Congressional Republicans

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski: A Profile In Courage, Principle, And Decency!

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The Republican Party in the 1970s had members of Congress who spoke up against the abuses of power under President Richard Nixon, most notably the Watergate Scandal.

Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater (Mr. Conservative); Pennsylvania Senator Hugh Scott (Minority Leader); and Arizona House Minority Leader John Rhodes all showed true statesmanship, by going to the White House and telling Nixon that he would not survive an impeachment trial.

Sadly, fifty years later, Republicans in Congress, with a very few exceptions, refused to take action against the abuses of Donald Trump in his first term.

And now, in his second term, and being much more abusive and law breaking in just two months in office, almost all Republicans in Congress are overlooking what is going on, as they are terrified that Elon Musk will “primary” them for their next election, if they dare to speak up on principle against Trump.

At a difficult time like this, there is at least one major exception to this cowardice, and that is Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who has been in office since 2002, and won reelection as an Independent in 2010 against Republican and Democratic Senate opponents. She voted to impeach Trump in his second trial in 2021. She has managed to be truly courageous, principled, decent, and honorable, and speaks her mind, and has been criticized by Trump and Musk, but she carries on with no fear.

Mirkowski has great respect from Alaska voters, and at a difficult time such as now, she is a rare case of someone who will speak her mind, and criticize and oppose Trump, unafraid to condemn his abuses of power.

So Lisa Murkowski is a true “Profile in Courage”, and if another book, such as the one published by Senator John F. Kennedy in 1956 on courageous Senators is ever published in the future, Murkowski should head Chapter One!

Major Disaster In the Making, If Medicaid And Food Stamps Are Gutted By Congressional Republicans!

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President Lyndon B. Johnson, as part of the Great Society reforms of the mid 1960s, accomplished the passage of Medicaid and Food Stamps, two programs to help sustain the poor, seniors, the disabled, children, and pregnant women of all backgrounds.

A myth that is popular out there in the right wing fantasy world is that only minorities–African Americans and Latinos–benefit from these programs, and nothing could be further from the truth!

But even if that was so, should not America assist those of racial minorities who have not been given a “fair shake” in society?

But the reality is that the majority of those who benefit from Medicaid and Food Stamps are white Americans, many of them rural Americans, not just urban minorities, as the myth would have it.

A total of 72 million Americans depend on Medicaid, and 42 million on Food Stamps.

Should not the nation help poor and deprived people to be able to afford nutritional food, and should not the nation insure that health care is available, to prolong lives of those less fortunate and prosperous?

Should not those who call themselves “good Christians” support such programs, rather than give massive tax cuts to the super rich who do not need it, and already pay far too little to support the nation?

And these super rich Americans will not be harmed by paying more taxes, as their interest on their massive wealth makes up for whatever taxes they might pay!

So why cannot Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and the multitude of others who have become super wealthy, be patriotic enough to contribute to the advancement of American society, and care about the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and other groups that struggle for survival every day?

Donald Trump and the Republican Party are heartless and selfish, and have no concern for the damage that is occurring, and this is insufferable and unacceptable!

The Republican Party And Russia From Joseph McCarthy To Donald Trump!

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The Republican Party has completely reversed its long held stand against Russian aggression, from the time of the Soviet Union’s founding in 1917; through its decline and collapse and the end of the Cold War in 1991; and through the rise of Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation in the year 2000 to the present.

Whether Democratic or Republican administrations, the US Government has stood against the imperialism and expansionist urges of the Russian government for more than a century.

No longer though, now, as Donald Trump has embraced Vladimir Putin’s three year war on Ukraine, and called Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy a “dictator”, totally upending all reasonable assessments of the worst destruction and bloodshed in Europe since World War II and Nazi Germany.

Trump has hijacked the Republican Party, silencing most members of the party in the Congress and in the states, who have instead of doing the right thing, condemning Russia’s imperialism and threat to all of Europe and the NATO alliance, rather become the cheering squad for Trump’s destructive relationship with the western democracies, and his embrace of authoritarianism.

