Yes, Meijer, on his first vote as a Congressman showed courage by living up to the oath he took to protect and defend the Constitution, holding trump accountable for his attempted coup. We can all admire and respect that in an age where very, very, very few GOP elected officials are willing to do so.
However, the DCCC is not in the business of rewarding any GOP Representative. They are in the business of gaining and/or keeping a Democratic House majority because if they don't, as today's GOP has shown over and over, our democracy is in peril. It's already in peril from even the so-called "normal" Republicans already holding office who choose to keep their heads down and remain silent.
After years of all of the jokes, chuckles and hand-wringing about the Democrats bringing a butter knife to a gun fight, they have come out fighting hard, especially in a year that everyone has preordained to be a GOP House take-over.
Only the anti-trump Republicans and former Republicans, who still hold onto the desperate hope that their party is salvageable are going to be upset by this. I, for one, am thankful that the gloves are finally off. Stop demanding they play by rules that your party/former party threw out the window years ago.
So now foolishly "playing by the rules" means consistently supporting democracy instead of loudly touting it one day but deliberately enabling anti-democratic candidates the next.
Why should anyone trust Democrats themselves to be loyal to the Constitution when they play these dishonorable games? How is a Democrat who helps out a Trumpist of whatever stripe actually better than a Trumpist when the day is done?
This is how the GOP itself slid insidiously into self-deluded moral compromise.
There's nothing anti Democratic about running an ad accurately describing the policy positions of a candidate. I mean, if you feel like this is the same as the GOP funding and running candidates with the same last name as the Democratic candidate in close races, have fun voting for the Forward Party I guess?
They did it deliberately to gin up Republican turnout and votes. It was totally gratuitous. Your example - in which Republicans try to confuse Democrats and muddle the field by dishonestly supporting candidates with the same last name - isn't even faintly relevant. Democrats didn't run ads for a liberal named Gibbs. There was only one Gibbs in that primary and Democrats knew who it was.
Yes, they said that Gibbs was too conservative to represent the district and the GOP voters disagreed. My example is relevant because it's another example of a party using cynical tricks to try and win an election, which you (as far as I can tell) feel that the Democratic party just invented.
All the Democrats did was run NEGATIVE ads against the crazy candidates, whom they will have an easier time defeating and either holding onto or flipping seats. When the GOP had to choose between conservatism and democracy, they abandoned both, for their own self-serving lust for power and money. Name one person they have held accountable for lying to their base and grifting millions upon millions of dollars from? Your both-sidism does not work here.
They cynically ran those ads to boost Gibbs's name recognition among Republicans. So now more of the latter will turn out in November. I hope Democrats are proud of themselves.
Of course more Republicans will turn out in the General than did in the Primary - that's always true for both parties.
Answer this: If the GOP retakes both chambers of Congress in 2022 and the WH in 2024, and then moves our country into authoritarianism, what do you propose to do then? Elections will be for show and cover only, no longer free and fair. Protesters will be jailed or killed. Look to Orban/Hungary or Putin/Russia. Look all across the globe to authoritarian regimes and that is what we will face. It will be much much harder to defeat then. Will you find one single ounce of solace then that the Democrats lived up to your view of ethical behavior? Will that be enough for our children, grandchildren and future generations?
Enabling authoritarian candidates by sleight of electoral hand is a funny way to stave off future authoritarianism.
Especially when you start raising MAGA consciousness at the primary level. The whole point of the strategy was ostensibly to depress Republican turnout in the general election by slyly boosting the MAGA candidate. Yet we know that Trump brought in millions of angry extra voters in 2020. Again, where's the logic? If the DCCC wanted to keep GOP turnout down it would have encouraged an alleged milktoast like Meijer who enjoys luke warm Republican support, or stayed out of the race entirely.
