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If you want to understand just how morally bankrupt and spineless Trump-era Republican politicians have become, consider this: Not even Howard Baker's protege, WHO IS NOT EVEN RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION, has the guts to vote for witnesses

Im talking, of course, about Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander.

If you expected Alexander to follow in the tradition of Baker, a Tennessee Republican, who as ranking Republican on the special Senate committee investigating the Watergate break in, chose loyalty to the truth over loyalty to Richard Nixon, youd be wrong.

Its stunning to me that a 79-year-old retiring senator wouldnt choose to exit politics by ensuring that his legacy is a similar profile in courage. But I guess this shows you just how powerful the Trump virus has become.

Whether its obsessing over outing a whistleblower, threatening to call Hunter Biden as a witness, or suggesting that it doesnt matter if Trump committed a quid pro quo, todays Republicans are pathetic, embarrassing, and disappointing.

Alexander was never going to be the future of the GOP. Unfortunately, almost every Republican, save for Mitt Romney, is now on the wrong side of an issue that transcends policy preferences. Mike Lee, Ben Sasse, and James Lankford are now, presumably, on the wrong side of what is a character issue--a moral issue. If courage is the most important virtue, then the fact that I may agree with them on taxes is sort of beside the point.

Let's say Trump loses in 2020... How can I trust or respect these conservatives (whose policy ideas I generally endorse)? I cant. And you cant. And thats whats so disappointing, here.

Some are more disappointing than others.

Take Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, a serious conservative who once headed the Club for Growth. Taking a page from others, like Arizonas Martha McSally and Josh Hawley of Missouri, Toomey came out against calling witnesses, saying, We dont need to drag this out any longer.

Im not sure why Toomey wouldnt want more information and evidence. Whats the rush? What does he have to do that is more important?

Im disappointed in Toomey.

Likewise, I was really holding out hope for Tim Scott of South Carolina. Scott, a Republican I once greatly respected, now says that it is impossible not to come to the conclusion that the president is actually innocent of an impeachable offense.

I give up. There is nobody left in the GOP to believe in.

This realization might seem obvious to you, but having hope wasnt always so crazy. Not long ago, there existed, somewhere between the moderate establishment and the crazy fringe, a pocket of thoughtful, young conservatives who mightve led the party into the future..

Remember the Benetton commercial featuring a diverse mix of conservatives like Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, Trey Gowdy, and Scott?

In their infinite wisdom, Republican voters chose to promote a septuagenarian, former Democratic vulgarian named Donald Trump as the partys standard-bearer instead.

Still, there was hope that this remnant of principled conservatives might wait out the Trump eraand even help mitigate its damage. Running for re-election in Florida, Marco Rubio pledged to act as a check and balance on whoever the president is even if it is a president from my own party."

His status as a check on Trump lasted about as long as the Miami Marlins pennant chances. Likewise, Haley was eventually co-opted by Trumpsim, and Gowdy was even briefly tapped to be on Trumps defense team.

And then theres Scott. He never made Rubio-esque promises of independence. Still, for whatever reasonI suspect it's partly based on his likeabilityScott largely managed to avoid getting bogged down in the Trump controversies.

Until now.

His opposition to calling witnesses in the impeachment trial is proof that he, too, has succumbed to the Trump virus, just like his Benetton brothers and sister.

To be clear, Scotts precise stance is that the Senate shouldnt hear from witnesses who didnt testify in the House. But thats an invented theory that is based on no law, rule or even precedent that Im aware of.

Sure, it might have been nice if the House had done more to compel witnesses to testify. But John Bolton, the main witness everyone is talking about, resisted overtures to testify in the House before stunning everyone by announcing that he would comply with a subpoena to testify in the Senate.

If your goal is to find the truth, there is no good reason not to have Bolton testify.

Indeed, the only reason that you would choose not to hear from this relevant and credible witness is you prioritize protecting the president over discovering the truth, cant handle the cognitive dissonance of hearing evidence and then voting against your conscience (and violating your oath), or both.

Neither of these reasons are worthy of respect.

When it comes to the future of the GOP, the worst thing about Trumpism isnt that it initially attracts and promotes the bottom-feeders, but that it also seduces and corrupts the best, like Rubio, Scott, Haley, and Gowdy.

