Lindsey Graham

Republicans Very Slow To Condemn Donald Trump Over Dinner With Nick Fuentes!

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The Republican Party has been very slow to condemn Donald Trump over the dinner he hosted at Mar a Lago with supremacist, anti Semitic, and Holocaust Denier Nick Fuentes, as well as the looney Kanye West.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Trump should apologize.

Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, said that the behavior was reprehensible.

Others made it clear they were uncomfortable, but would not say they thought an apology by Trump was required, including Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Tommy Tuberville, Senator Joni Ernst, and Senator Roy Blunt.

Former Governor Chris Christie, Governor Asa Hutchinson, Senator Mitt Romney, and Senator Bill Cassidy were stronger, but also did not insist on an apology.

Future likely Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried to defend Trump, while saying Fuentes and West should not have been invited to dinner at the White House.

Clearly, the Republican leadership lacks guts and principle, and continues to bow to the Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump!

Republicans And Veterans: Total Hypocrisy And Disgrace!

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The Republican Party loves to wave the flag and talk about “patriotism”, but they are regularly against veterans receiving health care for their sacrifices since September 11.

They just, out of spite, worked yesterday against aid to soldiers exposed to toxic pits and other dangers in war zones, including in Afghanistan and Iraq after September 11.

It is shocking to see even so called “better” Republicans, such as Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse joining with outgoing Senators, such as Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, Richard Burr, Roy Blunt, and Richard Shelby, and all of the usual obnoxious Senators (including Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, and others) to vote against veterans’ health aid!

Only 8 Republican Senators supported the legislation yesterday, including Susan Collins, Shelley Moore Capito, Marco Rubio, Jerry Moran, Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, and two others!

Joe Biden And “Reasonable Republicans”: Do They Exist?

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President Joe Biden has said that he believes “Reasonable Republicans” can come up with a package of gun control reforms after the Uvalde Massacre in Texas a week ago.

Skeptics wonder who are “Reasonable Republicans” in the US Senate.

Supposedly, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is on to the idea of some kind of reform, but it seems hard to believe that anyone could call him in his approach to the needs of the nation to be “Reasonable”.

Supposedly, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Texas Senator John Cornyn are also working on gun control legislation.

And one would assume that Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska would cooperate as well.

Also, Rick Scott of Florida, based on some gun reforms after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Massacre in 2018 when he was Governor, might assist, and also Roy Blunt of Missouri, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Thune of South Dakota, and Tim Scott of South Carolina. Blunt, Portman, and Toomey are retiring from the Senate, so might feel more free to support gun control legislation, but who knows?

But there is no assurance that any real gun control reform will actually occur!

Disgraceful Display Of Disrespect By Republican Senators Upon Confirmation Of Ketanji Brown Jackson!

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The gleeful emotions of Senate Democrats yesterday, upon the confirmation of Kentanji Brown Jackson to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, was counteracted by the disgraceful display of disrespect by Republican Senators, who walked out as rounds of applause, lasting a full minute, emanated in the Senate chamber.

Only Senator Mitt Romney joined the Democrats to applaud the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson.

It was an embarrassing scene, when all Senators, whether they supported Jackson or not for the Supreme Court, should have shared in the historic nature of her appointment.

It is one thing to oppose a nominee or a piece of legislation, but another to be rude, insulting, and clearly racist and bigoted in nature, as if after 108 white males being placed on the Court, it is somehow unacceptable to have a qualified, competent black female to be added to the Court!

It just adds to the obscene image of the Republican Party which is mostly beholden to the evils represented by Donald Trump!

The memory of the horrendous behavior of Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, and Mike Lee will never dissipate, and all of these Senators will be condemned in the long run of history, as their reputations will lie in tatters!

Success For Ketanji Brown Jackson, As Bipartisan Vote Will Place Her On Supreme Court!

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A salute to Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah for crossing party lines to support Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first African American woman on the Supreme Court in its history!

There is no question that these three Republicans are the most moderate, centrist, and reasonable Republicans in a party that is a total disaster otherwise!

Ben Sasse of Nebraska is a disappointment, refusing to support Jackson, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is a total hypocrite and an embarrassment, after having voted for Jackson for two earlier judicial appointments.

And others, including Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee are extremist demagogues!

The Republican Party Is More Horrendous Than Ever!

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It is hard to believe, but the Republican Party in Congress is more horrendous than ever before!

A party which used to have a substantial number of moderate Senators in the past has gone totally nuts!

Yesterday, this author and blogger condemned the handling of the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Lindsey Graham, and Tom Cotton.

Now Marsha Blackburn is added to that list making fools of themselves in the hearings.

But even outside of that issue, now we have Indiana Senator Mike Braun who says that Interracial Marriage, declared constitutional in Loving V Virginia in 1967, should never have been accomplished by the Supreme Court.

This is part of setting constitutional law backwards, along with the threat to abortion rights Roe V Wade (1973), and Griswold V Connecticut (1965), which promoted the constitutional right to sexual privacy and legalized contraception for married couples.

