News Drama ‘The mob was fed lies’: McConnell says Trump ‘provoked’ Capitol riots and insists inauguration will be safe

[Raven117]

Maybe, but the Republicans have to stand for something. They can't just be a slow drag to the left.

And what should that be? Most of the things I said were traditional Republican ideas. You can have conservative solutions to issues that some might say are "left" issues.

 

[Ascend]

Leaving this here....

 

[Punished Miku]

I think the turtle actually wants the destruction of the GOP.

That makes no sense. I think he sees the iceberg ahead and is trying to shift course.

 

[Clear]

Tutnout was up this election and the republicans benefited as well.

Exactly, the circumstances were unique too.

The thing to me is that it seems that the Dems are kinda hedging between making a case for counter-revolution (to Trumpism) and a return to normalcy. I don't believe these positions are at all compatible, and that's going to hurt them in the polls.

Americans aren't going to prosper over the next 4 years, they are going to have a fucking hard time like everyone else post-Covid. That's not a vote winner in the way that the "Battle for the soul of America" sloganeering they've ridden this time around. McConnell is banking on clearing the decks and starting from a clean slate next time because he likely believes the Dems are not going to be starting from a position of strength.

 

[Moonjt9]

If the senate votes to confirm that impeachment I’ll never vote republican again, and I think a lot of others would feel the same way.

 

[lefty1117]

Impeachment has no chance whatsoever. Its not even constitutional. The Senate has no authority to hold court over a private citizen. Not to mention political suicide for Senators

What are you talking about? Do you think they're going to arrest him and throw him in jail if the Senate votes for impeachment?

If he was still in office, he'd be removed from office. Since he's not in office, if they impeach they will move to a vote to bar him from ever holding office again. 14th amendment I think. There is precedent for exec branch leaders being previously impeached after their terms end, and there is nothing in the constitution specifically requiring the person to still be in office.

We shouldn't view this as McConnell suddenly having a conscience or something. It's purely a political calculation that he can leverage this action to permanently remove Trump from the party.

 

[Vestal]

We shouldn't view this as McConnell suddenly having a conscience or something. It's purely a political calculation that he can leverage this action to permanently remove Trump from the party.

This right here. I loathe McConnell but he is one of the shrewdest politicians around and for that he has my respect. This is a calculated move in order to surgically remove Trump from the equation in GOP politics and send a message that this nonsense will not be allowed or encouraged in the future. He saw the tea leaves, 4 years ago they had the Trifecta and since then with Trump as the standard bearer they have lost 2 major elections and 1 major run off election. At the same time he sees some of the really shitty people being elected within his party (Georgia Congresswoman for example) and he wants to reign the party back in to a more conservative less radical view.

 

[lefty1117]

McConnell is no hero, he has as much to do as anyone with the declining decorum and collegial atmosphere in the congress over the last 12 years. But perhaps in this one case our interests align ... lol

 

[SF Kosmo]

Do I really need to remind you of his approval ratings? Or the fact that without Trump on the ticket, Republicans lost? Within the Republican Party, Trump was consistently more popular than anyone else. I understand people like you hate him and think he's an anchor or noose, but your opinion is not shared by all.

This isn't necessarily a good thing though. If you're a party loyal career Republican, Trump's popularity poses an existential threat to the health and unity of the party.

Trump is like a pirate who captured their ship; yes they're letting him captain the vessel and listening obediently when the guns are trained on them, but it doesn't mean they'll hesitate to take a brick to his head if he turns his back.

 

[Vestal]

This isn't necessarily a good thing though. If you're a party loyal career Republican, Trump's popularity poses an existential threat to the health and unity of the party.

Trump is like a pirate who captured their ship; yes they're letting him captain the vessel and listening obediently when the guns are trained on them, but it doesn't mean they'll hesitate to take a brick to his head if he turns his back.

Trump is the Rights version of Obama if you look at it from a birds eye view. A cult of personality sort of speak, which galvanized a specific sector of their electorate and they have sort of a lock on it... The problem republicans have is that unlike Obama, Trump doesn't appear ready to give it up and ride into the sunset.

Nothing is scarier for a political party than a singular figure that controls the hardcore base and is unwilling to relinquish that power.


In essence that is what the Transfer of Power meant prior to this year. It meant that the outgoing President was DONE with engaged politics and new blood from within said party would take the reigns.