Greece and Australia. One reason for this is that proportional electoral systems – which translate votes into seats on a proportional basis – usually tend to score higher as they provide more inclusive opportunities for smaller parties. All of the Nordic countries, for example, use a proportional system. ...

The 2012 U.S. presidential election ranks 60th out of 180 elections worldwide, close to Bulgaria, Mexico and Argentina. ..

This is no one-time shortcoming. The 2014 U.S. Congressional elections rank even worse, 65th out of 180 worldwide. ..

The results show that the worst problem across most states involved gerrymandering of district boundaries to favor incumbents. The mean score for American states was just 42 on a 100-point scale.

Other weaknesses concerned whether electoral laws were unfair to smaller parties like the Green Party, favored the governing party, or restricted voter’s rights.

Campaign finance – for example, whether parties and candidates had equitable access to public subsidies and political donations – was also seen by experts as a problem. "
http://theconversation.com/american-elections-ranked-worst-among-western-democracies-heres-why-56485

[kallend 2,135]

Good column by CONSERVATIVE columnist Jennifer Rubin:

/www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/11/19/the-face-of-a-soulless-intellectually-corrupt-party/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_with_top_mostshared_2_na&utm_term=.4a17fe023b80

If you want to see the state of the GOP these days take a gander at Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey. Asked about her vote for Senate she had this to say:

"I’m going to cast my ballot on December the 12th, and I do believe the nominee of the party is the one I’ll vote for. I believe in the Republican Party, what we stand for, and most important, we need to have a Republican in the United States Senate to vote on things like the Supreme Court justices, other appointments the Senate has to confirm and make major decisions. So that’s what I plan to do, vote for Republican nominee Roy Moore."

So, she doesn’t believe the women, right? Nope. She said: “I certainly have no reason to disbelieve any of them. The timing is a little curious. But at the same time, I have no reason to disbelieve them.” So, what does she think of the conduct he is accused of committing? “There’s never an excuse for or rationale for sexual misconduct or sexual abuse. It bothers me.” But not enough to put someone she concedes may be a child sex predator in the U.S. Senate. Because … well the courts! Tax cuts!

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[JerryBaumchen 1,454]

Hi Bill,

Quote

GOP deals with its problems

Here is some hope for the future: 'Mitt Romney is a serious political threat to President Donald Trump.'

Romney is considering taking on Orrin Hatch in the next Utah US Senate race.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/romney-s-back-s-problem-trump-could-get-worse-n826411

Romney in the Senate might not make a lot of change; but it would be a step in the right direction.

Jerry Baumchen