Lindsey Graham Of South Carolina

The Ten Best And Ten Worst US Senators In The 118th Congress

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Creating a list of the ten best and ten worst US Senators in the 118th Congress is based on their viewpoints and utterances over their careers.

Of course, it is subjective in nature, but based on careful consideration and analysis.

The rankings below are not in numbered order, but simply the Senators considered by the author to be the best and the worst in the upper chamber of Congress.

TEN BEST US SENATORS

Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
Chris Murphy (Connecticut)
Jon Ossoff (Georgia)
Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts)
Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)
Cory Booker (New Jersey)
Sherrod Brown (Ohio)
Jeff Merkley (Oregon)
Ron Wyden (Oregon)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island)

TEN WORST US SENATORS

Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
Tom Cotton (Arkansas)
Rick Scott (Florida)
Rand Paul (Kentucky)
Josh Hawley (Missouri)
JD Vance (Ohio)
Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
Ted Cruz (Texas)
Mike Lee (Utah)
Ron Johnson (Wisconsin)

If one was asked which five Senators were the “best” and the “worst”, this author and blogger would say the following:

BEST—Chris Murphy, Jon Osoff, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Sheldon Whitehouse

WORST—Tommy Tuberville, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson

The Republican Senate Becomes More MAGA Cult, Damaging Their Reputations!

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The Republican Party, already in its death spiral, has now witnessed a majority of Republican Senators, the last major holdout to endorsement of Donald Trump, to damage their historical reputations after having opposed him in the past.

Among those Senators are:

Ted Cruz of Texas
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Mike Lee of Utah
Marco Rubio of Florida
Tim Scott of South Carolina

For the first four above to do so contradicts clearcut denunciations back in 2016, and for Tim Scott, a supposedly devout Christian, it is pure hypocrisy, including that he has abandoned Nikki Haley, who originally appointed him to the US Senate in 2013, before the South Carolina Primary.

There is no conscience, no morality, no ethics, no decency in these Senators, and an additional 21 others who are a disgrace to the institution of the US Senate!

New Hampshire And South Carolina Republican 2024 Presidential Primaries Could Be Very Interesting!

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With two and possibly three Republican Presidential contenders being residents of two of the three earliest states to conduct primaries in 2024, the situation presents the possibility of a unusual set of circumstances.

At the moment, Donald Trump is far ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and leagues ahead of everyone else who has entered the competition, or plans to do so.

But if New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu enters the competition, the possibility exists that he could surprise the field, and win his state’s Republican primary.

And two South Carolinians, former Governor and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott, have entered the Presidential race, and one or the other could surprise and defeat both Trump and DeSantis.

However, the complication in South Carolina is that Senator Lindsey Graham and Governor Henry McMaster both have endorsed Trump.

The involvement of DeSantis in this situation is hard to conceptualize, as he would seem to have little chance to win either New Hampshire or South Carolina.

At this point, all that can be said is that the early primaries will be very interesting and significant to watch!

Can Senator Tim Scott Become The Republican Presidential Nominee In 2024?

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The only black Republican Senator, Tim Scott of South Carolina, has just entered the race for the Presidency.

With only five black Republican House members and Scott the only black Republican Senator, the Republican Party does not have the image of caring about African Americans.

So the question arises whether Scott has any possility of becoming the Republican nominee for the White House.

With South Carolina being a crucial state in the battle for the nomination of both parties, he might have an avenue to advance, but also has to deal with the woman who chose him originally to fill an open Senate seat a decade ago, then Governor and later United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has already announced her own Presidential candidacy,

And Donald Trump has the backing of the South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Lindsey Graham, so these complexities make one wonder if Scott has any chance to move forward.

Scott comes across as likeable to his own Republican Senate colleagues, with South Dakota Senator John Thune, the Minority Whip, endorsing him, and even New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker praising him as a colleague across the aisle.

His announcement was inspiring to those who think conservative government is the best, and have no issue with his promotion of Christianity in government.

But such viewpoints are not inspirational to anyone, such as this author and blogger, who believes in progressive and liberal values.

Scott will make the race more interesting for sure, but one has to wonder how Donald Trump will treat him in language and behavior, as the former President’s racism may, once again, show up in his rhetoric.

