What is wrong with Republicans?

[Monkeyleg]

If the Democrats held the House, Senate, and White House, you know damn well that they would push through everything possible. Witness 2009 to 2011. Every Democrat voted for Obamacare, the $1 trillion spending bill, and everything else Obama wanted.

Now the Republicans hold the reins, but the Democrats are somehow calling the shots. We've had a seven-month investigation into the Trump campaign over exactly nothing other than false charges by Democrats. Meanwhile, illegal unmasking by Susan Rice, interference by Loretta Lynch into the Hillary investigation, and real collusion with the Russians for money by the Clintons are real scandals the Republicans haven't even taken a glance at.

My guess is that the Mueller investigation will not even take a peek at any of the above real crimes, but instead will try to find a way to indict Trump for "hoping" that the committee would go easy on him.

What's the point in voting for Republicans?

[Fly320s]

Trump is not loved by all the Republicans like Obama was loved by all the Democrats.  The D's always rally around their own kind until the fire gets too hot to take, then they quietly kick-out the offending person.  The R's have some semblance of honor and integrity, so even when one of their own does something that isn't quite right, the R's are quick to investigate.

Maybe the R's are hoping to prove to everyone, through these investigations and hearings, that Trump, et. al, are free and clear of any wrong doing.  Maybe after that, the R's will investigate Clinton and the other D's issues.

Or maybe the Republicans just have their heads up their butts.

[grampster]

"...Or maybe the Republicans just have their heads up their butts."
Ding, ding, ding, ding...we has a winnah!

Add to that a question might also be posed with respect to why Obamacare hasn't been repealed and why the income tax restructuring hasn't occurred, among other things.

R's are looking typical to the last time they had control....hide in the corner and whimper.

[griz]

The D's and the R's are a lot closer to each other than people want to admit.  They love to call each other names but they both want continual growth of the government.  I used to believe that the Republicans wanted smaller government, but Trump has shown that when it comes down to it both D's AND R's don't want to rock the boat by cutting anything.

[RevDisk]

With respect, as it's not my party, Republican Party is stupid and corrupt. They take their members for granted, and feel very comfortable in ignoring them or even regularly screwing over their membership. There may be a MILD, VERY MILD, pro-2A gain under SHARE Act. Because they know they can give crumbs to their supporters and correctly assume their supporters will metaphorically be overfilled with joy for those crumbs. Because what are they gonna do? Vote for the other guy?

They're busy looking to get paid. Campaign contributions are certainly more important to them than their supporters. They can pocket the cash, screw over their own voters and be pretty confident they'll be voted back into power once the Dems overreach. This has been the pattern of my life. Dems pass way too many laws or try to reach much further than their grasp. Republicans are outraged, and vote. GOP gets a pretty healthy majority. Wastes it on a couple of token bills, focuses way too much on meaningless social crap, gets paid to pass legislation helpful to certain industries, gets thrown out for accomplishing basically nothing. Government grows, debt grows, regulation becomes more choking, wages stagnate, inflation continues to climb. Neither party want to do more than symbolic gestures.

If they MEANT to do something for their supporters, they would have had a concrete plan ready to go for Trump regarding Obamacare. Far as I'm aware, the bones of such a plan don't even exist so far. Let alone the miles of groundwork that still needs to laid.


But hey, not my party, so maybe I'm wrong about my impression.

[K Frame]

Simple. There is no Republican party anymore.

It's a fractured divide of micro-parties all under the big R umbrella.

Those micro-parties are, in many cases, as badly fractured internally as the main party.

It's not that Republicans have forgotten how to govern, it's that they're simply too much of a freak show to actually govern.


This is exactly what I feared would happen -- that the Republicans would fail to coalesce and would squander the best chance they've had in decades.

[MechAg94]

The Republican party is what it should be from a certain perspective:  a collection of independent minded people and groups who have somewhat similar views on a number of issues, but disagree on others.  The problem right now is weak leadership in Congress and the national party.  If that idiot Paul Ryan had bothered to actually work with the people in his party, he would have had his Obamacare replacement bill passed quickly.  Instead, he told everyone it was his way or nothing and they took nothing.  The fact that he didn't already know his plan had poor support is a big negative indicator.  He should have had his people working behind the scenes for some time to draft a compromise bill that would pass the House and Senate. 

IMO, it is the Democrat party that is fractured.  A political party should not all operate in lock step.  They are collection of different people who all have identical leftist liberal ideology at the top.  As a group, they enforce correct thinking harshly from the top down.  I don't think they represent a lot of democrat voters and it is showing in the various state and federal elections.  If you count up all the state and federal elective offices, Republicans are dominant.  If the media were not solidly propping up the Democrat party, they would be considered very weak.  I am starting to think Rush may have been correct when he mentioned it was the media running the Democrat party, not the Democrats running the media. 

[K Frame]

No, a political party should not operate lock step.

But at the same time, a political party should not flop around like a retarded crack monkey. And that's what the Republican party has been doing.

The Democratic party may well be fractured, but they're able to at least collectively move in a somewhat similar direction. That's beyond the Republican party's ability right now.

[MechAg94]

I don't necessarily disagree with you.  I just think it is a leadership issue that is the major factor.