I've never heard it said that it was to depress the GOP turnout in the General. The point is to convince enough moderate and right-leaning Independents and (even fewer) Republicans to vote for the more sane, moderate Democrat. That was the coalition that elected Biden and defeated trump in 2020. The entire idea is to flip Meijer's seat. And btw, if the MAGA candidate wins, why do you propose that makes a difference? CPAC held an event in Hungary several weeks ago and has invited Orban to one here - that tells us exactly where they want to take our country. One more MAGAt in Congress isn't needed to make that happen and having Meijer re-elected does not one thing to stop it. Flipping that seat to a moderate Democrat is one notch towards keeping the majority, and that will stop their plans.
All they did was interfere with the Republican election, The nutball candidate couldn't gain any traction with in the party.
If win anyway you can is ok by you then go for it. Just don't expect me to support or approve. After all we have seen real proof of where such politics get us.
Your idea of interfering and mine are totally different. This is a political tactic that Republicans use as well. Both sides have for years. And what about when they take one little sound bite from anyone on the "Squad" and run ads against all of their democratic opponents claiming those opponents believe it too? That's how the democrats lost seats in the 2020 election.... I look at the motives behind each party and there is no comparison. I'd rather the democrats play hardball and win, for the sake of our nation, than to take the metaphorical high-road and lose, because if they lose, our nation will never recover in my lifetime, if not longer. It matters.
You want to win and govern? You need the suburban middle class voter, this style of ethics may appeal to the college crowd but not so much to the suburban voter, especially as hamhanded and obvious as this was.
And along those lines, I'm kinda tired about hearing how most of meijer's peers didn't make the right call with their votes. As I remember it, a majority of representatives made the right call in voting to impeach. Meijer wasn't part of the minority that decided to look the other way while our country was attacked. :golfclap
Yes, Meijer, on his first vote as a Congressman showed courage by living up to the oath he took to protect and defend the Constitution, holding trump accountable for his attempted coup. We can all admire and respect that in an age where very, very, very few GOP elected officials are willing to do so.
However, the DCCC is not in the business of rewarding any GOP Representative. They are in the business of gaining and/or keeping a Democratic House majority because if they don't, as today's GOP has shown over and over, our democracy is in peril. It's already in peril from even the so-called "normal" Republicans already holding office who choose to keep their heads down and remain silent.
After years of all of the jokes, chuckles and hand-wringing about the Democrats bringing a butter knife to a gun fight, they have come out fighting hard, especially in a year that everyone has preordained to be a GOP House take-over.
Only the anti-trump Republicans and former Republicans, who still hold onto the desperate hope that their party is salvageable are going to be upset by this. I, for one, am thankful that the gloves are finally off. Stop demanding they play by rules that your party/former party threw out the window years ago.
So now foolishly "playing by the rules" means consistently supporting democracy instead of loudly touting it one day but deliberately enabling anti-democratic candidates the next.
Why should anyone trust Democrats themselves to be loyal to the Constitution when they play these dishonorable games? How is a Democrat who helps out a Trumpist of whatever stripe actually better than a Trumpist when the day is done?
This is how the GOP itself slid insidiously into self-deluded moral compromise.
There's nothing anti Democratic about running an ad accurately describing the policy positions of a candidate. I mean, if you feel like this is the same as the GOP funding and running candidates with the same last name as the Democratic candidate in close races, have fun voting for the Forward Party I guess?
They did it deliberately to gin up Republican turnout and votes. It was totally gratuitous. Your example - in which Republicans try to confuse Democrats and muddle the field by dishonestly supporting candidates with the same last name - isn't even faintly relevant. Democrats didn't run ads for a liberal named Gibbs. There was only one Gibbs in that primary and Democrats knew who it was.
Don't kid yourself. Republicans are already ginned up and turning out to vote.
A lot of people here were begging the Democrats to start playing hardball.
Well, we are and now you guys act all shocked and have the vapors about it.
Yes, they said that Gibbs was too conservative to represent the district and the GOP voters disagreed. My example is relevant because it's another example of a party using cynical tricks to try and win an election, which you (as far as I can tell) feel that the Democratic party just invented.