The rest is here:
Impeachment Proves There's No Republican Left to Believe In - The Daily Beast

Two Republicans in heated San Diego City Council races against Democrats are the leading fundraisers among 28 total candidates battling for five open council seats.

Noli Zosa, who is seeking to keep the District 7 seat in Republican hands, and Joe Leventhal, who is trying to succeed Republican-turned-independent Mark Kersey in District 5, have each collected more than $200,000 in campaign contributions.

Only three other council candidates have raised more than $100,000, according to campaign contribution disclosures submitted in recent days.

Democrat Sam Nejabat has raised $161,000 in the District 1 race, Democrat Marni von Wilpert has raised $127,000 in her District 5 battle against Leventhal, and Raul Campillo has raised $125,000 in his race against Zosa in District 7.

Meanwhile, in the race for City Attorney, incumbent Mara Elliott has a commanding lead in donations with more than $300,000. Challenger Cory Briggs has raised $27,000, while challenger Pete Mesich has raised less than $2,000.

With four weeks left until the March 3 primary, Elliott has $169,000 available to spend on her campaign, while Briggs has just over $20,000.

In each city race, the two candidates who get the most votes in the primary will advance to November runoffs.

While raising money is no guarantee of success, candidates with more money can send mailers, buy ads, conduct phone banks, post campaign signs throughout their district and do other things to promote their candidacies.

In the council race for north coastal District 1, business owner Nejabat has raised significantly more than three other Democrats who have split up most of the major endorsements.

Attorney Will Moore has raised $96,000, business owner Joe LaCava has collected $94,000 and firefighter Aaron Brennan has received $65,000.

Each of the four candidates has also loaned his campaign money: Nejabat $100,000, Moore $47,000, Brennan $10,000 and LaCava $4,000.

Nejabat has $165,000 available before the primary, while Moore has $62,000, Brennan has $36,000 and LaCava has $19,000. But independent committees have been established to boost the campaigns of Brennan and LaCava.

Separate committees created by the citys firefighters and police officers labor unions have contributed $8,500 total to Brennan. A committee supporting LaCava has raised $70,000, including $10,000 from the Teamsters union and $35,000 from a nonprofit focused on energy and water issues.

The other four candidates in the District 1 race have raised significantly less money. Technology worker Harid Puentes has raised $31,000, real estate broker Lily Zhou has raised $3,700 and attorney James Rudolph has raised $2,125. Environmental writer Louis Rodolico hasnt reported raising any money.

Every candidate in the District 1 race is a Democrat except Zhou, who is an independent.

In the race for central urban District 3, nonprofit manager Stephen Whitburn leads the pack with $95,000.

He is followed by fellow Democrats city financial analyst Chris Olsen with $58,000, nonprofit manager Adrian Kwiatkowski with $57,000 and political staffer Toni Duran with $53,000.

A fifth candidate, Michelle Nguyen, has raised just over $4,000.

Whitburn has $49,000 in available cash, followed by Duran with $26,000, Kwiatkowski with $22,000, Olson with $18,000 and Nguyen with just under $4,000.

In the race for north inland District 5, Leventhal and von Wilpert, who are both attorneys, lead two other candidates by wide margins. Leventhal leads all council candidates citywide with $216,000.

Technology worker Isaac Wang has raised $15,000 and loaned himself an additional $10,000. Business owner Simon Moghadam has not reported raising any money.

The independent committee established by the firefighters labor union has given $1,050 to von Wilpert.

Leventhal and Moghadam are Republicans. Von Wilpert and Wang are Democrats.

In central eastern District 7, Zosa at $202,000 and Campillo at $125,000 are followed in fundraising by attorney Monty McIntyre with $74,000 and teacher Wendy Wheatcroft with $58,000.

Zosa, a small business owner, leads in cash available to spend with $127,000. Campillo, a deputy city attorney, has $79,000, while Wheatcroft has $17,000 and McIntyre has $13,000.

Zosa is a Republican, while the other three candidates are Democrats.

In central southeastern District 9, political staffer Kelvin Barrios leads in fundraising by a wide margin with $42,000.