Republican Party Committing Suicide, Except For Asa Hutchinson And Chris Christie!

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It is beyond all sanity that just about ALL Republican Party leaders and office holders are rushing to the defense of Donald Trump, and interfering with a local New York investigation into his financial wrongdoings!

Only at this point do we see former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who has just announced his Presidential candidacy, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is expected to announce his Presidential candidacy soon, willing to back away from Trump, and indicate they would not support the idea of his becoming President again via the Presidential Election of 2024!

To see former Vice President Mike Pence condemn the indictment by the Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is shocking, as well as the outrageous statements of Senator Lindsey Graham, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, and a multitude of others, who clearly think the rule of law does not apply to a former President who abused the Constitution and undermined civil order in the nation!

Ron DeSantis Comes Out As Neville Chamberlain, Divides Republicans On Foreign Policy Toward Vladimir Putin

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who clearly will be announcing for President in the near future, has come out clearly against aid to Ukraine, seeing the Russia-Ukraine War as not an issue of national security for the United States.

In that regard, he is acting like Donald Trump!

In so doing, DeSantis and Trump are coming out as Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister who made a deal with Adolf Hitler to give up half of Czechoslovakia in 1938 (the Munich Conference), thinking it would satisfy Hitler’s territorial demands, which was instead appeasement of a dictator.

The issue of Ukraine has divided the Republican members of the US Senate, including:

Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
Mitt Romney of Utah
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
John Cornyn of Texas
John Thune of South Dakota
Marco Rubio of Florida
Mike Rounds of South Dakota
Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
Roger Wicker of Mississippi
John Kennedy of Louisiana

And there are others in the Senate who have not spoken publicly who would take the same stand, being critical of both DeSantis and Trump on Ukraine.

There are also a few House Republicans, the so called “moderates”, who would join the Senate Republicans who are in opposition.

So a major battle for the soul of the party is in process!

With The Entrance Of Nikki Haley, The GOP Presidential Race Begins!

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Former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is about to enter the Republican Presidential race, being the first announced candidate challenging former President Donald Trump.

Haley had said in the past that she would not run if Trump ran, but lately, she has made it clear that she is running against her former “boss”, who has said Haley is an example of an ‘overly ambitious” individual, clearly an example of misogyny.

Being “overly ambitious” has not been used against male contenders for the Presidency, and is just another example of Trump’s utilization of personal attacks on an obscene level.

If Haley was a white man, she would have a reasonable chance in the upcoming Presidential race, but being a woman of color with parents born in India, is not a plus in the Republican Party.

And Haley runs, knowing that South Carolina’s governor Henry McMaster, and Senator Lindsey Graham have already endorsed Donald Trump.

And the other South Carolina Senator, Tim Scott, who is African American, and originally was appointed by Haley when she was Governor ten years ago to fill a Senate vacancy, is also actively planning a Presidential race on his own.

This will certainly be an interesting early race in the battle for the Republican Presidential nomination!

South Carolina Could Be Battleground For Republican Presidential Nomination In 2024!

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Donald Trump made a first Presidential campaign swing in South Carolina last weekend, supported by Republican Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Lindsey Graham.

But there are two South Carolinians who are considering running for the Republican Presidential nomination, and could make South Carolina a battleground in the Presidential race.

Former Governor Nikki Haley, who was UN Ambassador under Trump, seems ready to announce her candidacy as the first challenger to Donald Trump.

And African American Senator Tim Scott is also testing the waters. He is only the fourth Republican African American Senator, and the only one out of a total of eleven African American senators to have also served in the House of Representatives.

So this could be a very interesting scenario for the Spring of 2024.

Interestingly, Haley appointed Scott to a US Senate vacancy in 2013, but now they may be rivals for the nomination.

If either Haley, whose parents are from India, or Scott were to be the Republican nominee for President, it would be the first example of a woman, an Asian-American, or African American on the Republican side of the Presidential race.

The Ten Greatest Political Villains Of 2022! And An Addendum!

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Yesterday, I published a post on the ten greatest Political Heroes of 2022.

