General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIt's GOT to be BIG
Last edited Fri Feb 15, 2019, 02:46 PM - Edit history (1)
I dont know what the Russians have on Republicans currently in Congress, but it must be some really nasty shit. Its got to be mind-bogglingly corrupt, astoundingly vile, and immoral beyond all imagining.
There is no other explanation for their behaviour. The GOP has always worked against the best interests of the nation and its citizens. But for the past two years, they have been working against the best interests of their own party in fact, theyve done things that have undermined the image it took them decades to carefully craft.
The party of fiscal responsibility is now the party of out-of-control debt. The party of Christian principles is now the party of an adulterous, self-proclaimed pussy-grabber who lies on a daily basis. The party of family values is now the party that takes children from their parents and locks them in cages and/or simply loses them.
As dense as some okay, most Republicans in office can be, a lot of them can actually read. Theyve seen the same poll numbers we have. Theyve read the same Tweets, the same newspapers, the same websites so they know that Trump is costing them voters, and cant possibly be legitimately re-elected. Theyve heard some of their most respected former colleagues publicly denounce their party membership and speak out against them.
So why would any Republican senator or congressman/woman persist in protecting this presidency? Why would any power-that-be in the GOP persist in kissing the Russian traitors ass knowing that while it may please the base, that base isnt big enough to keep The Dotard in office past 2020?
Why would any Republican go-along-to-get-along with a pResident who is leading their party down the path of political destruction by going against everything that party has worked so hard to pretend to stand for?
There is only one explanation for so many elected Republicans being willing to undermine their own party and, in many cases, their own future political aspirations.
There is only one explanation for certain Republicans having gone from hes a kook! to unabashedly kissing his rear-end.
And the explanation is so simple, even a Republican could understand it. There are a LOT of dirty people in the GOP and the Russians have the evidence to prove it.
The question now is what skeleton could these Republicans possibly have in their closet that is worse than what we already suspect is there?
(Edited to fix typo)
RockRaven
(14,974 posts)Given how corrupt the GOP is, what could the Russians do with years of their internal communications? Oh, just destroy the careers, and possibly implicate in felonies, most of the Repukes in Congress.
This is going to be one for the ages when it all comes out.
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,356 posts)Start with Moscow Mitch.
Jarqui
(10,126 posts)Lindsey Graham is exhibit A
Funtatlaguy
(10,879 posts)erronis
(15,303 posts)Obviously a TXT/SMS wouldn't be good enough - not enough in-your-face and probably traceable.
Probably not a piece of paper in a waterproof container in a tree trunk along the Potomac Canal.
Guessing a visit to a spouse, lover, child, friend by a smiling stranger with some pictures and some quietly stated words.
Jarqui
(10,126 posts)Find out who changes his oil and film it. Or set up an underager to do it and film it.
Someone could bump into him on the street with a video on his phone ...
Email from a public library or stolen laptop on a bicycle that hacks their way into someone's home wifi ... untraceable.
They did something like that to him. He couldn't stand Trump.
NanceGreggs
(27,815 posts)... it's got to be something BIG - and outing Lindsay isn't all that big.
People have assumed for years that he's a closeted gay man - no one would be shaken by that news. I'm sure most Republicans have assumed it, too - but as long as he doesn't flaunt it in their faces, they're willing to ignore what seems to be obvious.
Unless we're talking about under-age boys ...
Jarqui
(10,126 posts)having to resign than coming out.
About 25 years ago, I had a dust up with a Russian owned business next door to ours. They'd gassed us chronically and acutely - made all employees sick - ambulances - some very sick. Had to get lawyers because the employees could sue me, the owner, as well. We had professionals gather evidence, etc. The Russians didn't like it. They broke into our office. They broke into our home while we were sleeping with my wife and little kids. They threatened us. Followed us around. Police got involved. I had to buy a bunch of weapons for protection. We moved and physically made ourselves disappear. They had hurt us - we didn't do a thing to them except follow the law and we were the ones who had to hunker down.
They do not have the same regard for life we do. They'd cut your throat for five dollars. That doesn't apply to all Russians. But there appears to be a significant section/faction of them who can be pretty ruthless, heartless and brutal. The police and lawyers echoed that opinion. We dropped the lawsuit. Wasn't worth getting my kids or wife hurt.