Although Braun now has backtracked, it is clear that leave it to the Republicans, and they would interfere with the privacy rights of Americans, not only interracial marriage, abortion, and contraception, but also gay marriage, if given the opportunity.

This is right wing totalitarianism, denial of basic human rights, and going back to the years before the Warren Court (1953-1969) and forward!

Republican Party Divides Over Ukraine: Bad News For Donald Trump

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The Ukraine Crisis, with the horrific invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin, has put the issue of Donald Trump’s “love affair” with Russia on the forefront of American politics, and is causing a Republican Party division of massive significance.

Trump, Mike Pompeo, and other Trump lackeys have good things to say about the “genius” of Putin, which is a total joke, as Russian military is suffering massive losses, and NATO and world reaction has done great damage to the Russian economy through harsh reaction in every economic way to the Ukraine invasion.

It has led many Republicans, particularly in the US Senate, to come to support of all actions being taken by Joe Biden and the international community to the tragic events.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell; Senator Lindsey Graham; Senator Mitt Romney; Senator Ben Sasse; and many others are united against Russia.

In the House of Representatives, we have Putin apologists, including Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina; Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia; Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Matt Gaetz of Florida; Chip Roy of Texas; and others showing they are traitors to American interests and the concept of democracy, as for instance, Cawthorn condemned Volodymyr Zelensky as a “thug”.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has criticized Cawthorn, but refuses generally to condemn such seditionists, and there is a clearcut split in the Republican Party between Senate and House membership.

So the appeal of Donald Trump to run for President is declining rapidly, as there is no way that Trump could possibly unite the party or its remnants in a campaign for the Presidency.

So Civil War is evident in the Republican Party, and Senate apologists such as Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rand Paul of Kentucky face repudiation by sane Republicans as they plan to run for President in 2024.

And Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have tremendous state controversies facing them, without even getting into the fray on the Ukraine Crisis, and how to handle Donald Trump and their own selfish personal ambitions!

Senator Lindsey Graham: A Toady To Donald Trump, Who John McCain Would Condemn And More!

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South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has long been controversial in so many ways, but when his good friend, former Arizona Senator John McCain, passed away in 2018, the world witnessed a man who had totally lost all credibility, after being a massive critic of Donald Trump.

It is embarrassing to see the denuncations of Graham regarding Trump, followed by total obsequiousness to Trump since McCain’s death.

Even when Trump continued to denounce John McCain in the years since his death, Graham had nothing to say.

It is clear to any intelligent person that if McCain was still alive and in the Senate, he would have, at least symbolically, been motivated to slap Graham front and back and in the head, for his traitorous behavior!

And now, Graham says unless Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky makes obedience to Trump a priority, that Graham will vote against McConnell remaining as the leader of the party, whether minority or majority status!

As much as McConnell has been a disgrace and a disaster as Republican leader, he still has enough self dignity that he will not be likely to bend to Donald Trump.

And if push comes to shove, at this time, it would seem that the Republican caucus would NOT join Graham in replacing McConnell as their Senate leader!

17 Republicans Join 50 Democrats In First Senate Vote On Physical Infrastructure Legislation

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In a surprising development, 17 Republican Senators joined the 50 Democratic Senators to vote for a version of the Physical Infrastructure legislation, a promising sign of bipartisanship.

The 17 Republicans who voted in favor include:

Roy Blunt Missouri
Richard Burr North Carolina
Shelley Moore Capito West Virginia
Bill Cassidy Louisiana
Susan Collins Maine
Kevin Cramer North Dakota
Mike Crapo Idaho
Lindsey Graham South Carolina
Chuck Grassley Iowa
John Hoeven North Dakota
Mitch McConnell Kentucky
Lisa Murkowski Alaska
Rob Portman Ohio
James Risch Idaho
Mitt Romney Utah
Thom Tillis North Carolina
Todd Young Indiana

This list includes moderates Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney, but also leading figures in the party, including Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, and Rob Portman. It also includes both Republican Senators from North Carolina, North Dakota, and Idaho, an unlikely scenario!

And yet, Donald Trump has condemned this move in the Senate, and particularly attacked Mitt Romney, terming him a RINO (Republican In Name Only), and it is all jealousy that he was unable to accomplish any infrastructure legislation during his Presidency, despite saying it was an important goal!

It is good to see that Republicans are ignoring Donald Trump on this matter, and hopefully, the party will wrest its freedom from the danger that Donald Trump represents!

Possible Infrastructure Deal With Enough Republican Senators, But Will It Be Acceptable To Democrats?

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A possible compromise infrastructure deal is in the works, as eleven Republican Senators seem to be on board.

This includes the following Senators:

Richard Burr of North Carolina
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Susan Collins of Maine
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Jerry Moran of Kansas
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Rob Portman of Ohio
Mitt Romney of Utah
Mike Rounds of South Dakota
Thom Tillis of North Carolina
Todd Young of Indiana

Some of this group also seem willing to work on a voting rights bill, along with Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Dan Sullivan of Alasks.

While this is encouraging, the question is whether all Democrats will be willing to work on compromise legislation on both bills, and that seems a quandary without easy solution.