[Hawkmoon]

I just think it is a leadership issue that is the major factor.

That sums it up perfectly.

[Monkeyleg]

I don't necessarily disagree with you.  I just think it is a leadership issue that is the major factor.

Yep. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan should be able to walk into their troops' offices and say, "well, are you going to toe the line and vote with us on these bills? If not, we have a primary candidate we can groom who would be entirely self-funded, is a triple-medal war hero, has a wife who's a doctor, three adopted kids, works with lepers, pulled two kids from a burning building last year, and looks like Chris Reeves. He'll get all of the RNC money for the next race. You won't get a dime".

[K Frame]

I think it is beyond a leadership issue now. I don't think Jesus himself could control and align the Republican party.

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[Scout26]

Yep. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan should be able to walk into their troops' offices and say, "well, are you going to toe the line and vote with us on these bills? If not, we have a primary candidate we can groom who would be entirely self-funded, is a triple-medal war hero, has a wife who's a doctor, three adopted kids, works with lepers, pulled two kids from a burning building last year, and looks like Chris Reeves. He'll get all of the RNC money for the next race. You won't get a dime".

Then we would a House and Senate full of Mitch McConnell's and Paul Ryan's and not Dave Brat, Trey Gowdy, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul...

[RoadKingLarry]

Dave Brat, Trey Gowdy, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul..

And what exactly have they accomplished? Other than running their mouths and pandering to their base?

[Sideways_8]

And what exactly have they accomplished? Other than running their mouths and pandering to their base?

They've accomplished nothing. Zero accomplishments. Which compared to a lot of Republican's accomplishments that have been negative, I'll take the zero for now. They aren't trying to push us back. Maybe if there were more like them instead of the standard crop of Republicans, things might get done.

[K Frame]

They've accomplished nothing. Zero accomplishments. Which compared to a lot of Republican's accomplishments that have been negative, I'll take the zero for now. They aren't trying to push us back. Maybe if there were more like them instead of the standard crop of Republicans, things might get done.

Exactly.

For almost 8 years they freaking screamed about Obamacare, and repeatedly made theater out of trying to repeal it, and said that the second they were in control they'd repeal and replace.

You'd think that with all that time, and all that angst, they would have had a perfectly considered plan ready to go...

Then the Republican party takes charge and they have...

the wide-eyed stare of a deer caught in the headlights.

They spent close to 8 years screeching like Howler Monkeys of Doom, and when they have their chance we find out just how *expletive deleted*ing useless they are.

[Pb]

I think it is because the people who control the Republican party actually have contempt for their voters, and only care about what rich people and big business want.  Their behavior in going after the Tea Party and refusing to follow through on their promises after gaining power is shameful.

Big business and rich people love illegal aliens, obamacare and huge government, so that's what the Republican leadership supports, all the while lying to the voters they hate.

[Ben]

I think it is because the people who control the Republican party actually have contempt for their voters, and only care about what rich people and big business want.  Their behavior in going after the Tea Party and refusing to follow through on their promises after gaining power is shameful.

Big business and rich people love illegal aliens, obamacare and huge government, so that's what the Republican leadership supports, all the while lying to the voters they hate.

I'm not completely sure about that. I believe currently the vast majority of the 1% are Democrats. Certainly the establishment Rs are going to support their establishment, but while the dems constantly attack the rich in public, in private they protect them. At least the really wealthy, versus the guy with a plumbing business and a dozen employees that makes low-mid six figures a year.

[Monkeyleg]

Trey Gowdy, Trey Gowdy, Trey Gowdy. The man makes for some great soundbites, but there's been nobody punished because of his examinations. All hat and no cowboy.

[MechAg94]

Yep. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan should be able to walk into their troops' offices and say, "well, are you going to toe the line and vote with us on these bills? If not, we have a primary candidate we can groom who would be entirely self-funded, is a triple-medal war hero, has a wife who's a doctor, three adopted kids, works with lepers, pulled two kids from a burning building last year, and looks like Chris Reeves. He'll get all of the RNC money for the next race. You won't get a dime".

No, they shouldn't.  That is what Paul Ryan did (sort of) and it blew up in his face. 

He should have been working on a bill that included elements all the Republicans could support.  From what I heard, Ryan could have allowed a number of amendments to his healthcare replacement bill and it probably would have passed the House.  He allowed no amendments and it did not have enough support.  My only conclusion is he is either an idiot, or he didn't want to repeal Obamacare.

[lupinus]

What's wrong with Republicans is that their title of the stupid party wasn't awarded, it was earned.

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[Scout26]

I'll give Boehner credit for this one, as he said "Every morning I start out with 238 frogs in a wheelbarrow, then to get something accomplished I have to try to keep them all in there until the end of the day."


The thing is the Republicans are doing exactly what the Framers intended.  To make as difficult as possible to pass legislation.  However, the other party would have every one of it's members vote for cannibalism, in lockstep, if that's what it's leaders ordained.  Which is precisely what the Framers did NOT want. 

[RoadKingLarry]

My only conclusion is he is either an idiot, or he didn't want to repeal Obamacare

Those are not mutually exclusive conditions.

[TommyGunn]

What is wrong with Republicans?


How much space is there in the internetz?

[HankB]