Liz Cheney Of Wyoming

Is There A Jon Huntsman Or John Kasich In The Republican Presidential Campaign Of 2024?

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With the Republican Presidential race in high gear now, with the entrance later today of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, two days after the entrance of South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the question arises?

Is there anyone in the Republican Party who has the potential to draw support and acclaim as occurred with former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. in 2012, or former Ohio Governor John Kasich in 2016?

Neither Huntsman nor Kasich went very far in the race, but both gained respect and applause as reasonably decent candidates.

But are there any such individuals now?

Theoretically, there might be with Senator Tim Scott; or possibly former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson; or possibly New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu; or possibly former Texas Congressman Will Hurd; or finally, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney.

But it does seem like a long haul to compare any of them to Huntsman or Kasich, realistically!

Potential Republican Presidential Nominees Who Would NOT Support Donald Trump!

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With the Presidential campaign of 2024 beginning, the question arises whether there are ANY potential Republican Presidential contenders who would refuse to endorse Donald Trump, were he to win the Republican Presidential nomination next year.

Many Republicans have made criticisms of Trump in some form, and a number plan to run and compete, but the issue is IF any of them lose the nomination to Trump, would they support and endorse him at the end of the process.

There is no certainty of any active Republicans willing to go so far as to refuse to support the party nominee if Trump is that nominee.

But on paper, the following, none certain to run, would likely NOT support him:

Senator Mitt Romney of Utah
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming
Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

This author and blogger would have added sitting New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to the list, but it turns out that even with their likely candidacies for President, and their strong criticisms of Trump in recent times, that they have said that they WOULD support Trump, were he the nominee of his party!

This is stunning, as it takes Sununu and Hogan off a short list of Republican political figures who have the guts and courage to overlook party, and do what is good for the nation!

Trump recently stated that he wished to torch the Constitution, and what else needs to be known as to the threat to American democracy than that utterance!

And yet Sununu and even Hogan, as well as many other Republicans who opposed and criticized Trump in the past and present, are still letting party win out, and would support Trump if he was the nominee of the Republican Party!

Realize one thing about the short list given above, that all but Romney (who would be 77 and a half at election time in 2024, and is considering running for reelection to the Senate), are FORMER officeholders!

And despite Liz Cheney stating she would do everything possible to stop Trump, will she actually run against him or form an independent party candidacy?

And Kinzinger seems highly unlikely to mount a campaign either.

And Hutchinson is an unknown, and is unlikely to be a serious contender in any case.

So fundamentally, it seems likely that no significant Republican will stand in the way of Trump, ultimately, and many will even show that party loyalty matters more than principle!

So the Republican Party is hostage to a very dangerous, authoritarian Fascist threat in Donald Trump, but the leading alternative seems to be a person of similar authoritarian tendencies, who is much younger and smarter, and therefore, even MORE dangerous than Trump would be!

This is in reference to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis!

Two Years Since The January 6 US Capitol Insurrection, But Congress Still In Crisis!

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Precisely two years ago, the US Capitol in Washington, DC, was subjected to a massive Insurrection, a mass terrorist attack by MAGA loyalists to Donald Trump who were following through on his attempt to change the results of the Presidential Election of 2020.

But, these seditionists and traitors were also threatening the lives of Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and all members of Congress, as well as their staffs and law enforcement personnel.

A full investigation was conducted by the House January 6 Committee, which included two courageous, principled Republicans, Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, both of whom no longer will serve in the new 118th Congress.

But Congress is still in crisis, with the battle over whether Kevin McCarthy will be Speaker of the House continuing, and protection of the US Capitol being cut back by orders of the Republican House majority.

And it seems certain that McCarthy, if approved as Speaker, will be beholden to extremists on the right wing of his caucus, and that chaos and disarray will become a norm, and undermine the business of government for the next two years.

However,it is likely that the Democrats will gain for the 2024 national elections, with the growing extremism and incompetence of the Republican Party over the next two years!

21 House Republicans Are Effectively “Terrorists” Preventing House Of Representatives From Governing!

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After three days and ten ballots and counting as I write this entry, the House of Representatives is still not able to move ahead and begin its responsibilities to the nation!

As things now stand, it seems likely that this chaos and disaster will be at least the 5th longest Speaker battle, only surpassed in 1819 (22 ballots); 1859 (44 ballots); 1849 (63 ballots); and 1855 (133 ballots)!

This is due to 21 Republicans refusing to support their Caucus leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, who “sold his soul” to Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection!

These 21 Republicans are, effectively, “terrorists” who want to have the power to cripple the House of Representatives on a daily basis, with the idea that if even one member objects to anything McCarthy might do as Speaker, that a vote could be taken to oust him from the leadership of the chamber!

This is pure insanity, and it is time for Kevin McCarthy to refuse to do so, and ultimately, to withdraw from the possibility of being Speaker, in order to move the House of Representatives forward!

But, whoever else might wish to be Speaker, must NOT give in, either, to these seditionists and traitors!

So it is time for the more reasonable, more moderate, and more rational small band of House Republicans to agree to one of the following alternatives:

As this author and blogger suggested yesterday, back a former member of the chamber, such as Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Justin Amash of Michigan, Fred Upton of Michigan, or John Kasich of Ohio, to be the Speaker, with the support of the Democratic minority, and refuse to agree to any demands that limit the Speaker’s ability to lead the chamber!

OR have a small band of these moderate Republicans agree to support Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic Minority Leader, in this crisis and arrange for a truly bipartisan House of Representatives!

These are the only choices now, and national security and stability are at stake, and these 21 members should be denied any committee memberships, and possible action to expel them from the House of Representatives should be under consideration!

