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Orrin Hatch is an 83-year-old Republican senator from Utah, and, depending on which left-wing conspiracy theorist you read, the future president of the United States. He is also, to the chagrin of pretty much everyone who can read, out here talking about shooting wads. In a recent interview with Politico, he said of current Republican legislative priorities, Were not going back to healthcare. Were in tax now. As far as Im concerned, they shot their wad on health care and thats the way it is. Im sick of it.

Was the onetime presidential candidate saying that the Republican party, anthropomorphized into the form of a human male, had already ejaculated over the prospect of healthcare reform and were no longer interested in having sex with it? The metaphor is tortured and unpleasant, but not altogether inaccurate. They have wasted the first six months of a new Republican presidency and dominant control over both houses of Congress trying to repeal a policy that, prior to its rebranding by Barack Obama, came from their own party, and now have little to show for it. Hatchs general point, it would seem, is that, if the enfeebled and overwhelmingly male Republican party is going to muster up the energy to fuck again, it is going to be a new policy initiative. His lack of enthusiasm for it is understandable, even if his choice of phrasing is not.

Hatch later took to Twitter to correct us young, post-Civil War whippersnappers about the true nature of wad-shooting:

Ah yes, Hatch was merely referring to the euphemisms he heard elder musketry enthusiasts use as he was growing up, which surely even then did not function euphemistically. Mel has a detailed breakdown of the possible etymological meanings of Hatchs aside, in which they explain his proposed wad-shooting thusly:

In weaponry ranging from a Napoleonic cannon to a modern shotgun, a paper, fiber or plastic wad is used to separate the projectile from the propellant. Shooting ones wad simply means that the charge contains no projectile and is therefore ineffectual.

Anyway, the larger point here is that it provided a good opportunity for dick jokes.

And so on. Future politicians, please note Hatchs mistake, and do not use euphemisms involving guns or sex when discussing legislative issues in the future, because both are deeply unpleasant.

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Orrin Hatch says the Republican party shot their wad, but not the way you're thinking - A.V. Club

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., center, is surrounded by media on his way to view the details of a new health care bill on July 13, 2017. Alex Wong / Getty Images file

Heller charted a meandering course through the Affordable Care Act repeal debate, leading Tarkanian to say the senator had turned his back on us. Heller stridently opposed an early version of the GOP health care plan before voting for the final bill in the Senate.

I am a conservative Republican who supports the policies of President Trump to repeal Obamacare and end illegal immigration. I will continue to support President Trump's policies that have led to a 20% increase in the stock market in just six months, Tarkanian said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

Hellers camp quickly fired back, noting Tarkanians electoral record is 0-5.

Danny Tarkanian is a perennial candidate who has spent millions of dollars on five campaigns over the last decade. Nevada voters have rejected him every time, Heller spokesman Tommy Ferraro said in a statement. Hes wasted conservatives time and cost the Republican Party seats up and down the ballot. If he ultimately files for U.S. Senate he will lose in the primary.

Tarkanian, son of college basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, most recently lost a 2016 challenge to Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., the Democrat running against Heller next year.

Still, Tarkanians multiple campaigns, while unsuccessful, have made him a well-known name in Nevada politics. If nothing else, his presence in the race could force Heller to divert resources and push the senator into more conservative positions than might be advisable in the Democratic-leaning state.

Heller, the only Republican senator from a state Hillary Clinton won last year, is already Democrats top target in upper chamber in a year that otherwise has them on defense. Groups opposed to Republican attempts to repeal Obamacare spent more than $15 million on ads hitting 13 GOP senators during the health care debate. More than third of those ads $5.6. million

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Danny Tarkanian to Challenge Dean Heller in Nevada Primary - NBCNews.com

"It's not good enough. We've got to do better," said Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, of the Senate's effort so far this year.

In part, they have themselves to blame. After using a process that required only Republican support, they still failed to find consensus on a plan to overhaul the Affordable Care Act and haven't otherwise moved on President Donald Trump's legislative agenda.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Republicans have four priorities: health care, tax reform, regulatory reform, and confirming conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

"If we deliver on those four, this could be the most productive congress in decades," he told reporters. "If we fail on those four, this Congress would be a heartbreaking missed opportunity."

But Republican senators have also been distracted from following through on legislative accomplishments. They worked closely with the White House and even changed Senate rules to get Justice Neil Gorsuch confirmed, but the relationship with the White House has often been sour.

Staffing kerfuffles at the White House, continued leaks about the ongoing Russia investigation and Trump's own evolving goal posts on health care all have all created an environment where senators' are slowly realizing if they want to pass a comprehensive legislative agenda, they may have to be more self-reliant.

"We're getting used to each other," said South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a member of leadership. "A lot of our members have never had a Republican administration. This is a President, obviously, who's never had to work with Congress. I just think there are some growing pains that come with that, but things we can work through. "

When Congress returns in September, they'll have a full agenda. They'll have to raise the debt ceiling, keep the government funded and renew the country's flood insurance program. They'll also have to return to work on stabilizing the health care system something most lawmakers acknowledge now requires Democratic help. And, lawmakers are expected to turn again to try and get Trump a win on tax reform.