If they ruined Lindsey Graham's life or killed him, that group wouldn't lose a second of sleep over it. When you have a leader like Putin murdering to keep his position - that has a trickle down effect. Read the texts Manafort's daughters wrote about him or look closely at the history of Roger Stone - these are not nice people - they're fucked up sociopaths - like the Russians they hang with.
The decadent fat cats in congress, drown-proofing in dark lobbying dough, are sitting ducks for people like that.
world wide wally
(21,744 posts)Maybe Russia has assured them the fix is already in and as long as they go along, they will be reelected to continue their scam.
Mopar151
(9,989 posts)Like most crooks, the pugs ain't very good at it! So they leave an E-trail that, digitally, looks like the Secaucus Landfill.
trueblue2007
(17,228 posts)Grammy23
(5,810 posts)Weve talked about this until our tongues have hung out dry. Weve floated every explanation that could help explain why they have taken no action against tRump who is clearly messed up in the head and compromised in some telling ways.
They are up to their necks in the dirty tricks and dirty money. When it all comes out (and it will some day) people will have to be shown the evidence because they wont believe it. Our nations Constitution is experiencing its biggest challenge ever in the history of the country. And we are witnesses to it all. I just hope I Live to see the big reveal.
Delmette2.0
(4,167 posts)The National Enquirer has in the vault of secrets.
Initech
(100,081 posts)"To learn more, press Y to enter the vault of secrets!"
certainot
(9,090 posts)limbaugh
Why would any Republican go-along-to-get-along with a pResident who is leading their party down the path of political destruction by going against everything that party has worked so hard to pretend to stand for?
limbaugh has spent every day since inauguration ranting that the russia story is a hoax. any republican who takes it as valid will be tarred and feathered.
if americans want GOP senators to vote for impeachment just start boycotting the crap out of limbaugh and all the other rw blowhards and all their advertisers, protesting all those stations, and the universities that broadcast sports on them. without rw radio there's nothing to keep them, the ones not kompromised, in line.
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)that they ore their loved ones will be blackmailed, poisoned, thrown off a building. Whatever.
We have yet to see the real drop kick assault that makes it a total coup.
They may be sticking around on the promise of being someone in what is inbound if they succeed with this "plan" they have been protecting at all costs, which I am 100% certain none of us knows what that plan actually is in its entirety.
This has been some serious, serious shit.
You don't just hand control back after the four years are up.
I don't believe that they intend to step down at all.
We had better be prepared for that, if and when it hits.
When youre in the military, there is always the chance that some day, you might be required to put your life on the line. You do this for lots of reasons, mostly because its your job, you do this for your fellow soldiers, you unit and for your nation. The ultimate price you might pay is your life. The pay is not necessarily the best, but you do what you have to do...and you have to be willing to pay the price.
Now, what you are saying is that we have our congressional representatives cannot put the country first, because they might lose an election. The nation, the Constitution means nothing.
We really need term limits - and elimination of politicians defining who will vote for them.
DownriverDem
(6,229 posts)The NRA is being investigated for laundering Russian money. It's been out there that the money went to the repubs' campaigns. That lends itself to a whole lot of blackmail.
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)so how can we not have the NRA?
crazytown
(7,277 posts)Gonna strike a deal
Make him feel like a Congressman
Selling his baby
safeinOhio
(32,690 posts)Russian oligarchs. They will get to divide up the big corps and take over, what was, government institutions.
Very Wealthy future or death and prison.
erronis
(15,303 posts)If the repuglicons are hoping to have a fair deal when dealing with putine/kgb/fsb they haven't every cracked a history book.
ffr
(22,670 posts)Because it was all a pretend game. All about the facade of image, do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do.
The skeleton is greed, envy, & lust, but you are correct. We may have just scratched the surface of the unimaginable unpatriotic evils this derailed GOP has wrought on America.
erronis
(15,303 posts)FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Midnightwalk
(3,131 posts)C Moon
(12,213 posts)Nancy Pelosi is being VERY brave and brazen, so I think she knows what's about to come down.
God I hope McConnell is about to go down. I faux punch his face often.
BigmanPigman
(51,611 posts)When all of the candidates were running in 2016 GOP Senators and Congressmen all said that tRump was an idiot, not a real Repub, a bad businessman, etc. Then after he won but lost the popular vote the GOP House started to kiss his ass. The GOP Senate waited about 6 months to do so.
