Trump and Teabaggers are the "rebuilt" Republican Party from the Bush cluster**** that made so many disavow and forget Dub**** and label themselves "independents". Primaries and out of state Dark Money have made the 15 year transformation complete. In terms of reboots, Republicans are in the Joel Shumacker era of Batman movies, with them rubber nipples and easily predictable/bland villains.
LOL... the susan collins concern-o-meter must be smoking... but on a more serious note, do you really think the republican national committee is happy that trump is badmouthing a potential senate seat loss candidate?
Republicans are nothing if not respectful of power. As they sense Trump's weakness and impending doom they are going to turn on him like a pack of rabid dogs. Man this is going to get wild.
I have no sympathy for Susan Collins. This is the problem with her trying to thread the needle with Trump. She should've taken a stand during impeachment and she would be in much better shape but instead her "concern" just means that neither side trusts her.
It's large too late. For people like Susan Collins and Ben Sasse they can turn against him but with the election well under way it might not make much of a difference except as a historical footnote. For Collins as noted neither side trusts her and her turning against Trump now by not voting for Barrett doesn't mean much as her vote isn't pivotal, she knows that and most of her constituents probably know that.
Oh yeah the ship for 2020 has sailed a long time ago. I'm talking about how 80% of the Republican party will instantly have a case of "Trump who?" amnesia on November 5th.
On that I totally agree. If Trump loses I predict people like Ted Cruz will be among the first turn against him. I expect Cruz to be saying things like he never supported Trump and always distrusted him. If Lindsey Graham loses it wouldn't surprise me to see him doing the talk show circuit and even writing a book criticizing Trump. That said there will still be enough Republicans who will still be Trumpists if not in name but in policy. The 2022 primaries will likely be a war between those who still subscribe to Trumpism and people like Marco Rubio who will try to move the party in a different direction.
I know that one hurt. I am "half-Iowan", I lived there many years, am a Hawkeye alum (like Matt Bullard, go Hawks!), and enjoyed my years during the warm months watching girls in their IOWA shorts walking away: IO, WA, IO, WA....but I digress. Anyway, when wifey and I were driving through Iowa on her first visit, leaving Cedar Rapids, it's all, yes, fields of corn or soybeans (essentially). You're the sitting Senator from Iowa and you didn't bother to memorize the price of those crops for a debate when you have a real chance of losing in less than three weeks? My dad lives there and if he were any more Republican the ghost of Barry Goldwater would say, "*******, take it easy, son," and Dad (who hung up on me when we talked politics months ago; NO MORE of that!) sounds like he won't vote for her.
Ted Cruz: "Mister President, give....me......BACK.....my balls." Donald John Trump: "They're mine now." Ted Cruz: "I know for a fact you keep them in a jar of formaldehyde next to your bed. Secret Service told me. Give them back." Donald John Trump: (scowls, won't answer, stares straight ahead) Secret Service Agent: "Senator Cruz" (steers him away) "I'm sorry, but the President threw them away." Ted Cruz: "He WHAT!" Secret Service Agent: "He threw away your balls."
Yeah that goof is pretty catastrophic. Ernst only won in 2014 because her opponent (Bruce Braley) insulted farmers in a recording (and was perceived as someone who was out of touch with farmers) so it'll be a little ironic that Ernst will go down because she also is now perceived as out of touch with farmers. On a separate note, we're running out of legislators in Congress who actually know anything about farming. Farming states and congressional districts used to be represented by equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans and the Democrats in particular were very knowledgeable in farm politics and legislation. North Dakota had an all Democratic delegation until 2010 and those legislators used to play a huge role in farm legislation. Similarly, there used to be Democrats from South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana until recently. Those Democrats have been replaced by Republicans who are largely clueless about farm legislation (Ernst being a perfect example of this as she replaced Tom Harkin). In North Dakota you've seen the same thing where an expert in farm legislation (Heidi Heitkamp) has been replaced by a clueless bafoon (Kevin Cramer).
This **** is hilarious. I am surprised she didn't start making fake static noises and say "sorr...bad conne.....driving into tunne........... Embarrassing.
Yet... no matter how horrible a senator she is (and yes, ernst is among the worst U.S. Senators), Iowans will re-elect her. Doesn't matter is she is a complete idiot, who doesn't know squat about farming. Party before country, even when it hurts them locally as farmers.
Ben Sasse is trying to get in front of this train. To his credit, he's railed against Trump before so it's not entirely new. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/15/politics/ben-sasse-trump-criticism/index.html "The way he kisses dictators' butts. I mean, the way he ignores that the Uyghurs are in literal concentration camps in Xinjiang right now. He hasn't lifted a finger on behalf of the Hong Kongers," Sasse said in response to a constituent's question about his relationship with Trump and his past criticisms of the President. "The United States now regularly sells out our allies under his leadership. The way he treats women and spends like a drunken sailor. The ways I criticized President (Barack) Obama for that kind of spending I've criticized President Trump for as well. He mocks evangelicals behind closed doors. His family has treated the presidency like a business opportunity. He's flirted with White supremacists," the Nebraska Republican said. ... "If young people become permanent Democrats because they've just been repulsed by the obsessive nature of our politics, or if women who were willing to still vote with the Republican Party in 2016 decide that they need to turn away from this party permanently in the future, the debate is not going to be, you know, 'Ben Sasse, why were you so mean to Donald Trump?' " he said. "It's going to be 'What the heck were any of us thinking that selling a TV-obsessed narcissistic individual to the American people was a good idea?' It is not a good idea." ... "The reality is that he careened from curb to curb. First, he ignored Covid. And then he went into full economic shutdown mode. He was the one who said 10 to 14 days of shutdown would fix this, and that was always wrong," he said. "So I don't think the way he's led through Covid has been reasonable or responsible or right."
I think Ernst goes down - which might provide a little buffer for a potential upset in Michigan or North Carolina.
One of the most vulnerable Democrats is Minnesota 7th CD Colin Petersen. He is a farmer and one of the last Blue Dogs. Since you live in MN you're probably aware of how red of a district that is. This might be the year he get's defeated and replaced by someone who had represented the Twin Cities metro area in the state legislature.
