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I am a first generation American, and I lived in the US for 19 years as of the date of writing this article.

I didnt know much about the Democratic party and the Republican Party before I started living here, and the more I learned about them, the more I was shocked that there were so many supporters of the Republican party in this country. To me, it is a party of the extremists. The party of the racists, the religious fanatics, people who are against the gay rights, womens rights, immigrants, abortion, etc. Many of them are barely a supporter of the principle of separation of church and state. And I am sure pretty much all the creationists vote republican.

They hate jews and muslims on principle, and the atheists are probably no better in their view.

They hate big government and taxes, and they could even do with no goverment at all, if that was a choice.

They think they support economic principles that are good for the whole country, but in fact they are being manipulated by the corporations, and the rich into supporting policies that are only good for the top 1%.

They think when you make the rich richer, they will create more jobs, and it will be better for the middle class and the poor as well, when in fact the result is an increase in the income inequality, along with an increase in the national debt and the budget deficit.

I dont know the Reagan years. I wasnt here. But when I look at the graph that shows how the national debt changed over the years, I see that it peaked in 3 periods in particular. One of them was the World War II years and afterwards, which is understandable, the second one is the Reagan years, and the third one is G. W. Bush years.

The way I see it, whenever Democrats are in power, the economy gets better, and then the Republicans come back to ruin it again. Even though Democrats are the ones who are blamed for increasing debt due to their social projects. But what I see is the opposite.

This has been my observation in this country so far.

In spite of all this, Republicans still win approximately half the votes in this country, which puzzles me, and scares me.

Is half the country consist of extremists? This is a scary thought. But I am told that this is not the case. Republicans have a long history and many traditional republicans are moderates.

I want to believe that, but my experience in this country in the last two decades doesnt show me anything moderate about Republican views.

So, I am puzzled. How can half the people in a country that is the major power in the world are right wing extremists?

Am I missing something here?

Continued here:
Republicans - thinkandsay.net

About Us

Republicans Fighting Tariffs exists to remind everyone why the Republican Party is the party of free trade. Free trade allows for strong businesses, good jobs, low prices, and a thriving economy. Tariffs, on the other hand, are an unwarranted tax on American businesses and families. We are urging Republicans everywhere to come together and tell Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a vote on a bill that would end these tariffs and save jobs.

Republicans Fighting Tariffs is a project of Defending Democracy Together. For interview requests, contact us at [emailprotected].

Scott Lincicome is international trade attorney, with extensive experience in trade proceedings in the United States, Europe, China, India and elsewhere, and in litigation before US Courts and the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body. He specializes in advising multinational and sovereign clients on US trade policy and how to best conform their transactions and policies to global trade rules and related national regulations. Scott is also an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute in Washington, DC, where he writes and speaks on US trade policy and politics, and a Senior Visiting Lecturer at Duke University Law School, where he teaches international trade law. Before law school, Scott worked from 1998 2001 as a research assistant with Cato's Center for Trade Policy Studies. Scott has published numerous academic papers and op-eds on US trade law, politics and policy issues; routinely appears in international media; and has advised dozens of political candidates and government officials on international trade issues. He has a BA in Political Science from the University of Virginia and a JD from the Universitys School of Law, and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife and daughter (and dog).

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Republicans Fighting Tariffs

The Republican Party was founded in Ripon, Wisconsin in 1854.[12] It was created by the support of Francis Preston Blair. Its formation was based around opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which would allow each territory to allow slavery if they wanted to. It was founded by previous members of the Free Soil Party and the Whig Party. They wanted to stop the expansion of slavery because they believed that it was against the ideals of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Some founders wanted to abolish slavery everywhere in the United States. The first Republican candidate for president was John C. Frmont in 1856.

As the Whig Party collapsed, the Republicans became the second major party (the Democratic Party being the first). In 1860 Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, was elected. For the rest of the second half of the 19th century, the country had mostly Republican presidents. From 1860 until 1912 the Republicans lost the presidential election just twice (non-consecutively to Democrat Grover Cleveland in 1884 and 1892).

Republicans believed in protectionism (the belief that raising taxes on trades with foreign nations would protect the U.S. economy) during the second half of the 19th century and during the early half of the 20th century.

After World War I, the 1920s had three Republican presidents: Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. It was called the Republican Decade for that reason. Harding and Coolidge made a plan for the economy which lowered taxes, cut government spending, and regulated the economy less.

Near the end of the decade, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression was beginning. During the Great Depression, Republicans lost popularity and Democrats came into power and remained in power until 1953, when Dwight Eisenhower began his first of two consecutive terms as president. (He was re-elected in 1956.) Richard Nixon lost the election in 1960, but was elected president on the Republican ticket in 1968 and again in 1972.

Ronald Reagan, an actor and conservative political activist, was elected as president in 1980. He became the first Republican president who was a former member of the Democratic Party. This began a conservative era which would last until 1992. He served two terms and his successor George H.W. Bush served one term. Reagan renewed many ideas which had been left behind in the past, such as limited government in the economy and strengthening the military.

