Rob Portman

Very Few Principled Republicans Who Put Nation Ahead Of Donald Trump

Face the facts: The Republican Party of 170 years history is dead!

In its wake, we have a cult loyal to Donald Trump!

So there are only a handful of elected Republicans, or former elected Republicans at this point, who have put the nation ahead of Donald Trump, and will not support Donald Trump in the upcoming Presidential Election of 2024!

Among them are the following 24 Republicans:

Liz Cheney
Adam Kinzinger
Mitt Romney
Lisa Murkowski
Susan Collins
Bob Corker
Jeff Flake
Rob Portman
Pat Toomey
Bill Cassidy
Paul Ryan
John Boehner
Peter Meijer
Anthony Gonzalez
Will Hurd
Fred Upton
Joe Walsh
Charlie Baker
Phil Scott
Jeb Bush
Chris Christie
Larry Hogan
Asa Hutchinson
John Kasich

Ohio Goes MAGA On Senate Race–Bernie Moreno Vs Sherrod Brown!

The state of Ohio–the home of six American Presidents from 1869-1923, all Republicans–has gone MAGA in choosing the Republican nominee for the US Senate race against incumbent three term Democrat Sherrod Brown.

Bernie Moreno has become the Donald Trump endorsed candidate, with extremist views, against a mainstream Democrat, who has been very popular and effective in three terms in the US Senate.

Sherrod Brown should have an advantage in this race, as a more mainstream Republican, Matt Dolan, who had been endorsed by Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine and former Republican Senator Rob Portman, was unable to stop the more extremist Moreno from winning the Senate nomination.

Moreno has been extreme and inconsistent in his views on many issues, and has also gone from being a Trump critic to being a Trump sycophant.

Already, Moreno is calling Sherrod Brown a “Commie”, so one can see what a nasty campaign he will wage!

This Ohio Senate race is crucial for Democrats’ hopes of keeping a Senate majority, and it will be the most highly watched race over the next eight months!

Democrat Tim Ryan Deserves To Be Elected As Ohio Senator

Ohio has an opportunity to elect a Congressman who has made a distinguished record in the House of Representatives for the past 20 years to be its new US Senator.

Tim Ryan is clearly a person of distinction and principle, who would join Democrat Sherrod Brown in the Senate, and replace Republican Senator Rob Portman, one of the small number of Republican leaders who performed in a reputable fashion in his years in the upper body of Congress.

Ohio deserves to have two principled Democrats who care about the state and the nation, not about pleasing Fascist demagogue Donald Trump, as Republican Senate nominee J D Vance does (after having denounced Trump in 2016). Vance also is an “Election Denier”, regarding the Presidential Election of 2020, so cannot be trusted with power in the Senate!

Republicans And Veterans: Total Hypocrisy And Disgrace!

The Republican Party loves to wave the flag and talk about “patriotism”, but they are regularly against veterans receiving health care for their sacrifices since September 11.

They just, out of spite, worked yesterday against aid to soldiers exposed to toxic pits and other dangers in war zones, including in Afghanistan and Iraq after September 11.

It is shocking to see even so called “better” Republicans, such as Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse joining with outgoing Senators, such as Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, Richard Burr, Roy Blunt, and Richard Shelby, and all of the usual obnoxious Senators (including Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, and others) to vote against veterans’ health aid!

Only 8 Republican Senators supported the legislation yesterday, including Susan Collins, Shelley Moore Capito, Marco Rubio, Jerry Moran, Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, and two others!

The Ohio, Pennsylvania, And Georgia Senate Races Will Test Trump Influence

With the conclusion of the Republican Senate nomination battle in Pennsylvania, the next five months will determine what influence Donald Trump has on the makeup of the US Senate in the 118th Congress (2023-2024), and whether the Democrats can retain the Senate and gain more seats.

In Ohio, J D Vance, who used to be a moderate, is contesting for the open Senate seat of Rob Portman, retiring, against Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan.

In Pennsylvania, Dr. Mehmet Oz, who used to be a moderate, is contesting for the open Senate set of Patrick Toomey, retiring, against Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman.

In Georgia, former Football player Herschel Walker, who has no real signs of intellectual ability, is contesting for the Senate seat of Democratic Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, an all African American race, but one with a pastor in the tradition of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr, and like King, formerly pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

The three Republican nominees, were they elected, would join with the most horrendous Republican Senators already in the chamber, including Ted Cruz of Texas; Rand Paul of Kentucky (if he wins reelection); Ron Johnson of Wisconsin (if he wins reelection); Tom Cotton of Arkansas; Josh Hawley of Missouri; Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; and Mike Lee of Utah (if he wins reelection). Of this group, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul have already run for President in 2016, and Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley are also potential Presidential candidates in 2024.

Joe Biden And “Reasonable Republicans”: Do They Exist?

President Joe Biden has said that he believes “Reasonable Republicans” can come up with a package of gun control reforms after the Uvalde Massacre in Texas a week ago.

Skeptics wonder who are “Reasonable Republicans” in the US Senate.