All the Democrats did was run NEGATIVE ads against the crazy candidates, whom they will have an easier time defeating and either holding onto or flipping seats. When the GOP had to choose between conservatism and democracy, they abandoned both, for their own self-serving lust for power and money. Name one person they have held accountable for lying to their base and grifting millions upon millions of dollars from? Your both-sidism does not work here.
Agree,MoosesMOm.
They cynically ran those ads to boost Gibbs's name recognition among Republicans. So now more of the latter will turn out in November. I hope Democrats are proud of themselves.
Of course more Republicans will turn out in the General than did in the Primary - that's always true for both parties.
Answer this: If the GOP retakes both chambers of Congress in 2022 and the WH in 2024, and then moves our country into authoritarianism, what do you propose to do then? Elections will be for show and cover only, no longer free and fair. Protesters will be jailed or killed. Look to Orban/Hungary or Putin/Russia. Look all across the globe to authoritarian regimes and that is what we will face. It will be much much harder to defeat then. Will you find one single ounce of solace then that the Democrats lived up to your view of ethical behavior? Will that be enough for our children, grandchildren and future generations?
Enabling authoritarian candidates by sleight of electoral hand is a funny way to stave off future authoritarianism.
Especially when you start raising MAGA consciousness at the primary level. The whole point of the strategy was ostensibly to depress Republican turnout in the general election by slyly boosting the MAGA candidate. Yet we know that Trump brought in millions of angry extra voters in 2020. Again, where's the logic? If the DCCC wanted to keep GOP turnout down it would have encouraged an alleged milktoast like Meijer who enjoys luke warm Republican support, or stayed out of the race entirely.
The polls say your wrong. The Dem is beating Gibbs by +9 whereas she was only beating Meijer by +2.
I've never heard it said that it was to depress the GOP turnout in the General. The point is to convince enough moderate and right-leaning Independents and (even fewer) Republicans to vote for the more sane, moderate Democrat. That was the coalition that elected Biden and defeated trump in 2020. The entire idea is to flip Meijer's seat. And btw, if the MAGA candidate wins, why do you propose that makes a difference? CPAC held an event in Hungary several weeks ago and has invited Orban to one here - that tells us exactly where they want to take our country. One more MAGAt in Congress isn't needed to make that happen and having Meijer re-elected does not one thing to stop it. Flipping that seat to a moderate Democrat is one notch towards keeping the majority, and that will stop their plans.
All they did was interfere with the Republican election, The nutball candidate couldn't gain any traction with in the party.
If win anyway you can is ok by you then go for it. Just don't expect me to support or approve. After all we have seen real proof of where such politics get us.
Your idea of interfering and mine are totally different. This is a political tactic that Republicans use as well. Both sides have for years. And what about when they take one little sound bite from anyone on the "Squad" and run ads against all of their democratic opponents claiming those opponents believe it too? That's how the democrats lost seats in the 2020 election.... I look at the motives behind each party and there is no comparison. I'd rather the democrats play hardball and win, for the sake of our nation, than to take the metaphorical high-road and lose, because if they lose, our nation will never recover in my lifetime, if not longer. It matters.
You want to win and govern? You need the suburban middle class voter, this style of ethics may appeal to the college crowd but not so much to the suburban voter, especially as hamhanded and obvious as this was.
Did I read that right that Meijer is supporting Gibbs now?
Then I'm even more glad that the DCCC did what they did. "Good" Republican my ass.
There are no longer any тАЬgoodтАЭ Republicans. Because the ones that were good are no longer Republicans; the Party excommunicated them.
You tell me:
https://twitter.com/JFrancisTV/status/1554953715546816518?t=v_iCVfRTYyp94aWebki-sA&s=19
agree 100% and extremely well said
And along those lines, I'm kinda tired about hearing how most of meijer's peers didn't make the right call with their votes. As I remember it, a majority of representatives made the right call in voting to impeach. Meijer wasn't part of the minority that decided to look the other way while our country was attacked. :golfclap