He is followed by community college trustee Sean Elo with $14,000, scientist Johnny Lee Dang with $11,000 and nonprofit manager Ross Naismith with $2,000.

Two other candidates in the race -- maritime systems manager Alex Soto and business owner Andrew Gade -- havent reported raising any money. A seventh candidate, business owner Sam Bedwell, hasnt submitted required disclosures.

An independent committee has also been established to support Barrios by Local 89 of the Laborers International Union of North America. The committee has raised $16,000 for him so far.

All of the candidates in the District 9 race are Democrats except Gade, who is an independent.

A new wave of fundraising disclosures is due Feb. 20 in all city of San Diego races.

Link:
Two Republicans in key San Diego council races setting the pace in fundraising - The San Diego Union-Tribune

About an hour ago

In the finale of his third State of the Union address Tuesday, President Donald Trump said his administration is making the nation greater than ever before, and about a dozen people attending a watch party in North Huntingdon organized by the Westmoreland County chapter of Young Republicans, agreed.

Among the achievements Trump claimed that received the loudest applause from the group at the Jacktown Ride and Hunt Club were his efforts to rework the foreign trade landscape in favor of the United States and his report of millions of people leaving the welfare and food stamp rolls.

I think hes done a great job, Steve Cleaveland, 45, of North Huntingdon, said of Trump. The economy is doing fantastic. Things are looking really good.

Susanna DeJeet, 62, of Delmont, said she has been a strong supporter of Trump since 2016 and hopes to be a Republican delegate supporting him in this years presidential election.

I liked his policies, and I thought, this is a person who has the spine to bring those policies about, she said. DeJeet said she admires Trumps support for service members and veterans which was on display Tuesday, as Trump paused from his remarks to reunite a military family and to recognize the survivors of others who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror.

DeJeet said she also was impressed by Trumps attendance at the recent March For Life pro-life rally in the nations capitol. I like that he was the first president to go to the pro-life rally, she said.

Alexander Brown, 28 of New Stanton, a Greensburg attorney who is chairman of the Westmoreland Young Republicans chapter, referred to Trumps foreign trade moves as a welcome example of the presidents willingness to go out of the box that many presidents on the Republican side have been put into. Looking out for our manufacturers and the folks in the trades, thats something that our party has not been particularly good at until the last three or four years.

Barton Maser, 66, a veteran who is a Republican committee member in North Huntingdon Ward 1-1, said he supported presidential candidate Ted Cruz in 2016 but has grown to like Trump because, when he says something, he keeps his word. That stance was reflected in his red attire bearing the presidents surname.

Build the wall, Maser shouted later as Trump spoke about his border and immigration policies and stance against sanctuary cities.

Maser said he has reservations about the presidents mode of communication. Some of those tweets, knock it off, he said, expressing regret that some of the presidents tweets have unnecessarily given ammunition to his opponents.

Maser also said he would have preferred if Trump would have waited until the final vote in the presidents impeachment trial scheduled for today was over before he delivered his State of the Union address. Let the air clear, because this is still overhanging him, Maser said.

Cleaveland joined many in the room in regretting the impeachment process began at all. There is no evidence and theres no votes for it, he said. The only reason to put it forward is to have a television show.

Brown said it was the right choice for Trump not to refer to the impeachment trial during his address. Its a good idea to move on from that chapter in our countrys history and instead look forward in an optimistic fashion, he said. I think the president did a very good job of listing his accomplishments in a way that everyone can appreciate.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, [emailprotected] or via Twitter .

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.

More Westmoreland Stories

See the rest here:
Westmoreland Republican viewers take heart from State of the Union address - TribLIVE

Presidential candidate Bill WeldWilliam (Bill) WeldJoe Walsh: I've realized 'nobody can beat Trump in a Republican primary' Trump wins Iowa GOP caucuses Weld warns of Republican Party split, Democratic takeover of Senate MORE warned of a Republican Party split and Democratic takeover of the Senate if the GOP continues in its current direction.

Donald Trump would be in charge of the know-nothing party, which was half of the Whig Party that split a century ago, and you know, they were founded on anti-immigrant prejudice, violent rallies and conspiracy theories, he told Fox Business Networkanchor Neil Cavuto on Cavuto: Coast to Coast.