Bill Clinton (a Democrat) was elected president in 1992, and re-elected in 1996. However, a new Congress was elected in 1994, and Republicans gained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. They voted against many of Clinton's ideas and proposed ideas of their own such as a line item veto and a balanced budget amendment.

The Republicans lost control of Congress during 2006. Democrat Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. The Republican Party has also gone against candidates of other political parties, such as the Libertarian Party and Green Party. House Speaker and U.S. congressman John Boehner was elected in the new Congress in 2010 and re-elected in 2012. In 2014, Republicans gained control of the senate and the house. Boehner resigned in early October 2015 and was eventually succeeded by Paul Ryan of Wisconsin on October 29.

On November 9, 2016, Donald Trump was elected president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College. Trump was the first Republican to take office as president since January 20, 2001 when George W. Bush was inaugurated.

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National Intelligence Director Dan Coats says he wishes President Donald Trump had made different statements in Helsinki, where he appeared to give credence to Russia's denial of interference in the 2016 U.S. election. (July 19) AP

Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16, 2018.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

WASHINGTON Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic push Wednesday that would have provided $250 million to beef up election security.

The money would have been doled out in grants through the Federal Election Assistance Commission and helped, among other things, replace outdated voting equipment and increase cybersecurity efforts.

But the amendment failed Wednesday on a 50-49 vote,10 votes shy of the 60 needed for it to pass. The votes fell almost entirely on party lines as only one Republican Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) voted for the grant.

"The integrity of our elections, which are the foundation of our democracy, should not be a partisan issue," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who proposed the amendment, said in a statement. "It is unfortunate that the Senate has followed the same path as House Republicansin blocking the funding our states need to help upgradetheir infrastructure and secure our elections."

Last month House Republicans similarly blocked an effort for $380 million to bolster election security efforts.

Congress had allocated $380 million in election security grants in March after intelligence assessments detailed a coordinated and continued effort by Russia to interfere in U.S. elections.

The blocked $250 million would have covered the fiscal year 2019, which starts Oct. 1, just ahead of the midterm elections.

Republicans have argued it is too soon to allocate new money for the following year and want to see how states use the $380 million already set aside for election security efforts.

More: 12 Russian intelligence officers indicted for hacking into DNC, Clinton campaign

More: Obama cybersecurity czar: Russian hackers likely scanned election systems in all 50 states

In 2016, Russian hackerstried to breach election systemsin at least 21 states but likely scanned systems in all 50 states, according tohomeland security officials. Although no actual votes were changed, hackersbroke into Illinois' voter registration database and stole some information.

Russia also mounted a major effort in 2016 to influence the U.S. election through the use of social media on Facebook, Twitter and Google.

Russian troll farms created fake social media accounts and websites to try to sow dissent among Americans on divisive issues such as race, gay rights, gun control, and religion.

Last month, 12 Russian military intelligence officers were indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller in a far-reaching hacking scheme that targeted the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton presidential campaign as part of the Kremlin's effort to undermine the 2016 election.

Contributing: Erin Kelly and Kevin Johnson of USA TODAY; Associated Press

The indictments were announced Friday by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as part of the ongoing special counsel probe into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. (July 13) AP

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Republicans block $250 million to beef up election security

The campaign is underway.

Not the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. No mentions of Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., or former Vice President Joe Biden.

Its the campaign for the Supreme Court.

Democrats and Republicans will burn tens of millions of dollars in a campaign to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh or torpedo his nomination. Everyone will try to force the hands of swing votes like Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.

The Kavanaugh nomination is about the midterm elections as much as it is about the balance of power on the Supreme Court.

Republicans have used judicial nominations to gin up their base for years. Theyll certainly attempt to excite Republican voters this fall with Kavanaugh. Many observers see the confirmation as Kavanaugh as a possible path to overturning Roe v. Wade or ruling against the labor movement.

Democrats can play at this game, too.

Democrats have never deployed the issue of judges in quite the same fashion as Republicans. But Democrats have the chance to do so this year. Kavanaughs nomination provides Democrats with a foil even if the Senate confirms the nominee just weeks before the midterms. Naturally Democrats would prefer to derail Kavanaughs nomination. But if Democrats play their cards right, they may be able to invigorate their base especially suburban women and capitalize on Kavanaughs confirmation.

Why havent Democrats exploited the federal judiciary for political gain the way Republicans have?

We are not as Machiavellian as they are, said House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Linda Sanchez, D-Calif.

But Sanchez says Kavanaughs nomination presents the party with an opening.

Giving Democrats the majority despite Kavanaugh gives Democrats the opportunity to fix some (court) overreaches, said Sanchez.

The Kavanaugh nomination may appear like bad news for Democrats. But if Democrats are crafty enough, they could swivel Kavanaughs confirmation into a midterm battle cry.

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution requires the Senate to confirm Supreme Court nominees, via Advice and Consent. But the process leading up to that confirmation vote evolved over the years.