No more MR NICE GUY, but rather tough action against members who have no interest in anything but their own egos!

With the second anniversary of the January 6 attacks coming tomorrow, one has to worry about a sudden attack by domestic terrorists as two years ago, or a foreign attack, with our international reputation as a functioning democracy in tatters right now!

The Republican Party Is In Free Fall! Time For “Coalition” House Of Representatives!

Ronald 6 Comments

As we wake up on Wednesday January 4, the Republican Party in the House of Representatives is in free fall, a real danger to the stability of American government!

Only once since the Civil War has the House of Representatives faced the crisis it has now, a century ago, when it took 9 ballots to choose Frederick Gillett to be Speaker in 1923 in the 68th Congress.

It seems highly unlikely that Kevin McCarthy will become Speaker, as there is real animosity between him and most of the extremist right wing Freedom Caucus.

McCarthy making too many concessions to these “seditionists” will undermine his party and create a situation whereby nothing can be done, and it is an embarrasssment to the world at large to see this disaster continue to unfold!

It is time for a “coalition” House of Representatives, with a former Republican gaining the few “moderate” Republicans joining with Democrats to create a majority with some concessions to Democrats, and backing away from extremist demands of the Freedom Caucus, as the nation needs a House of Representatives who can truly “govern” in the national interest!

So some suggestions as to who could become Speaker for the next two years:

Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming
Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
Former Congressman and former Governor John Kasich of Ohio
Former Congressman Justin Amash of Michigan
Former Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan

Major Week Ahead: Trump Facing January 6 Committee Prosecution Recommendations

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After 18 months of an exhaustive investigation by the House of Representatives January 6 Committee, this week, finally, the committee is wrapping up its work with expected recommendations for prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

The charges that will be recommended to the Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland include:

Promotion of Insurrrection against the US Government

Obstruction of Justice, interfering with the counting of the Electoral Vote by Vice President Mike Pence and the two houses of Congress on January 6, 2021

Conspiracy to defraud the US Government

More than 1,000 people were interviewed and depositions taken.

It is a tribute to the committee how much effort they have put into investigation of this crisis, and it is essential that Trump be prosecuted, and prevented from running for President in the future!

And special tribute is appropriate to the two Republican members of the January 6 Committee, Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, both who will not be serving in the upcoming 118th Congress. Both sacrificed their careers to do the right thing, stand up for justice and truth and loyalty to the US Constitution!

Both are Profiles in Courage who will shine in the future as part of American history!

The Republican Party Needs A Conservative Leader Who Is Clearly Anti Trump!

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The Republican Party desperately needs a conservative leader who is clearly Anti Trump, as otherwise the historic party of 168 years (since 1854) will wither and die.

Donald Trump is a disaster for Republicans, as most of those candidates he endorses have lost, and the party has suffered losses in 2018, 2020, and now 2022!

So someone such as from the following list MUST become the future of the party:

Larry Hogan of Maryland
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
Liz Cheney of Wyoming
Chris Sununu of New Hampshire
Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas
Charlie Baker of Massachusetts
Tim Scott of South Carolina
Mitt Romney of Utah

Sadly, the odds of any of these individuals being serious contenders for the Presidency seems quite low!

Kevin McCarthy Unable To Criticize Trump If He Is To Become House Speaker, So Morally Compromised!

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With five weeks to go until the new 118th Congress meets on January 3, 2023, Kevin McCarthy is “between a rock and a hard place!”

He cannot afford to alienate the House Freedom Caucus, the most extremist right wing Republicans in the House of Representatives.

So therefore, as all along for the past two years, McCarthy cannot criticize Donald Trump for his having white supremacist and Holocaust Denier Nick Fuentes and another anti semite, Kanye West, at dinner at Mar a Lago!

McCarthy has flirted with Donald Trump since January 6, 2021, and by all rights, should not be Speaker of the House, which should go instead to an honest conservative Republican who has condemned Donald Trump.

Liz Cheney or Justin Amash would be the more appropriate choice, but the Republican Party has been flirting with extreme right wing Fascism, and seems ready to self destruct!

The Speakership Of The House Of Representatives Is In Play!

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It now seems possible that Kevin McCarthy, who has sought the Speakership of the House of Representatives for years, may yet be unable to attain it.

With a 222-213 House in favor of Republicans, McCarthy cannot afford to lose more than four members of his party, and the “Freedom Caucus” right wingers have at least five members who have indicated they will not support McCarthy for the Speakership.

So the 213 Democrats could combine with four or more moderate Republicans in the House of Representatives and elect someone else, with soon to be former Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming being a likely choice, and others suggesting former Independent Justin Amash of Michigan being also bandied about as a possible choice, as a non partisan Speaker.

The Speakership does not have to be held by a sitting member of the chamber, although that has always been the case.

So interesting times are ahead over the next five and a half weeks!

January 6 House Committee Hearing Today Conclusive Evidence Of Trump Guilt

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The January 6 House Committee hearing today has provided yet more conclusive evidence of Donald Trump’s guilt in inciting the US Capitol Insurrection.

Particularly impressive was Vice Chair of the committee, Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, along with Maryland Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin and California Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff.

While there is danger of violence with Trump talking about “civil war”, the Department of Justice has no choice but to bring charges against Donald Trump, with the timing being after the Midterm Elections of 2022, and before the new 118th Congress begins.

No one is above the law, and that principle is essential, as a warning to future Presidents, that justice is even handed, and no one has an advantage in court because of fame or notoriety!

So a subpoena is being issued to Donald Trump by the committee to come and testify under oath, and we shall see what transpires!