So now, it is time to indicate who I believe are the ten greatest Political Villains of 2022!

In no special order, I would list the following:

Republican House Minority Leader, possibly Speaker of the House (hopefully not), Kevin McCarthy of California, who time again and again showed he had no spine, being a supplicant to Donald Trump, and demonstrating no principle or ethics in his crazed desire to be Speaker, two heartbeats away from the Presidency. The thought of him being that close in the line of succession is horrifying, not that there are very good alternatives!

Election Denier, and symbol with clenched fist, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who promoted sedition and treason! He faces reelection in 2024 and should be soundly defeated!

Election Denier and most obnoxious Senator (with other competitors), Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who this author and blogger thought in 2016 was the most dangerous Republican running for President, even more than Donald Trump! He faces reelection in 2024 and should be soundly defeated!

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a man who once had some intelligence, but after Arizona Senator John McCain died, has become a total Donald Trump sycophant!

Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a very unstable and unpricipled excuse for a human being, who, somehow, was able to defeat one of the best US Senators of modern times, Russ Feingold, in 2010 and 2016, and then a very talented Lieutenant Governor, African American Mandela Barnes in 2022. Johnson is one of the worst figures in Senate history!

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, an obnoxious and unprincipled man who, sadly, is likely to become House Judiciary Committee Chairman in the 118th Congress in 2023!

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who won his third term as Governor in 2022, despite his horrendous policies and lack of compassion, and is likely to pursue a Presidential candidacy for 2024!

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who won a vast reelection victory in 2022, and is seen as the front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024, despite his intolerant and authoritarian bent, and his high level of arrogance and cockiness, on a multitude of issues. These include the COVID 19 Pandemic; Gay and Transgender Rights; Racial and Religious Minorities; interference in the teaching of History and Literature, and Manipulating School Boards and Libraries; and extreme Gerrymandering of Congressional Districts, which took away two African American seats, and gave the Republicans the control of the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress!

Arizona Republican Gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who used the same tactic as Donald Trump, promoting the “Big Lie” about her defeat in the recent elections in her state. She has just been repudiated in court in her attempt to reverse a clearcut victory by her opponent, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Good riddance to the most obnoxious woman imaginable!

Finally, on this list, former President Donald Trump, the most dangerous and worst US President in American history, twice impeached, and a close ally of totalitarian dictators around the world, willing to overthrow the US Constitution, rule of law, and American democracy. He needs to be prevented from running again for President, and indictment and conviction on the four charges brought against him by the January 6 House Committee is essential, to prevent any future tyrant from taking the kind of actions that this most evil man took! He harmed so many Americans during his term, as well as having the responsibility for the deaths, destruction and violence, in the worst attack on the US Capitol since the War of 1812!

And now an Addendum:

The Supreme Court has become a disgraceful, power hungry, extremist right wing organization!

Chief Justice John Roberts has lost his desired reputation as the leader of his Court, and in particular, Clarence Thomas (appointed by George H. W. Bush) and Samuel Alito (appointed by George W. Bush) have been totally out of control, and both will go down as two of the very worst Supreme Court Justices in American history! The names and reputations of both Bush Presidencies are permanently besmirched as a result!

If Herschel Walker Was To Win In Georgia, The Senate Would Be Degraded!

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Herschel Walker has proven to be totally mentally damaged, probably by his football career decades ago, and probably leading a dissolute life including drugs.

Walker is an embarrassment as a Senate candidate in Georgia, and were he to win, the US Senate would be degraded dramatically.

He does not even work hard at his campaign, so he is asking Georgians to elect him because he was a football star in the 1980s, totally preposterous.

Donald Trump has lost on other endorsements of candidates, and Walker needs to lose and be forgotten, while Senator Raphael Warnock is a distinguished Senator and pastor, high quality, and the competition is between night and day.

We have enough disgraceful Republicans in the Senate, but at least, they have signs of intelligence and knowledge and ability, while Walker is a joke of a candidate!

If he needs Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz to vouch for Herschel Walker, while he mumbles unintelligible utterances, we have reached a true low point, and the dignity of the US Senate would be degraded ever further, if by some fluke, he wins over Raphael Warnock!