Senators never even met with nominees until 1925. Justice Harlan Fiske Stone was the first nominee to appear in person to field questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of his confirmation to the High Court. Senators raised concerns about Stones ties to Wall Street. The process of a modern confirmation hearing began with the nomination of Justice John Harlan Marshall II in 1955. The advent of television ushered in a different model for a Supreme Court confirmation hearing. It culminated in 1991 with dramatic, wall-to-wall, televised hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassment when they worked together at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The confirmation process has turned into a political campaign for office, said Ron Bonjean, former communications director for former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. You have judges that have brilliant legal minds. But they are literally running for office for the first time. Having a sherpa or a campaign manager help them through the process is extremely useful.

As a result, the nominee, or candidate, as the case may be, spends weeks touring the Senate for conclaves with nearly all 100 senators. Heres where the sherpa comes in. Capitol Hill may only stand 88 feet above sea level. But trekking to the highest court in the land necessitates a political alpinist, lest the nominee plunge into a Senate crevasse.

You can call it a guide. Or sensei. Or teacher. Or whatever. But the sherpa is usually the guide. It is somebody you are looking to as you go through a process, said Bonjean. When you have a sherpa, it is not for the rest of your life. It is usually because you are on a trip and you need help getting from point A to point B.

Bonjean worked with former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., as she served as sherpa to Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during his confirmation process last year. Bonjean was also once a top aide to former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. The Trump Administration tapped Kyl to escort Kavanaugh to his Senate appointments this year.

I would want (Kyl) in my foxhole any day of the week as a legislative sherpa, walking around Brett Kavanaugh, said Bonjean.

Some lament alterations to the contemporary confirmation process. Meeting the nominee used to be rare. Now its not. Hearings didnt happen. Now theyre a marquee event. The same with TV. And as part of that evolution, the campaign for the Supreme Court is here to stay.

Is that a problem?

Theres been talk in Major League Baseball of late about shifts. Thats where the team in the field adjusts to the trends of the batter, repositioning defenders accordingly. For a left-handed pull hitter, the third baseman stands close to second base, the shortstop is where the second baseman usually plays and the second baseman patrols short right field. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is considering proposals to police defensive shifts, regulating their use and restricting where players may stand.

The solution for hitters? Adjust. Choke up on the bat. Cue a flair into left field. Drop a bunt down the abandoned third base line. Granted, tweaking the way you hit is easier said than done. But there are always options.

If senators and the public dont like how Supreme Court nominees now must run a campaign, consider ways to overcome the shift on Capitol Hill.

Lisa Murkowski is one of the most-watched senators in this campaign. A defection by Murkowski or fellow Republican Susan Collins could upend the nomination. The Senate functions with a narrow 50-49 GOP edge these days. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., remains out, suffering from brain cancer.

Its okay to take it slow, said Murkowski who opposes an expedited track for Kavanaugh. In fact, the Alaska Republican observed that lawmakers on both sides made snap judgments about Kavanaugh, minutes after President Trump unveiled his nominee.

There is such an immediate reaction, both pro and con, said Murkowski. They seem to be so absolute in their opinion. They believe that he should be absolutely confirmed or absolutely not confirmed.

Every senator is seeking something different in the confirmation process, right down to the nominees judicial philosophy.

Im looking for a cross between Socrates and Dirty Harry, opined Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In 2017, three Democratic senators voted to confirm Gorsuch: Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Joe Donnelly. All three face challenging re-election bids in red states this November. But theres another factor in the Kavanaugh campaign which didnt exist last year. Thats the election of Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala. No other Democratic senator represents a constituency as conservative as the one Jones has in Alabama.

Theres a good chance we pick up a number of Democrats, observed Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., about the Kavanaugh nomination. It would serve Jones well in the state of Alabama to support a conservative judge for the Supreme Court.

When initially asked about his take on Kavanaugh, Jones replied I havent done that deep a dive yet.

Democrats hope to slow down Kavanaughs nomination to parse his voluminous record. Thats an important tactic. The more time to study, the better the chances Democrats find a tripwire for Kavanaugh.

On Thursday, the Trump Administration yanked the nomination of Ryan Bounds for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, moments before his confirmation vote. The nominee lacked the votes after senators unearthed controversial writings from Bounds.

Democrats immediately seized on Bounds writings as an undergraduate at Stanford as a reason Senate Republicans should grant them ample time to review Kavanaughs record.

This shows when you first ask for writings, maybe they dont show you everything, said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., of Bounds. The same rule should apply to Kavanaugh.

But dragging it out could backfire on Democrats. Sure, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., prefers to confirm Kavanaugh when the Supreme Courts new term starts October 1. But McConnell could call the Democrats bluff and schedule the confirmation vote as close to the midterm elections as possible. That would apply maximum pressure on Democrats from battleground states to vote yes.

After all, this nomination isnt just about the Supreme Court. Its a campaign for the midterms.

Capitol Attitude is a weekly column written by members of the Fox News Capitol Hill team. Their articles take you inside the halls of Congress, and cover the spectrum of policy issues being introduced, debated and voted on there.

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