John McCain

John McCain, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake: Senate Republican Majority Starts To Unravel

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The Senate Republican majority needed to accomplish Republican Party goals is rapidly deteriorating.

In the past month, Senator John McCain of Arizona first, and then Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee made clear their differences with Donald Trump.

Now, Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona has joined them with a passionate speech on the floor of the Senate.

Additionally, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Senator Lisa Murkowksi of Alaska, and Senator Dean Heller of Nevada are clearly unhappy with the bullying and recklessness of Donald Trump.

The likelihood of being able to accomplish anything that the Republican Party wants is rapidly disappearing.

With only 52 Senators, the GOP cannot afford to lose more than two, if Vice President Mike Pence were to cast a tie breaking vote on any legislation.

And it is known that there are some Republican Congressmen who also have great unease with the Trump Presidency, as Trump is clearly outside of the norm of appropriate behavior and action in office.

Trump does not have the competence, decency, and knowledge to be President, and he is a destructive force who could destroy the reputation of the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike and Reagan if he is not removed from office as a danger to the nation and the world.

It is time for the Republicans to put the nation ahead of their own selfish, personal interests, and do what is right for the nation, to remove a dangerous man with access to nuclear codes, and the terrifying thought that he would utilize nuclear weapons.

Senator Bob Corker’s Warning About Donald Trump And World War III

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Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has decided not to seek reelection in 2018, and that allows him to be more open on his views about Donald Trump, than he might have been if he had to deal with a reelection campaign.

But he is still Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and can block any nominee for Secretary of State, if Trump fires Rex Tillerson for his calling Trump a “F****** Moron”, and for disagreeing with Trump on North Korea, Iran, and many other issues.

Corker has earlier expressed his concerns about the unstable and immature behavior of the President, and now, after being attacked by Trump on Twitter, he has made clear his concern that Trump could start World War III, a thought that many other intelligent people have had ever since Trump was declared the winner of the Presidential election of 2016 exactly eleven months ago today.

Corker is a measured individual, a conservative but not extreme right wing, and he would have faced an Alt Right attack led by Stephen Bannon, if he had sought reelection.

Now Corker can work with other discontented Republicans, including John McCain, Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Ben Sasse and others, in moving toward possible action against a very dangerous man, who seems unconcerned about the disarray and chaos he has created, both in domestic and foreign policy.

Donald Trump is a loose cannon, who needs to be removed from office pronto, as he is much more dangerous than Richard Nixon ever was, and is totally ignorant of facts and details on every subject imaginable.

As Corker said recently, it is the military people around Trump–John Kelly. James Mattis, H. R. McMaster–who are essential to keep a measure of control and influence over Trump, and hopefully, they will convince Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch, of the dire need to invoke Amendment 25 Section 4, and take the Presidency and the nuclear codes out of the hands of the maniac who endangers all of us!

Senator John McCain Vs. Donald Trump: The War Hero And The President With No Dignity, Class, Decency!

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Arizona Senator John McCain is a great American, a war hero, a courageous and gutsy politician who suffered as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years.

As the son of a famous Admiral, McCain could have been released and sent home by his captors, if he was willing to repudiate the US government for the war in Vietnam, that he had participated in as a Navy pilot who was shot down.

He refused to do so, and to abandon his own comrades, and was tortured and beaten so badly that even today he cannot raise his arms above his head.

John McCain suffered great pain and torment, and now is suffering again with terminal brain cancer.

In the midst of this, John McCain has worked against the destr4uction of ObamaCare, which he had opposed when it passed in 2010, but unwilling to see 32 million people lose their health care, and wanting “regular order”, a bipartisan effort to improve, rather than destroy ObamaCare.

McCain fought a bitter election against Barack Obama, but he acted as a gentleman when a rally attender called Obama an Arab and A Muslim, and always showed respect for the 44th President, even when they disagreed on policy.

McCain has been a hero in the fight against the abuses of the Donald Trump Presidency, and he had to suffer the statement of Trump during the 2016 Presidential campaign that McCain was not w war hero, and for which Trump has never apologized.