Despite the overall negative view of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, who led the Second Red Scare from 1950-1954, he was certainly right on the menace of the Soviet Union, while tragically destroying the reputations of many Americans in his quest for power and influence.

Richard Nixon was also a promoter of the Second Red Scare, along with a multitude of others, but the one consistency in the midst of horrendous abuse of their attack on Democrats, liberals, and decent Americans, there was recognition of the dangers of Communism and the Russian control of Eastern Europe and the desire to expand further.

But now, we see people in the Republican Party who know better, going along with Donald Trump’s destruction of the basic traditions of American foreign policy, in order to advance their own personal agenda and ambitions.

Now, we have Marco Rubio, as Secretary of State, keeping silent on what Trump is doing regarding Russia, and the same for other Cabinet Officers and House and Senate Republicans.

Only a few are willing to speak up and condemn the switch in attitude toward Russia, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Congressman Don Bacon from the Second District of Nebraska.

But Tillis and Bacon are in danger of being opposed for reelection by Elon Musk recruiting opponents, and most Republicans are unwilling to speak up, in fear of losing their seats, which is, sadly, more important than having any principles!

So the Republican Party is a disaster, with the old traditions thrown out, and instead, embracing a war criminal, Vladimir Putin, who was a KGB Spy in the latter years of the former Soviet Union!

It can be assured that Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and other hardline critics of Russia, are tossing in their graves!

Massive Demonstrations Of Opposition To Trump Authoritarian Moves Essential!

Ronald 16 Comments

America is in crisis, with the power and influence of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), headed by the wealthiest person on the planet, Elon Musk.

Musk and Donald Trump and Russell Vought of the Office of Management and Budget, along with a host of others, has declared war on the federal government and its agencies, and massive job firings and budget cuts are occurring, without any semblance of sanity or consideration of the impact of such actions.

We are starting to see rallies, complaints, constituent meetings with members of Congress, protesting the disaster in the making.

These rallies, protests, demonstrations must be magnified, including a March on Washington to demand the power and influence of DOGE and Elon Musk come to an end.

The idea that the Republican Congress is moving to promote massive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, and use the hatchet to gut government agencies and programs which are crucial to the security and safety of Americans, is maddening!

Three Years Since The January 6 Insurrection, And Most Republicans Remain Collaborators

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As the third anniversary of the January 6 Insurrection comes upon us, we have the growth of ever more collaboration by Republicans in defending and supporting Donald Trump, even among those who condemned his promotion of bloodshed and violence on that day, including against Vice President Mike Pence.

While there are Republicans and conservatives who continue to condemn the former President and are committed to his demise as a political force, most of the party officeholders remain unwilling to demonstrate guts, courage, and principle.

It is more important for these officeholders to keep their job in Congress than it is to promote the survival of democracy.

So effectively, most Republicans are no better than the Confederates who were banned from holding public office by the 14th Amendment Section 3 in 1868 after the Civil War.

Then, the Republican Party was the party of the Union, committed to basic principles of having promoted the end of slavery and promoting racial equality.

The whole point of forming the Republican Party, coming to power, and upholding the end of slavery and the promotion of survival of the Constitution, has now been destroyed by the modern Republican Party, which has lost all sense of ethics, morals, and principles!

Republican Party Is Clearly Becoming Pro Russian Without Apology!

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Ever since Donald Trump became a Presidential candidate in 2015, the Republican Party has steadily moved toward a pro Russian viewpoint without apology.

Now they are openly showing that their formerly hardline view toward Russia that existed from World War II and peaked under Barry Goldwater in the 1960s and Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, and included Senator Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon in the 1950s, has gone into the dustbin of history.

We now have one of the two major political parties openly pro Vladimir Putin, and willing to see Russia take over Ukraine, the largest nation in Europe in land area!

This is a threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and many Republicans, including Donald Trump, seem ready to abandon NATO, as Trump threatened to do in his time in the Oval Office!