If they knew Putin has dirt/Kompromat on them from their emails why didn't they kiss his ass from the start instead of waiting so long? Did they think we would never find out about all the Russian donations to the RNC, the NRA giving them big bucks (probably even more than we are aware of and possible connected to Russia) and their individual campaign PACs?
Mr. Evil
(2,846 posts)No one in their right mind would put anything personally compromising in an email. Especially an official government email account where all that information will reside on an official government server for as long as is deemed fit aside from multiple copies that are archived.
So, these assets seem to be regular Americans. They know our history, our customs and most anything else we blithely take for granted. What they do to get compromising information is to get into darker aspects of arrogant, powerful, self-serving people (which happens to be mostly republican white men). The asset is usually installed into some bureaucratic operation or hired as an aide and works their way up, etc. He or she gains the trust of the mark and there you have it. Years of information. And it could very well be anything your imagination can come up with. I put nothing past these people.
Lindsey Graham did a complete 180. Why would he do that so easily? I'm guessing in his personal world there is something to protect that is more important than this country. What about Mitch McConnell? There have been rumors since the late 1960's regarding his Army discharge. Or maybe he's just greedy beyond the pale. Mitch may have bit off more than he can chew because he has always been cold and calculating, not a gambler. His cavalier statement that the next president should choose Antonin Scalia's replacement and his refusal to hold a vote until almost a year later and an unlikely republican winner made Mitch almost look prophetic. Or, he knew the fix was in play and took something in return for his actions (or inactions, as they were). Or, maybe Mitch is a Russian asset.
It's not just the Russians either. The Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, the second-largest shareholder of Fox News' parent company News Corp. That makes it easy to see why Trump and other republicans love Saudi Arabia. It also makes it very easy for Jared Kushner to be an accessory to the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi and get away with it (so far). The one weakness the Russians and Saudi's know that American politicians (especially republicans) cannot resist is money. Just offer piles of it along with compromising information and they have all the weapons they need to further corrupt the US.
All we can do for now is be patient and hope that Robert Mueller's reputation for being a man of the highest integrity and diligence is true. He is definitely patient, methodical and meticulous. For he happens to be one of our greatest assets.
Pluvious
(4,313 posts)Great observations Mr. E.
For Putin, the Cold War never ended.
The Psyops have never stopped.
They're playing the long game.
And half our country remains either blissfully, or willfully ignorant.
Sad.
Mr. Evil
(2,846 posts)Mickju
(1,803 posts)erronis
(15,303 posts)The americans are known for instant gratification. Just look at their porn (or better yet, don't.)
I doubt that the "executive" branch has any on-staff chess players. They are instructed from elsewhere.
Raster
(20,998 posts)...when he first entered Congress he was worth maybe a million and change. He is now worth almost 30 million, much of which is attributed to "gifts" from his father-in-law. Gifts from an inlaw that is not a US citizen or resident would not be subject to IRS scrutiny, as they would have no authority, thus the perfect way to pay illicit funds without arousing legal suspicion.
Mr. Evil
(2,846 posts)of trafficking in cocaine? Say it ain't so. Trump is just a spoiled rotten imbecile that Putin can control with a few prostitutes and a stack of 100's but, Mitch is supposed to be smart, cold and calculating. I would love nothing more than to see that sanctimonious asshole go down (and not the way he used to in the Army).
Raster
(20,998 posts)...up dirty money flowing into him from dirty sources. He doesn't have to pay taxes on the money because it is termed as a gift to him. While it's plausible that maybe her family is truly gifting millions and millions to him, they are not US citizens and therefore can't be compelled to give testimony to the IRS and/or other officials. They can continue to "give" Comrade McConnell* millions and millions of dollars with no real way to question its lawfulness.
Mr. Evil
(2,846 posts)against the United States. That would be a great day for this country and a great day for the advancement of humanity.
Scruffy1
(3,256 posts)No mobster would invest money in a politician unless he had assurances that they would stay bought. So a crime or some other carreer ending event has to be held over them.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)BSdetect
(8,998 posts)bdamomma
(63,883 posts)it's a combination of power and greed that will take them down, or in this case their own sick aspirations, and their dismissal of their Constitutional oath to the country the serve and its citizens.
They should be gathered up and justice must be served.
Gothmog
(145,335 posts)a kennedy
(29,675 posts)with this Barr now being the AG. Keeping fingers crossed.
