What happens to the Republican Party now? (2 Viewers)

[MT15]

This election nonsense by Trump may end up splitting up the Republican Party. I just don’t see how the one third (?) who are principled conservatives can stay in the same party with Trump sycophants who are willing to sign onto the TX Supreme Court case.

We also saw the alt right types chanting “destroy the GOP” in Washington today because they didn’t keep Trump in power. I think the Q types will also hold the same ill will toward the traditional Republican Party. In fact its quite possible that all the voters who are really in a Trump personality cult will also blame the GOP for his loss. It’s only a matter of time IMO before Trump himself gets around to blaming the GOP.

There is some discussion of this on Twitter. What do you all think?

 

[wardorican]

Regime? DeSantis is trying to Scare Cubans and Venezuelan's.

And it's not 87k IRS agents. I hate easily verifiable lies.

 

[faceman]

I hate to say it, but I hope the Trumper wins. That'll teach them (the DNCC) not to play with fire....maybe? Supporting Trumpers in primaries is insanity.

No, we have to fight them. Trump is one of the most dangerous men walking the the planet. He needs to go away

 

[DaveXA]

No, we have to fight them. Trump is one of the most dangerous men walking the the planet. He needs to go away

I'm talking about Trumpers supported by the DNCC in Republican primaries, not Trump. I realize that's a distinction without much difference, but supporting Trumpers in any form or fashion is a bad look. Essentially faafo mode.

 

[Optimus Prime]

.......For months, Trump has been leaking support in polls that pit him against other potential 2024 Republican candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a less volatile alternative who still hits all the right buttons with the contemporary Republican base.

But, the thinking goes, the raid on Mar-a-Lago will erase all that. Trump’s perceived harassment at the hands of Dark Brandon’s goons will stop the bleeding and keep the party arrayed behind him.

When news of the search broke, every Republican—especially those considering challenging Trump in 2024—was politically obligated to be outraged. DeSantis described the raid as “another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents,” and referred to the United States as a “Banana Republic.” (This has been a popular term.) Mike Pence insisted “the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed.”

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted that “using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships.” Then, following a line break pregnant with gravitas: “But never before in America.”

Trump, too, thought this was good politics for Trump. His potential 2024 rivals were rushing to renew their vows of obedience. The fundraising emails have been coming out hot and heavy. And though Trump wasn’t at Mar-a-Lago, it surely heartened him to be able to watch footage of supporters flocking to his gilded manse in solidarity...........

I get it. There’s no doubt that GOP primary politics have gotten hinky. Once we get past the midterms and the presidential primary gets underway, though, a switch is going to flip that could turn what now appears to be useful martyrdom—Trump’s supposed persecution from the FBI, the Jan. 6 committee, and fellow haters—into standard, run-of-the-mill political baggage: Republicans are going to start running against him.

Consider the circumstances. Since Trump won the GOP nomination for president in 2016, Republicans have lived in a steady state in which Trump has been the unchallenged leader of the party. You either defend him and follow his orders, or you lose your primary.

But if Trump runs in 2024, he will probably be unable to fully clear the field of opponents. Then, it will be the first time in eight years that other Republicans will have tried to defeat him. And one of the most interesting questions, as that primary develops, will be whether Republicans, at long last, choose to pick up any of those weapons against Trump they’ve so far been forbidden from using.

We’ll see soon enough what polling data shows about public perceptions of the raid on Mar-a-Lago. But there’s a strong chance the American public is going to have a more nuanced opinion of its appropriateness than that of the MAGA base. Rather than seeing it as a crooked persecution, the public at-large might not be so shocked that federal authorities would find reasons to investigate Trump for crimes. They might even be interested in learning whether he did commit crimes.

Similarly, Republicans might be duty-bound to defend their existing leader against the Jan. 6 committee as a witch hunt, a hoax, a scam, etc. But the public at large thinks the committee’s findings make Trump look terrible. Much of Trump’s base has rallied behind the stolen-election conspiracies he’s pushed for years, the theories that sparked the Jan. 6 riots. The public at large thinks the conspiracies are crazy...........

Republicans Are Breathlessly Defending Trump Against the FBI Raid. But Just Wait.

 

[Optimus Prime]

For what it's worth
==============

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan may have campaigned for a more inclusive Republican Party, but his second-in-command floated the idea Wednesday that Hogan could leave it and run for president as an independent instead.

“We could see an independent candidate, possibly, with initials L.H. for president in a couple years,” Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford (R) told WBAL radio Wednesday morning. “If that happens, I’d be wholeheartedly supportive.”

But David Weinman, a spokesman for Hogan’s political organization, An America United, said the governor has no plans to leave the Republican Party, adding, “The lieutenant governor speaks his mind."