Now Trump uses McCain as a whipping boy for the failure to destroy ObamaCare, which has been Trump’s goal from Day One, and he has encouraged his base to boo, degrade, and denounce McCain.

So we have seen ugly taunts on social media wishing McCain suffering and painful death, a true sign of mental illness by the deplorables who back Trump no matter what.

Donald Trump has demonstrated no dignity, class, decency in his dealings with anyone on any issue, and is the most disgusting excuse for a human being ever to serve in the Presidency.

If there was justice in the world, which sadly there often is not, then it would not be McCain suffering from terminal brain cancer, but rather Donald Trump for his despicable and unconscionable behavior toward McCain, and his disgraceful and hateful behavior, which is racist, nativist, Islamophobic, and misogynistic. His aim is not to unite, but divide the American people, and he has no limits in his willingness to be a demagogue, and a danger to American democracy.

But there is Karma, and somehow and some day, Trump will be held accountable for his transgressions, not only against John McCain, but also the pain and suffering he has caused so many Americans, as well as our allies overseas, by his evil doings in domestic and foreign policy.

The Graham-Cassidy Last Ditch Attempt To Destroy ObamaCare: Proof That Republicans Do Not Care About Americans Having Health Care!

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Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana are trying to ram through a last ditch attempt at destroying ObamaCare, and putting up to 32 million people off of affordable health care.

This proves that Republicans do not care about Americans having health care, and yet they are supposedly Pro-Life, but only until a fetus is born, and after that, if you are poor, tough on you!

Graham is outrageous enough to say that ObamaCare is “Socialism”, which most certainly is NOT so!

It is very similar to RomneyCare in Massachusetts and to the American Enterprise Institute–Bob Dole–Newt Gingrich plan of 1993-94 in opposition to HillaryCare, promoted by First Lady Hillary Clinton.

It keeps the health care system under private insurance companies, so how is it “Socialism”?

But Graham must think that Social Security and Medicare are “Socialism”, but vast majorities of the American people like both programs, but of course, the Republicans would love to destroy both, even though the middle class and the poor benefit from them.

The battle must be continued to keep ObamaCare, but work to IMPROVE it, as all government programs can certainly be improved over time.

It now seems that Senator John McCain of Arizona has come to the rescue once again, as he stated today that he could not, in good conscience, support the bill, even though it is sponsored by his closest friend in the Senate, Lindsey Graham. Now that is principle, a rare virtue in the Senate in recent years.

It is also believed that two women, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who joined with McCain a month ago on the earlier rejection of a similar bill, will do so again, and Rand Paul of Kentucky is a definite NO vote this time, but because he feels the bill keeps remnants of ObamaCare, which he wishes to reject completely. So he is NOT a hero, but then he and his dad, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul are both libertarian whackos!

House Speaker Paul Ryan And Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch Are Right: Leave DACA In Place, Do NOT Victimize Young Immigrants!

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House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch are second and third in line to be President, under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.

Both are clearly conservative Republicans, and yet both have called on President Donald Trump to leave DACA (Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals) in place for 800,000 young men and women who were given the right to remain in America by President Obama in 2012, despite the illegal status of their presence, when they were brought here by their parents from Mexico and other nations in Latin America.

These children (now young adults) should NOT be forced to face deportation to nations they have never known, and which in most cases, do not know the language or culture, or have relatives they know in those nations that their parents migrated from for opportunity for a better life.

These DACA young people are in many cases, in college or the military, and are not engaged in criminal activity, which would clearly eliminate them from the program if proven in a court of law.

Realistically, beyond the DACA kids, there is no rational way to deport millions upon millions of people who, while they may have come illegally, have not broken the law while in America.

These undocumented immigrants pay taxes, face discrimination by police officers who intimidate them in many cases, and do a multitude of jobs that no one else will take on, including working in agricultural fields, hotels, restaurants, and as maids and engaged in property upkeep and in child care duties, and cannot be replaced.

As always, immigrants work much harder than most Americans, in many cases two to three jobs under great stress, and do not complain in the spoiled way that many Americans engage in.