This should be alarming, as if Putin can take over Ukraine, then why would he stop from wishing to seize former Soviet held areas in Eastern Europe, including Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and then Poland and other former Eastern European “satellites” in the Cold War Years of 1945-1991!

This is a major national security crisis, bringing America back to the isolationist era of the 1930s, when many Republicans were only too willing to ignore the threat of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, leading to World War II!

American Foreign Policy At Stake In Presidential Election Of 2024

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Much of the Republican Party in Congress is against aid to Ukraine, and Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Donald Trump are all threats to the continuation of support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has been in effect for 75 years next spring.

Isolationism was a problem in the Republican Party in the decades before World War II, and it is rearing its ugly head once again 90 years later.

For the stability of the world in the future, Republicans must be prevented from being able to transform American foreign policy to a Pro Russian influence, which is now clear among many Congressional Republicans!

Sad Conclusion: Donald Trump Has Violated The Espionage Act, And Must Be Arrested And Prosecuted!

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The revelation of Donald Trump breaking the Espionage Act, and having top secret documents at Mar A Lago, that had to be removed by court order brought by the Justice Department, leads to a clearcut conclusion.

Donald Trump has undermined national security, obstructed justice, violated the Espionage Act, and must be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law!

Anyone in the Republican Party or at Fox News Channel or other right wing media channels is guilty of complicity if they continue to support Donald Trump with this new revelation!

There should be complete reversal by all Republicans in Congress and at the right wing media channels, or else they are to be regarded as collaborators, and a threat to civil order and American democracy!

Earliest indications are that Fox News Channel, by watching that station on Friday night, is still engaged in promoting the defense of Donald Trump, a very troubling development!

And threats against the FBI and other government institutions and individuals are a growing crisis, all due to the cult like worship of Donald Trump supporters!

Time For Accountability For Pro Putin Politicians And Cable News Channels And Their Advocates!

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In the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is time for accountability for pro Putin politicians, and cable news channels and their advocates.

This includes such apologists as:

Donald Trump
The entire Trump family
Mike Pompeo
Josh Hawley
Ted Cruz
Rand Paul
Madison Cawthorn
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Paul Gosar
Lauren Boebert
Kevin McCarthy
Tulsi Gabbard
Jeanine Pirro
Tucker Carlson
Laura Ingraham
Sean Hannity

and a multitude of others in the Republican Party in Congress, and others on Fox News Channel, OANN (One America News Network), and Newsmax.

But realize that even some Democrats, most notably former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, is also in that camp.

These individuals and groups need to be exposed and investigated as totalitarian and authoritarian oriented, and whatever can be done to undermine their influence must be pursued!

Nine Months Of President Joe Biden: Realism Sets In With Major Challenges Domestic And Foreign

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Today marks nine months of the Joe Biden Presidency.

This is a crucial time for Biden and the nation, as his public opinion ratings have declined, due to the constant controversy over the COVID 19 Pandemic mandates on masks and vaccinations, bitterly opposed by the right wing channels, including Fox News Channel, One America News Network (OANN), and Newsmax TV, as well as the vast number of Republican governors and members of Congress.

But also, the economic outlook is uncertain, as inflation rages, and many people are staying out of the work force, as we are seeing a massive change in the outlook of Americans toward the kind of work they have done, and wish to do in the future.

The constant debate over the social infrastructure bill is also a burden for Biden, as Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and a few House Democrats are forcing a major cut in the proposed spending from $3.5 trillion to about half that amount, causing a scale back in the proposed legislation on education, health care, and most particularly on climate change actions.

Foreign policy also presents major challenges in many areas, and is always unpredictable, but the growing threat of China, international terrorism and natural disasters omnipresent, Russia, North Korea, and many other issues are always on the front burner in the White House!

At this point, an objective observer would likely give Biden a B Minus, but with hope that it may rise to B Plus or A Minus grade by the end of the year, but sadly, if the major goals are not accomplished, and if voting rights legislation and criminal justice reform are not attainable, it could go down to the C range in judgment by experts and general public opinion!