Rutherford is helping run state government this week while Hogan — who has been weighing a presidential bid — is in the Midwest, stumping for like-minded Republican candidates. Rutherford said he believes most Americans are center-right or center-left, leaving the 2024 presidential field ripe for an independent who can appeal to the middle...........

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

A person described as a “senior House Republican” told Politico Wednesday there are legitimate fears an event such as the Jan. 6 Capitol attack could occur in the wake of an FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s home.

Trump’s personal residence in Palm Beach, Florida was tossed by the FBI Monday in a reported search for missing presidential documents. Some of them were said to have contained classified information.

Trump announced the raid on his social media platform, TRUTH Social, and conservatives online and on cable news were quick to defend him.

Allegations the Justice Department was unfairly targeting Trump in what was deemed a political hit job were also lobbed.

Within hours of the news breaking, Trump supporters showed up outside of Mar-a-Lago to show their support. Simultaneously, an uptick in online threats toward DOJ officials was reported.

CNN noted Tuesday the words “civil war” were tweeted more than one time per second on Monday evening.

One senior Republican, who spoke to Politico anonymously, said the tension is palpable in the conservative movement.

“The base has lost its mind,” the lawmaker said. “If Trump decides to call them to arms, then I think he could get another Jan. 6.”............

Top House Republican Warns of ‘Another’ Jan. 6 Amid Raid Hysteria: ‘The Base Has Lost Its Mind’

 

[MT15]

For what it's worth
==============

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan may have campaigned for a more inclusive Republican Party, but his second-in-command floated the idea Wednesday that Hogan could leave it and run for president as an independent instead.

“We could see an independent candidate, possibly, with initials L.H. for president in a couple years,” Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford (R) told WBAL radio Wednesday morning. “If that happens, I’d be wholeheartedly supportive.”

But David Weinman, a spokesman for Hogan’s political organization, An America United, said the governor has no plans to leave the Republican Party, adding, “The lieutenant governor speaks his mind."

Rutherford is helping run state government this week while Hogan — who has been weighing a presidential bid — is in the Midwest, stumping for like-minded Republican candidates. Rutherford said he believes most Americans are center-right or center-left, leaving the 2024 presidential field ripe for an independent who can appeal to the middle...........

MSN

www.msn.com

Hogan lost some credibility with me when he also called on the DOJ/FBI to explain executing a lawful search warrant just recently. Although I suppose he could be pandering in anticipation of his running. But he could have said nothing. I really, really hate it when so-called normal Rs feel like they have to act Trumpy.

 

[MT15]

More federal subpoenas:

 

[SFIDC3]

Hogan lost some credibility with me when he also called on the DOJ/FBI to explain executing a lawful search warrant just recently. Although I suppose he could be pandering in anticipation of his running. But he could have said nothing. I really, really hate it when so-called normal Rs feel like they have to act Trumpy.

Same here….knowing really nothing about the actual warrant and investigation, details and specifics and yet the FBI and DOJ need to explain? F you …….

 

[MT15]

More if you go to tweets

 

[MT15]

I didn’t realize that CPAC is actually normalizing domestic terrorism like this.

 

[Optimus Prime]

When you watch the collection of nincompoops whose professional lives are organized around defending Donald Trump — the Fox News hosts, the backbench members of Congress, the far-right social media personalities — it’s easy to conclude that, to quote Trump himself, “they’re not sending their best.”

But they know their audience, and they’re very good at identifying what that audience needs to hear, then repeating it over and over.


And right now, with investigations potentially closing in on Trump from multiple directions, they’ve homed in on a vital message: This isn’t about Trump. It’s about you.


It’s ludicrous; after all, what could be less about you than whether Trump illegally retained classified documents or lied about the value of his properties to mislead tax authorities?

But the claim is absolutely vital to maintaining the Republican base’s support and passion for him.

That’s because a sense of oppression has become central to motivating conservative voters, a way of keeping them engaged, angry and feeling that they have a personal stake in the outcome of every political event, no matter how remote it might seem. So it’s being repeated over and over:



Why is it more important than ever that Trump’s very particular problems be turned into a story in which every registered Republican is at risk of having their home ransacked by jackbooted government thugs? To understand, you have to go back to 2016……

It’s unlikely Trump will be able to look beyond his own petty grievances and personal preoccupations to convince a majority of the public that his victory could change their lives for the better.

So for now, he and his defenders are focusing on members of their base, telling them that whatever happens to Trump this week or next could also happen to them.


They’re not just used to hearing that message; they glory in it. They are the sympathetic victims, the encircled defenders of justice, oppressed but unbowed.

This fantasy of persecution is so powerful because it turns the most mundane things — like sitting on the couch scrolling through Trump-devoted Reddit forums while Fox News plays in the background — into something dramatic, even heroic…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/11/trump-fantasy-collective-persecution/

 

[MT15]

Boebert once again demonstrated how she doesn’t understand words or know their meaning.