This is a nation of immigrants, and one can be sure that historically there were many undocumented immigrants who came here, and made contributions to the welfare and success of America, so the answer is NOT deporting anyone who is making a positive contribution, and instead having systematic immigration reform, as Paul Ryan and Orrin Hatch, and other Republicans, including Senators John McCain, Jeff Flake, Lindsey Graham and others, are advocating.

If Joe Arpaio Ran For US Senate, He Would Be Oldest First Term Elected Senator At Age 86 And Seven And A Half Months!

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Donald Trump is suggesting that former Maricopa county Sheriff Joe Arpaio, just pardoned by Trump, run for the Republican nomination for the US Senate against Republican critic Senator Jeff Flake next year in Arizona.

Whether Arpaio would actually take such a step is unsettled, and it would seem that Arpaio would be unlikely to win the nomination or election, with both Flake and Senator John McCain highly critical of him, and of Trump’s pardon of the controversial former Sheriff in Phoenix.

However, were Arpaio to run and be successful, he would be the oldest first term U S Senator ever elected in American history, at age 86 and 7 and a half months in January 2019, making him older than the oldest members of the present US Senate, California Senator Diane Feinstein and Utah Senator and President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch of Utah.

Previously, only two US Senators were sworn in at an older age than Arpaio would be, but both were appointed to finish out a term, not elected by popular vote.

Andrew Jackson Houston of Texas, son of the famous Sam Houston, served by appointment for 67 days to fill a vacancy from April 21, 1941 to June 26, 1941 as a member of the Democratic Party, and he was 86 years 10 months and 1 day old when he became a member of the Senate. His brief term ended with his death, and he had been ill most of the time while a Senator, mostly being in a hospital during his tenure in the upper chamber. His death came five days after his 87th birthday.

Rebecca Felton of Georgia was the first woman to serve in the US Senate, and the only one to date from Georgia, and the oldest person ever sworn in to the US Senate, at age 87 years, 3 months and 24 days old, and serving only one day in the Senate as a Democrat from November 21 to November 22, 1922. Her husband had served in the House of Representatives, and Rebecca Felton had been a prominent reformer in the Progressive Era, an advocate of women suffrage and equal pay for equal work for women, as well as prison reform. However, at the same time, Felton supported white supremacy and had been a slave owner in her younger years, and had spoken in favor of lynching of African Americans, so her so called “Progressivism” had major shortcomings. She died at age 94 in 1930.

Donald Trump: Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Of American Politics, Making Him The Most Dangerous President In American History!

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Donald Trump is the oddest person ever to be President of the United States.

He loves himself to the extreme; brags about his apartment in Trump Tower and his estate at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida; keeps on reminding us that he is President; makes the most weird faces imaginable; rants and raves when things do not go his way; and does not have a decent bone in his body.

He is a psychopath and sociopath, with control over the nuclear codes, a terrifying prospect, that he has the power, all by himself, to destroy the world or any part of it, in a fit of rage.

Many have said that he can be charming or rational at least some of the time, and he can pass that way when he is on script with a teleprompter, which he used to ridicule Barack Obama for utilizing, so that he would say the proper statements, and avoid problems by ad libbing too much.

But when Trump goes off script, he makes a fool of himself, and embarrasses everyone who has a brain and a sense of dignity and proper behavior.

He attacks the news media, which is what keeps us free.

He attacks a reputable US Senator, John McCain, suffering from brain cancer.

He implies that the Democratic party is close to Communism.

He attacks his own party leadership in the Senate, particularly Mitch McConnell, and then expects cooperation on legislation.

All this occurred last night in Phoenix, as he also praised a lawbreaker, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and suggested he would pardon him before sentencing.

He could be said to have dual personalities, and really is a split personality. He is really like Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella, THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.

Maybe one fourth of the time, he is Dr. Jekyll, but then the other 75 percent of the time, he is Mr. Hyde, an evil, dangerous man who could destroy the world, and is already damaging the legacy of Presidents since Theodore Roosevelt.

This is a great tragedy for America, and might take decades to reverse, if indeed, we are still here if Trump ever goes completely bonkers and initiates nuclear war!