After years of waiting for a Republican to enter the White House, GOP senators admit that they are adjusting to the fact that the conservative legislative agenda is in their hands.

"I think we're conducting our business in the way things were intended to be," said Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Look, we're separate but equal branch, and I think we understand it's up to us to pass laws and make changes and to deal with things like tax reform. "

Asked if he felt like Congress was on its own, Corker said he was relishing the freedom and urged his colleagues to accept it as a silver lining.

"Honestly I enjoy the fact that Congress, the Senate in particular, is charting a course and developing legislation and, let's face it, leading on all of these issues," Corker said. "When my members in the committee say, 'Well, we have no one here from the administration to weigh in on this,' I say, 'Be careful what you ask for. It's pretty nice the way things are.'"

Republican senators are even defying Trump in some obvious ways. After Trump suggested in a New York Times interview and Twitter that he was displeased with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Republicans on Capitol Hill came to Sessions's defense.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, tweeted that the Judiciary Committee wouldn't approve another attorney general in 2017. And South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham declared there would be "holy hell" to pay if Sessions was fired.

"I don't think that the caucus is ignoring the President," Collins said in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash last week. "But there may be some ignoring of his rhetoric, which, at times, is over the top."

Murkowski agreed, saying that when the rhetoric from the Oval Office "is not constructive to governing," it's "important to speak up."

"And I think you are starting to see a little bit of that," she added.

If anything, it's been a learning curve for all sides. After a raucous health care debate and the passage of a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that the President finally signed, Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, said Trump might have learned more about how Congress operates.

"We'll stand up for our prerogatives," Flake said. "No president should expect any senator or member of the House to be a rubber stamp. We have our own franchise."

CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

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Republican senators realizing legislative agenda is in their own hands - CNN

A Republican donor in Virginia has filed a lawsuit against the national and Virginia Republican parties, accusing them of fraud and racketeering for raising millions of dollars in donations knowing they wouldnt be able to repeal ObamaCare.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that Bob Heghmann, a retired attorney in Virginia Beach, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Thursday. The suit blasts the Republican Party, saying it has been engaged in a pattern of Racketeering which involves massive fraud perpetrated on Republican voters and contributors as well as some Independents and Democrats.

The lawsuits defendants include the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Republican Party of Virginia, as well as Virginias two members of the RNC and the chairman of the state Republican Party, John Whitbeck.

As part of his suit, Heghmann argues that the Republican Party does not hold the same protection that members of Congress have against being sued for failing to fulfill campaign promises. He wants the GOP to either threaten to withhold money from members of Congress if they dont repeal ObamaCare, or return contributions to donors.

Heghmanns suit alleges that both the national and state GOP raised millions of dollars from 2009 to 2016 by promising to repeal ObamaCare, but that Republicans knew they would be unable to repeal the law when former President Obama won reelection in 2012.

The suit references comments made by former Speaker of the House John BoehnerJohn BoehnerRepublican donor sues GOP for fraud over ObamaCare repeal failure Boehner on Trump tweets: He gets 'into a pissing match with a skunk' every day Boehner predicts GOP will 'never' repeal, replace ObamaCare MORE (R-Ohio) when he said it was clear ... [that] ObamaCare is the law of the land" following Obama's reelection.

In making this statement Speaker John BoehnerJohn BoehnerRepublican donor sues GOP for fraud over ObamaCare repeal failure Boehner on Trump tweets: He gets 'into a pissing match with a skunk' every day Boehner predicts GOP will 'never' repeal, replace ObamaCare MORE was sending a message to House Republicans and others that Repeal was not going to happen. He was trying to put the issue to rest. ... Nevertheless, the Republican Party continued to use the mails, wires and interstate commerce to solicit donations and votes to secure House and Senate majorities and ultimately the Presidency, the lawsuit states, according to the Pilot.

It also accuses the national and state Republican parties of never intend[ing] to implement the Trump Agenda or fulfill the promises of the Republican Platform as it campaigned for President Trumps election.

Senate Republicans bill to repeal ObamaCare failed last week after three Republicans broke with their party to oppose it. After the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellMitch McConnellFive tough decisions for the GOP on healthcare McConnell on healthcare failure: 'Feel better, Hillary Clinton could be president' George Will warns grotesque is becoming normal for GOP MORE (R-Ky.) said, It is time to move on.

"What we tried to accomplish for the American people was the right thing for the country," McConnell said. "I think the American people are going to regret that we couldn't find another way forward."

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Republican donor sues GOP for fraud over ObamaCare repeal ...

MSNBC

The Republican Party's birther problem isn't limited to the past MSNBC In Sen. Jeff Flake's (R-Ariz.) new book, he reflects on many in his party losing sight of their core principles, largely out of cowardice. We forgot to affirm in a voice loud and clear that yes, we are proud Republicans, but that we believe in country ... Republicans Have Reached a Tipping Point with TrumpVanity Fair Republican senators realizing legislative agenda is in their own handsCNN In The States, Republicans Have Never Been So Dominant Or VulnerableNPR The Atlantic -Daily Beast -Breitbart News -NPR all 425 news articles »

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The Republican Party's birther problem isn't limited to the past - MSNBC