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Kevin Bowe's avatar

No Ben Sasse..."The zealots thrive..." because people like you let them thrive. Your noble words (which I fell for in 2017) were never supported by your jelly-fish spine. That you are still waxing poetic about what makes a great democracy, but still can not admit you're own complacency (stayed quite on Trump until after you were reelected, voted to acquit Trump for recruiting/blackmailing foreign govt to attack domestic opponents) proves how unfit you were to be a US Senator. Never mind one that pretends to a healing force in America. You are a fraud.

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Paul G's avatar

Agree. The same could be said about the David Brooks’ of the conservative punditocracy—they simply won’t own up to their own complicity. Perhaps they can’t.

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Lewis Grotelueschen's avatar

Sasse began his Senate career with a well received speech on the subject of how the Senate became such a weak institution. In the speech, he pledged to always stand in the way on any president of either party who abused the use of executive orders. Fast forward to Trump's misuse of funds to build the wall and Sasse abandoned his principles completely, thus earning Trump's endorsement for reelection.

Bigger picture, his mission to strengthen the Senate was a colossal flop, ending with his pathetic resignation.

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Eric Fry's avatar

To exaggerate a bit, if we didn't have executive orders we wouldn't have a federal government. Congress is AWOL.

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Kevin Bowe's avatar

What is the exaggeration? We've had congressional grid lock for decades.

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Eric Fry's avatar

Some laws are still being passed.

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SandyG's avatar

Agree. The Dem-controlled 117th Congress was very productive - the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, just to name a few.

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Teddy’s Mom's avatar

Mr. Sasse should read the Declaration if that’s what he thinks the purpose of government is:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --

I’m Team Lettuce!

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suzc's avatar

Go, Team Lettuce!

Michael Beschloss has already got his head of lettuce waiting....

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Jane in NC's avatar

I hope somebody is setting up a live cam!

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Dianna Jackson's avatar

What is significance of lettuce?

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Lewis Grotelueschen's avatar

When Liz Truss became Prime Minister, one of the London tabloids wondered if Truss's reign would outlast an unrefrigerated head of lettuce. The lettuce won.

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Nic Waters's avatar

Was actually the Economist who mentioned lettuce first, and one of the tabloids ran with it :)

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Jane in NC's avatar

I want a Team Lettuce T-shirt!

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Jane in NC's avatar

Ben Sasse and Jeff Flake were stamped out by the same press.

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Kevin Bowe's avatar

No Flake stood up and paid the price...but kept his dignity and reputation (I'm a liberal, who had a chance to thank him after he announced leaving the Senate). Sasse saw what happened to Flake when he acted on principle and turned into a jellyfish.

For a historian, Sasse has no interest in leaving a legacy of character and strength. Instead it will be a legacy of complacency.

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mel ladi's avatar

So disappointed in Sasse. I never would have voted for him (I don’t agree with his fiscal policies) but I kept being told he was the good and principled one. Nah, he wasn’t.

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Eric Brody's avatar

Perhaps my recollection is incomplete. Based on it, though, I am inclined to give Flake more credit. While his retreat from the battle was sad, I do not recall his having been complicit in the way that Sasse was.

Flake resigned in December 2018, before the first impeachment. Seems to me that were he still in the Senate Flake would have voted to convict both times.

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