 

[Optimus Prime]

(CNN) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended Tampa's elected prosecutor, Andrew Warren, for pledging not to use his office to go after people who seek and provide abortions or on doctors that provide gender affirming care to transgender people.

DeSantis also accused Warren of not pursuing criminals to the fullest extent of his powers as the state attorney of Hillsborough County.

"To take a position that you have veto powers over the laws of the state is untenable," DeSantis said at a press conference in Tampa surrounded by law enforcement.

The move by DeSantis, a Republican, to remove a Democrat twice elected by Hillsborough voters drew an immediate and sharp rebuke from Democratic state lawmakers and officials. Minority Leader Sen. Lauren Book said DeSantis was "behaving more like a dictator than 'America's governor.'"

And Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor, called Warren's suspension "a politically motivated attack on a universally respected state attorney democratically elected to exercise prosecutorial discretion."

"Ron DeSantis is a pathetic bully," Fried said….

DeSantis suspends Tampa prosecutor who took stance against criminalizing abortion providers

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended Tampa's elected prosecutor, Andrew Warren, for pledging not to use his office to go after people who seek and provide abortions or on doctors that provide gender affirming care to transgender people.

www.cnn.com

From Warren
============

For nearly four years, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pursued an approach to governing that has violated the freedoms of people in our state, inventing whatever enemies would help him in his ambition to be the next Donald Trump.


Without warning, last week, he added me to his list.

An armed sheriff’s deputy and a governor’s aide showed up on Thursday morning at the State Attorney’s Office in Tampa, where I was serving as the elected prosecutor for Hillsborough County.

They handed me an executive order signed by DeSantis that immediately suspended me from office. Before I could read it, they escorted me out.


This is a blatant abuse of power. I don’t work for DeSantis. I was elected by voters — twice — and I have spent my entire career locking up violent criminals and fraudsters.

Without any misdoing on my part or any advance notice, I was forced out of my office, removed from my elected position, and replaced with a DeSantis ally. If this can happen to me, what can DeSantis do to other Floridians?
…..

The governor cites statements I signed with other prosecutors from around the country regarding gender-affirming care and restrictions on abortion rights, two of his political wedge issues.

These are value statements, where I expressed my opposition to laws that I believe violate constitutional rights.

Florida’s current 15-week abortion ban was found to violate the Florida Constitution by the first court to review it. And Florida has no criminal law at all regarding medical treatments of gender-affirming care.

His allegations of “neglect of duty” and “incompetence” are based not on what I have done but on what he predicts I will do.

Not one single case dealing with either of those issues has ever reached my desk. So DeSantis’s complaints with how I’m doing my job ring hollow……

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/12/florida-state-attorney-desantis-fired-me/

 

[Optimus Prime]

I didn’t realize that CPAC is actually normalizing domestic terrorism like this.

Is that real??

 

[Optimus Prime]

The GOP seems to be settling on a snappy slogan for November’s elections: Vote Republican. Because Donald Trump is above the law.


That’s the logical conclusion after a regiment of Republican politicians, led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), denounced the FBI’s court-sanctioned search of Mar-a-Lago on Monday even though the fulminators had no idea what Trump may have done to lead a judge to approve it.

The possibility that all these Republicans may be jumping on a sinking ship was brought home Wednesday when Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a civil inquiry into his business dealing by the New York state attorney general’s office.

You wonder if any of the party’s leaders will show a smidgen of curiosity about what it was that Trump didn’t want to talk about.

Judging from the reaction to the Mar-a-Lago search, a lot of them will keep averting their eyes. McCarthy made clear on Monday night that a vote for a Republican-led House would guarantee a campaign of harassment and intimidation against Attorney General Merrick Garland for having the nerve to investigate Trump.


“Attorney General Garland: preserve your documents and clear your calendar,” the California Republican declared in a tweet.

McCarthy was no doubt proud of the bravado that, in fact, masked cowardice. Under his leadership, Congress would happily do Trump’s bidding and set the party of Lincoln against the rule of law…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/10/republicans-choose-trump-over-rule-of-law/

 

[coldseat]

What this week has resoundingly proved is that the Republican party is still 100% the party of Trump.

Anybody voting for a Republican in November is voting for Trump's party and all of the malfeasance, corruption and conspiracies that come with it. This week should greatly trouble @SteveSBrickNJ and other Republicans who hate Trump and claim to want to move beyond him, but are planning on voting for a Republican anyway. If you vote Republican, you're voting for Trump and his minions.

 

[MT15]

Is that real??

I read a Snopes about it. Yes, that was the title of a panel discussion at CPAC.

To be fair, one of the panelists claimed it was “tongue in cheek”. But after the FBI attack, Jan 6, and starting with Charlottesville, I’m not sure you can get away with a “just kidding”.