“Bully” Donald Trump Meets “Bully” Kim Jong Un: Now What? The Most Dangerous Moment Since The Cuban Missile Crisis, But Trump Is NOT JFK!

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So now after 200 days as President, the stupidity of the Trump voters is proven, as now our “man child bully” has us on the brink of a massive war, possibly nuclear war, the most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962! Ironically, we are now commemorating the 72 year anniversary of use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945!

Trump has no clue as to what to do, other than to threaten and talk about “fire, fury, and power” against North Korea and Kim Jong Un. Trump blustering in public is so “unPresidential” action, one of a mad man, not a stable leader! Donald Trump is no John F. Kennedy!

What it comes down to is one bully is meeting another bully, both men children, with the emphasis on children!

If there was ever a need for an immediate resignation, it is NOW, but we are stuck with a maniac, who will go down in history for the likely greatest loss of life since World War II, if sanity does not rise.

The military people around Trump–Mattis, McMaster, Kelly–MUST control Donald Trump, and the Alt Right people, such as Stephen Bannon and Stephen Miller, must be immediately neutralized from having any influence on the President, or else we will see tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, or even more, people dying in South Korea, Japan, and including America military forces and their families in those nations.

Bombast is reckless, and has never been done by any American President, and already, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein of California have warned against any rash action by Trump.

The first thing Trump must be forced to do is SHUT UP! His mouth will cause the loss of life that will condemn him in history, and should accelerate his forced removal as an ignorant maniac who can destroy not only the nation, but the civilized world!

Donald Trump Alienating His Base Among Congressional Republicans, Threatening Longevity Of His Presidency!

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Donald Trump is rapidly alienating his base among Congressional Republicans, threatening the longevity of his Presidency as a result.

Having fired Paul Ryan associates Sean Spicer and Reince Priebus is an unwise move, as is the constant criticism and harassment of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, which has many Southern and conservative Senators and Congressmen furious at Trump, for his lack of loyalty.

Many Senators are harshly critical of Trump, including John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Ben Sasse, Jeff Flake, Dean Heller, Marco Rubio, Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Shelley Moore Capito, Rob Portman, and others.

More House of Representatives members are also unhappy, led by the Republican Establishment wing of Paul Ryan, who is still having to deal with the right wing Freedom Caucus extremists.

Trump is rapidly “burning his bridges”, as he makes himself someone without strong party support.

The odds of eventual abandonment and impeachment are growing!

Three Profiles In Courage: John McCain Of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski Of Alaska, Susan Collins Of Maine

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It is appropriate to salute three Republican Senators who stopped the destruction of ObamaCare, due to their feeling that despite the shortcomings of the program, that to just repeal it and leave millions of Americans with no health coverage was intolerable.

Senator John McCain of Arizona, a true independent and maverick, has often exasperated many political observers, and this blogger was upset earlier last week when McCain voted to promote votes on various alternatives, including repeal without replacement, but then voted to kill the idea once there was the opportunity to do so.

We now learn that former Vice President Joe Biden, a good friend, and former Senator Joe Lieberman, the Vice Presidential running mate of Al Gore in 2000, contacted McCain and convinced him that this was the right thing to do.

This kind of bipartisanship is precisely what is needed, and is missing from today’s political scence.

The courage of the two women Senators, who could not have alone stopped the Republican plan to destroy ObamaCare, must also be acknowledged, and sadly, some misogyny was utilized against them by the right wing, but Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska showed how principled and decent they were, and deserve great credit.

Both Collins and Murkowksi are tough, and they are not intimidated, with Collins having always been independent oriented, and Murkowski losing the party primary in 2010, running as a write in Independent candidate, and winning over her Republican and Democratic opponents, and then winning in 2016.

The outrage that the Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, at Donald Trump’s orders, threatened Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, the other Alaska Senator, with cuts in funding for Alaska in the Department budget did not intimidate Murkowski, as she postponed committee hearings and votes in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which she heads. She knows how to play Hardball, and Trump has met his match in her, as well as Collins.

Disappointing, however, was the third woman Senator thought united with them, Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, but caving in to pressure from Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, quite shocking since West Virginia has more people on Medicaid and in poverty than almost all states in America.