So history does have a way of repeating itself, and the wonderful thing about the Whig Party splitting up is the other half elected Abraham Lincoln, he added.

Weld, a former Massachusetts governor,also said if the GOP persists in their efforts, The emperor has a wonderful suit of new clothes, I think the Republicans will lose the Senate and well have a Democratic Senate and House next year.

The Senate currently has a GOP majority,with the party holding 53 seats in the upper chamber.

Weld, speaking ahead of Mondays Iowa caucuses, said he and former Rep. Joe WalshJoe WalshJoe Walsh: I've realized 'nobody can beat Trump in a Republican primary' Weld warns of Republican Party split, Democratic takeover of Senate GOP spokeswoman likens Sanders rise to Trump: 'You shouldn't just brush off a side' MORE (R-Ill.) expect to do reasonably well in the caucuses, noting Walsh spent more time in the Hawkeye State. The former governor said he will have to wait and see what happens in the following New Hampshire primary.

Weld and Walsh have launched long shot challenges against President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' READ: Speaker Pelosi's response to Trump's State of the Union address Pelosi hammers Trump's speech: 'A manifesto of mistruths' MORE for the GOPnomination.

Updated at 5:27 p.m.

Read the original here:
Weld warns of Republican Party split, Democratic takeover of Senate | TheHill - The Hill

Ihave a friend whos a Republican, which is exceedingly befuddling to me. I cant fathom why anybodys a Republican these daysespecially this guy, whos as disabled as I am, perhaps more so.

For our purposes here today, I feel compelled to give my friend a pseudonym. He probably wouldnt care if I used his real name. Hes out of the closet when it comes to being a Republican. He wears it on his sleeve. But accusing someone of being a Republican seems like a mighty harsh charge, even if its true. I dont feel I have the license to disparage anyone publicly like that, especially a friend.

And who knows, maybe someday hell come to his senses and change his mind. If so, Id like him to be able to make a clean break. If he ever wants to erase all traces of his Republican past, I wouldnt want to be in any way responsible for making that as onerous and painful for him as getting rid of a hideous tattoo.

So I am going to call my friend Ishmael. And before we proceed any further, Ishmael would probably insist that I make it clear to you that even though he is a solid Republican, he strongly disagrees with the direction the squatter currently occupying the White House is taking things. In the interest of fairness, I will do that. We all have the right to define ourselves how we wish to be defined.

But I would argue that you cant forsake the squatter and still be a Republican. Ishmael thinks the squatter is a cement-headed racist who drastically distorts what the GOP is all about. Thats funny, because I think the squatter is a cement-headed racist who precisely symbolizes what the GOP is all about. Ishmael worries that the squatter may very well destroy the Republican Party. Thats funny, too, because thats the only thing I like about the squatter. Its the only thing about him that gives me hope.

Anyway, Ishmael is wise and funny. Hes a lawyer. Part of what he does is help people straighten out their Social Security problems. He lives in New York City. Hes about ten years younger than me. And, like me, he rides around in a motorized wheelchair and employs a crew of people to help him get dressed and out of bed, go to the bathroom, et cetera.

Though Ishmael and I live in different states, the wages of our workers are paid by state programs created to help disabled folks live in the community rather than in institutions. So the services of our workers dont cost us anything except what we pay in state taxes, like everyone. We could never afford to pay for all the help we need out of our own pockets. Ishmael has a crew member with him 24/7.

I think all this community cooperation paid for by public funds is the kind of thing Republicanism vehemently wants to squash. Its as socialist as public schools. And we all know what Republicans would like to do to them.

To me, a true Republican who subscribes to the partys greed creed would consider a program that pays for our support crews to be another unnecessary intrusion by big government. The greed creed would shirk off any responsibility for getting guys like Ishmael and me out of bed, shuffling this off to charities and faith-based organizations.

So Ishmael, as much as I love him, comes off to me politically as the disabled equivalent of the Log Cabin Republicanswhich, according to its website, is the nations original and largest organization representing LGBT conservatives. Its oxymoronic mission is to work to make the Republican Party more inclusive, particularly on LGBT issues.

But, as I see it, homophobia is an indispensable ingredient for successfully fertilizing the soil of cynicism, paranoia, and arrogance in which Republicanism is rooted. If you remove it, the whole thing dies.

