Tuesday, January 31, 2017

TWO SPINELESS PARTIES ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE OWNED BY TRUMP

After a couple of days when the party looked tough and forthright, we're learning that many Democrats would rather be spineless:
Senate Democrats are weighing whether to avoid an all-out war to block President Donald Trump's upcoming Supreme Court pick, instead considering delaying that battle for a future nomination that could shift the ideological balance of the court, sources say.

Democrats privately discussed their tactics during a closed-door retreat in West Virginia last week. And a number of Democrats are trying to persuade liberal firebrands to essentially let Republicans confirm Trump's pick after a vigorous confirmation process -- since Trump is likely to name a conservative to replace the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.
Or, in other words:



But the Republicans have also been owned by the Trump administration:
Senior staffers on the House Judiciary Committee helped Donald Trump's top aides draft the executive order curbing immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, but the Republican committee chairman and party leadership were not informed, according to multiple sources involved in the process....

The work of the committee aides began during the transition period after the election and before Donald Trump was sworn in. The staffers signed nondisclosure agreements, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
We know that congressional Republicans weren't consulted on the Muslim ban:
President Trump’s temporary ban on refugees and other foreigners has significantly deepened fissures in his already fragile relationship with congressional Republicans, as GOP leaders on Capitol Hill complained angrily Monday that they were not consulted before the order was issued.

At least a dozen key GOP lawmakers and aides said Trump’s order took them by surprise, even as the White House insisted that it collaborated with Congress.
But using their staffers and legally requiring those staffers not to inform the leadership? That's rubbing their faces in their own powerlessness.

There should be consequences for this. But there won't be. Trump would sign those sweet, sweet tax cuts for the rich into law even if Republican members of Congress challenged him on this, but they won't. It's just not in Republicans' nature. In the past, they've genuflected before Rush Limbaugh and before the Tea Party, and Limbaugh and the 'baggers weren't even president.

Eliot Cohen, who was in the State Department in the George W. Bush administration, predicts that the Trump administration will eventually "fail" because, among other things, "even the most timid senator sooner or later will say 'enough.'" I don't believe it. Members of Congress from both parties appear willing to let Trump walk all over them. Why would that ever change?

7 comments:

Never Ben Better said...

This must be what it was like in 1930s Germany. Holy shit.

AllieG said...

Dems who don't filibuster will be primaried. They just don't get it. Maybe their constituents should call their offices and make that clearer to them.
Also, it would take eight Dems to make the filibuster a non-starter. I don't think there are that many. If there are, they will soon regret their cowardice.

Victor said...

Any Dem who lends any support, and doesn't try every Constitutional means to stop Sessions, and other nominated bigots and psycho's, and whoever the monster will be that t-RUMP, Bannon, and the GOP "leadeers" decides is worthy of Scalia's outhouse seat on the SCOTUS, needs to be ex-communicated, primaried, and forgotten.

If not for anything like cowardice, then for stupidity.

If they look at the millions of people protesting over the last 10 days, and see "Summer Patriot's," then they really are remarkably blind stupid.

If so many of us "We the people" show-up in cold weather, snow, sleet, icy rain, and other non-summer weather to protest, then you'd better wake the fuck up and smell the coffee - hell!, put some "Irish" in it if it'll give you a bit more courage!

People drove TO airports, and PARKED ON PURPOSE - PAID FOR DOING THAT - all to make a point about t-RUMPLE-thin-skin's anti-Muslim immigration EO!
People don't want to do that to pick up beloved friends and relatives - and they did this for people they've never met, and probably never will meet!

If you ignore that, then you do so at your own peril, politically speaking.
History will not be kind to you. "Bye-bye..."

Professor Chaos said...

Democrats seem determined to never learn the lesson. Republicans will never play nice with you, they will never follow the rules, they will never repay decency with decency. They believe in scorched-earth take no prisoners eliminationism. Dems still don't seem to realize. Still think they can compromise or work with GOP.

Philo Vaihinger said...

It would be nice if the Dems refused to confirm any of his nominations for the Supremes for the whole length of his term.

Won't happen.

Never Ben Better said...

It would be nice, Philo, but the Dems don't control the Senate.

Anonymous said...

We are just learning that many Democrats would rather be spineless? ROTFLMAO

Seems the whole can't we all just get along Peace Freak bullshit is really rather impractical, aeh? As to throwing the bums out, I'm pretty sure that barn door is closed. I'll not be unsurprised if there isn't even any primaries.

Ben nailed it, at the top.
Ten Bears