Brawndo
(535 posts)I think we're giving them too much credit assuming that there's kompromat on them. They've made a calculation that they wont have to be ultimately accountable because they are going to do away with democracy period. tRump will not willingly let go of power, no matter what the results of the election are. I think they're banking on permanent power led by a king. My opinion of them is that low.
NanceGreggs
(27,815 posts)Brawndo
(535 posts)Have you witnessed an overabundance of fealty to the letter of the law from this maladministration? Once tRump is no longer a sitting president he can be indicted, charged and likely imprisoned. He knows this and I believe he will use any and all tactics to avoid that fate, up to and including starting a war, or calling on his supporters to rise up and defend him. This doesn't end pretty.
happybird
(4,608 posts)Really hope we are wrong.
I worry a lot about Bolton (and Netanyahu) whispering in his ear, and pushing "wartime presidents always get reelected."
krkaufman
(13,435 posts)I don't think it has anything to do with the Russians (for the GOP, generally; Trump, certainly).
I just don't think the Republicans have a great fear of long-term consequences for their actions. Their propaganda machine has 35+% of the population locked-in; and conventional gerrymandering, Constitution-defined gerrymandering (Senate, Electoral College), plus money in elections will often net them enough electoral pluralities to maintain power.
matt819
(10,749 posts)Nance, you are a national treasure.
Just sayin'.
You may be right. You probably are right.
However. . . it's entirely possible that Republicans are mind-bogglingly corrupt, astoundingly vile, and immoral beyond all imagining without the leverage of Russian pressure. After all, these are largely the same Republicans - in Congress - who took us into decades-long wars whose beneficiaries have been Republican-led defense contractors. And many of these same Republicans carried out decades-long attacks on Bill and Hillary Clinton. And, yes, some of these Republicans were around, in other capacities perhaps, at the start of the Reagan years, which started us on the road to where we are today.
So, maybe they are mind-bogglingly corrupt, astoundingly vile, and immoral beyond all imagining on their own. That said, I won't be surprised to learn that Russians and Chinese (McConnell/Chao) have capitalized on this corruption, vileness, and immorality in what will probably go down as the most comprehensive and long-term intelligence operations in history.
NanceGreggs
(27,815 posts)But being blackmailed over it by the Russians is a whole 'nother thing.
I can understand getting behind Trump at the beginning - they had to make the best of things, and put on a united front for the good of the party.
When he started going off the rails - bigly - they could have reined him in. But they didn't, even though they could see his statements and actions were losing them voters.
I cannot think of any reason why GOP senators, congress-people, and the PTB in the upper echelons of the party are standing by idly while he undermines the party itself, unless the threat of exposure is hanging over their heads.
And like I said, whatever kompromat exists, it's got to be something BIG. Republican politicians have sleazed their way through all kinds of scandals and survived politically - so whatever they're afraid of being revealed would have to be more damaging than we have photos of you with a woman who's not your wife.
underpants
(182,834 posts)In this case the woman is money
erronis
(15,303 posts)A bit sarcastic only because most of the power resides with the XY bunch and they really like money.
BumRushDaShow
(129,127 posts)(from the Tony Orlando and Dawn Show - OMG I used to watch that )
underpants
(182,834 posts)gademocrat7
(10,660 posts)marylandblue
(12,344 posts)The base may not be enough to win, but they also can't win without the base. If they criticize Trump, the base immediately abandons them, their numbers drop and they get primaried. If they don't criticize Trump, their numbers stay stable and in red states, that may be enough to get re-elected.
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)out to cover their rears.
Even if it is only a handful that the Ruskies have something on, the handful would have to plead with the others to keep it quite. Someone -- probably several someones -- would be using it to beat a political foe or gain favor. They wouldn't do it for the country.
And like you say, what could it be we don't already suspect?
NanceGreggs
(27,815 posts)... that no politician can "cover their rears" over - especially if proof exists, and it's in the hands of someone who won't hesitate to expose it.
I've no doubt that the guiltiest parties have convinced others that their own political survival depends on everyone being "on the same page". This would be a particularly potent threat to use on the party up-and-comers who have aspirations for higher office - "If you don't stick with us now, the party won't support you when you want to move up the ladder."
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)But, there are definitely things/people in this world that are hard to understand and evil.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)That's all that's necessary to blackmail them or control them.