Supposedly, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is on to the idea of some kind of reform, but it seems hard to believe that anyone could call him in his approach to the needs of the nation to be “Reasonable”.

Supposedly, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Texas Senator John Cornyn are also working on gun control legislation.

And one would assume that Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska would cooperate as well.

Also, Rick Scott of Florida, based on some gun reforms after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Massacre in 2018 when he was Governor, might assist, and also Roy Blunt of Missouri, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Thune of South Dakota, and Tim Scott of South Carolina. Blunt, Portman, and Toomey are retiring from the Senate, so might feel more free to support gun control legislation, but who knows?

But there is no assurance that any real gun control reform will actually occur!

17 Republicans Join 50 Democrats In First Senate Vote On Physical Infrastructure Legislation

In a surprising development, 17 Republican Senators joined the 50 Democratic Senators to vote for a version of the Physical Infrastructure legislation, a promising sign of bipartisanship.

The 17 Republicans who voted in favor include:

Roy Blunt Missouri
Richard Burr North Carolina
Shelley Moore Capito West Virginia
Bill Cassidy Louisiana
Susan Collins Maine
Kevin Cramer North Dakota
Mike Crapo Idaho
Lindsey Graham South Carolina
Chuck Grassley Iowa
John Hoeven North Dakota
Mitch McConnell Kentucky
Lisa Murkowski Alaska
Rob Portman Ohio
James Risch Idaho
Mitt Romney Utah
Thom Tillis North Carolina
Todd Young Indiana

This list includes moderates Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney, but also leading figures in the party, including Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, and Rob Portman. It also includes both Republican Senators from North Carolina, North Dakota, and Idaho, an unlikely scenario!

And yet, Donald Trump has condemned this move in the Senate, and particularly attacked Mitt Romney, terming him a RINO (Republican In Name Only), and it is all jealousy that he was unable to accomplish any infrastructure legislation during his Presidency, despite saying it was an important goal!

It is good to see that Republicans are ignoring Donald Trump on this matter, and hopefully, the party will wrest its freedom from the danger that Donald Trump represents!

The Lunacy Reigning In The Republican Party In Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Alaska

The Republican Party in many states is going total lunacy, as they work at praising Donald Trump and continuing to promote the “Big Lie” about the Presidential Election of 2020.

In Texas, the move is on to create the greatest restrictions on voting rights, which might force legislative Democrats to leave the state in order to prevent action.

Also, total whacko Allen West, the former head of the Texas Republican Party, after earlier being a nightmare in Florida politics, including one term in Congress a decade ago, is now challenging right wing governor Greg Abbott for the gubernatorial nomination in 2022, as if Abbott is not far enough to the Right!

Additionally, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held a gathering this weekend, including Donald Trump ranting and raving about the election being stolen.

In Oklahoma, Senator James Lankford, a solid conservative but not extreme in rhetoric, has been condemned by the state Republican party chair, and is now facing a primary to kick him out, totally off the wall!

And in Ohio, with Senator Rob Portman, a mainstream conservative retiring next year, the battle is on between extremist right winger Josh Mandel, who swears total loyalty to Donald Trump, and now the entry into the race of author and activist JD Vance, who had been very critical of Trump in 2016, but now swears loyalty to Trump, and says all Republicans must “suck up” to Trump, demonstrating that he is a total coward and phony with no basic principles except to advance his desire to be a United States senator!

Finally, in Alaska, Senator Lisa Murkowski was rejected by a vote of the state Republican Party, who endorsed her challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, but Murkowski overcame a similar situation in 2010, and ran as a write in, overcoming a Tea Party candidate, so do not count Murkowkski out.

Possible Infrastructure Deal With Enough Republican Senators, But Will It Be Acceptable To Democrats?

A possible compromise infrastructure deal is in the works, as eleven Republican Senators seem to be on board.

This includes the following Senators:

Richard Burr of North Carolina
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Susan Collins of Maine
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Jerry Moran of Kansas
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Rob Portman of Ohio
Mitt Romney of Utah
Mike Rounds of South Dakota
Thom Tillis of North Carolina
Todd Young of Indiana

Some of this group also seem willing to work on a voting rights bill, along with Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Dan Sullivan of Alasks.

While this is encouraging, the question is whether all Democrats will be willing to work on compromise legislation on both bills, and that seems a quandary without easy solution.

The Destruction Of The Republican Party Future

One thing is clear: All those Republicans backing a challenge to the Electoral College results on Wednesday are doomed, and their careers in national politics are over! This includes Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, but also many others.

The Republican Party will be known as the Treason Party, the Sedition Party, and only those who stand up against this outrage have a long term political future.

While this blogger and author is not a fan of many Republicans, one has to say that Senators, including Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Susan Collins of Maine, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Tim Scott of South Carolina are part of the future of a party that moves back toward the moderate center.

Also, while not admiring of former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, third ranking House Republican Liz Cheney, Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio, and many others, they realize the insanity of backing Donald Trump at this point.

Tomorrow will be an historic day for certain!