To me, a true Republican who subscribes to the partys greed creed would consider a program that pays for our support crews to be another unnecessary intrusion by big government.

Ishmael would say au contraire. Just as the Log Cabin Republicans maintain that opposing equality for LGBTQ people is inconsistent with the GOPs core principles, Ishmael would argue that true Republicanism isnt incompatible with giving a flying damn about how disabled folks like us get out of bed. Hed remind me that Republican President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

When I hear thator when I hear Republicans defend their civil rights record by proudly proclaiming the GOP to be the party of Lincolnit makes me laugh.

So what if Bush did one right thing in signing the ADA? He did plenty of bad things to atone for his lapseincluding appointing Clarence Thomas, who has done everything in his power to undermine the act and its protections.

Thomas wrote a dissenting opinion in the 1999 case of Olmstead vs. L.C. and E.W., in which the court ruled that it was a violation of the ADA for state governments to automatically confine disabled people to institutions rather than support them to live in their homes and communities. By adopting such a broad view of discrimination, he sniffed, the majority drains the term of any meaning other than as a proxy for decisions disapproved of by this Court.

Ishmael might well concede to me on this point. But Ive heard him say that, most of all, his dedication to Republicanism is reaffirmed by the tidal wave of crap he and other disabled folks are hit with when dealing with government-run programs including Medicaid and Social Security.

I certainly cant argue with him about that. There isnt a disabled man, woman, or child alive who doesnt have a horror story of that genre. Dealing with bureaucracies is often as surreal as it would be to go into a place of business that doesnt want customers. You get the opposite of the hard sell. You get the hard repel.

Imagine going to a restaurant and having a surly matre d ask, What the hell do you want? You say you want dinner. The matre d grumbles and huffs and presents you with a thirty-page application that you must fill out and have notarized and then submit along with a prescription from your doctor and then youll receive notification within 190 business days as to whether or not youve been approved to receive dinner.

And then the matre d turns his back and resumes playing computer solitaire, hoping youll just go away. But if your choices in life are either eat dinner at this restaurant or starve, youll disdainfully jump through all those hoops. And its a good bet that somewhere along the line your dinner application will get lost and youll have to start all over. Either that or youll be denied and youll have to spend many more months appealing.

Thats how it feels to wrestle with bureaucracies at their most belligerent and demeaning. Its exhausting. Bureaucracies often dont want customers because they think customers make the cash flow out rather than in. So Ishmael wonders why anyone would want to create more of them and perpetuate that degrading customer service model. Thats why hes deeply skeptical about ideas like Medicare for All.

Ishmael has a point, but I just cant see how in the hell Republicanism is the antidote.

At least now we have a bureaucracy to wrestle with. At least were at the table, though we may be seated at the most distant end.

The reason Ishmael and I need the public programs to make sure our armpits get washed is that the greed creed doesnt give a damn whether or not guys like us get our armpits washed because theres no profit in it. Profit potential is the only thing that motivates the greed creed. If Ishmael and I have to wait for the omnipotent free market to get inspired to help us wash our armpits, well be smelling like dead horses mighty fast.

Of course nobody thinks callous, stingy bureaucracies are the be-all and end-all. The next step is to pound away at them until they straighten out and behave. We have to demand that they change their culture to one that treats all customers respectfully and fairly.

And I like this Medicare for All idea. Its the for All part that really has a ring to it. I like the idea of only needing a pulse to qualify to receive a public service. That in itself would help immensely because it declaws the most hostile bureaucratic gatekeepers quite a bit. We customers dont have to do so many painful contortions to prove ourselves worthy of their attention. It takes away much of their leverage.

And when were all in it together, I think it would be a lot harder for bureaucratic bullying to prevail. Bullies like to work in isolation. They like to jump on those who have been separated from the protection of the pack. But if we all have something at stake in the mission of a public service agency, well all know and care much more about how things turn out. Well all have to have each others backs and stand up to abuse. To mistreat one is to mistreat all.

Theres one other thing about Ishmael that I cant understand for the life of me. Hes a Yankees fan. How can anyone possibly be one of those? But even after that, were still friends.

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My Friend Ishmael, the Republican - Progressive.org