But the Republicans were hacked just a few months ago, if you recall.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Miigwech
(3,741 posts)RNC stuff is being used to blackmail repubs ... and trump has that information ... Muller needs to investigate that
Eliot Rosewater
(31,112 posts)ariadne0614
(1,730 posts)Sancho
(9,070 posts)...which may explain the lengthy investigation
Ferrets are Cool
(21,107 posts)I hope the chickens come to roost. And shit on their heads.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)It could be the National Enquirer that has all the dirt on the Republicans. (Only about half kidding.)
krkaufman
(13,435 posts)Just because the Republican Party put themselves forward as a given thing didn't make it true, ever.
They got their tax cuts for the wealthy, and that's all they really care about; the rest is just about maintaining control of their base and relying on money in elections to net them enough votes from the mindless middle to win electoral pluralities.
Hotler
(11,428 posts)and they like'em to be boys.
2naSalit
(86,650 posts)I mean, where have they been getting their young victims from since they aren't able to get with the pages in the House and Senate? And where are all those children taken from their parents? And just how is it that so much illegal stuff, including humans in containers, get onto cargo ships overseas and make it here?
There's a major, global human trafficking network and these bastards are in it up to their ears by either profiting financially or by participating directly. I think Lindsey has been involved in this network for a long time and there's probably plenty of proof, and I bet AMI has it in that "safe" and I wouldn't be surprised if Roger Stone has backup files. Which brings us around to Epstein and the Miss Universe contests and it just keeps going.
There's so much there there that it boggles a sane mind.
IronLionZion
(45,460 posts)Dem emails have scandalous things like risotto recipes and the DNC influencing primaries to help one candidate over another.
GOP emails probably have some House of Cards type crimes documented that would result in hard prison time. And many on their side have been indicted, charged, and plead guilty to crimes already. I bet it goes really deep.
dflprincess
(28,079 posts)"for the good of the country".
Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)1) Malcolm Nance
2) Michael Hayden
3) James Clapper
4) John Brennan
5) Richard Clark
6) Bill McRaven
The Wizard
(12,545 posts)And we will pay the price.
Apollyonus
(812 posts)from when these people visited Russia
LonePirate
(13,426 posts)Gothmog
(145,335 posts)Link to tweet
?s=20
Nitram
(22,822 posts)desire for power. They already got two SCOTUS appointments, and might get another. Regulations have been rolled back across the board, leaving the environment and the economy open to serial rape. They are a pack of craven traitors.
NanceGreggs
(27,815 posts)... by a desire for power, why are they enabling a "pResident" who is losing them voters - ya know, the people who can put you in power in the first place?
Nitram
(22,822 posts)across the board, etc. etc. Did you actually read my post?
NanceGreggs
(27,815 posts)
would have gotten all the things youve mentioned no matter which Republican wound up in the WH. Conservative justices, judicial picks, reversal of regulations, tax cuts for the wealthy all of it. And had the prez been anyone other than Trump, they wouldnt be having to deal with scandals on a daily basis.
He is being detrimental to the Republican party. They knew they were going to lose big in the midterms (which equals a loss of power), and yet they continued to stand behind Trump when they knew what he was saying and doing were going to cost them that loss. They saw the disapproval ratings going up, just like we did.
So why stick by Trump when it leads to losing power rather than gaining it? The Repubs will lose in 2020 mostly due to their continued support of a pResident whose disapproval ratings keep going up. And once that power is gone, their wont be any more conservatives appointed to SCOTUS, etc. and many of their treasured gains will be undone under a Democratic president.
So again the question is: Why are certain, very influential Republicans more than willing to undermine their own political positions and ambitions, and risk losing even more bigly in 2020?
As I said, this isnt about pics in the Enquirer of a congressman in bed with a dead girl or a live boy. This is about money having changed hands, its about treason and knowing there are people who have the evidence to prove it is pretty strong motivation.
B Stieg
(2,410 posts)They're all about the maddens...
Locrian
(4,522 posts)They've been **selected** to behave just the way they are. They aren't leaders or anything like it - they're loyal followers of the donors / rich/ whatever you want to call it.
The fact that trump has ripped the curtain away doesn't mean the corruption etc wasn't there in the first place. Now they have no skills to do anything else except bumble along. They have no stones to be able to find their way out of this so they're doubling down.
I'm just glad that a lot of the dems seem to have woken up and are truly in the fight now. But it remains to be seen what will actually be revealed to the public - because I think it's gigantically evil and I can see them "not wanting to scare the public" (ahem, cough, affect the markets) with the reality.
B Stieg
(2,410 posts)We've got to fight back and be resolute about doing it!