Tag: GOP now the cult of Trump

‘A world of denial’: Conservative writer blasts GOP voters for being ‘delusional’

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Conservative Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin has made no secret of the fact that on January 20, she was delighted to see President Joe Biden sworn into office and former President Donald Trump exit the White House. Rubin was hoping — not expecting, but hoping — that the GOP would abandon Trumpism after Trump was voted out of office. Instead, Rubin laments in a column published this week, Republicans are doubling down on it. And she argues that a party that has been overtaken by dangerous extremists and insurrectionists must be kept away “from the levers of power.”

Trump is facing a second impeachment trial following the violent insurrection on January 6, when a violent mob of pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol Building in the hope of preventing Congress from certifying Biden’s Electoral College victory in the 2020 presidential election. Yet many Republicans, Rubin notes, are still unwavering Trump supporters.

“The vast majority of Republicans prefer to live in a world of denial, even at the price of refusing to hold the instigator of a domestic terrorist attack responsible,” Rubin laments. “The party’s base, at this point, is as delusional as Republican ‘leaders’ who refuse to convict Trump for instigating the assault and who treat conspiracy-monger Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) as a member in good standing.” Continue reading.

Biden’s cleaning up after Trump just like he promised — and the GOP is outraged

President Joe Biden has issued more than 30 executive orders since taking office.

Congressional Republicans are complaining that President Joe Biden has issued a large number of executive orders in his first week in office. They fail to mention the fact that many of Biden’s orders undo some of the 220 executive orders issued by Donald Trump during his time in the White House.

While the lawmakers’ counts have varied, the outrage has been consistent.

“President Biden is setting records and breaking promises,” complainedRep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) on Thursday. “Biden has signed more executive orders in his first week (22) than any other president in history (on pace to sign more than 4,500 EOs in four years).” Continue reading.

The Memo: Center-right Republicans fear party headed for disaster

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The Republican Party is riven by internal tensions, and moderate voices fear it is headed for disaster at the hands of the far right.

The centrists’ worry is that the party is branding itself as the party of insurrectionists and conspiracy theorists. This spells catastrophe for the GOP’s ability to appeal beyond a hardcore base, they say.

Ten House Republicans voted to impeach President Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 ransacking of the Capitol, but the chances of him being convicted in the Senate seem close to zero.  Continue reading.

Strategist shares prediction about the GOP’s future if Trump isn’t convicted in the Senate

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A Republican strategist is warning about the dangerous path the Republican Party could be embarking on if they do not convict Trump for inciting the deadly insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. 

According to the Huffington Post, Sarah Longwell, a Republican strategist and founder of the organization Republican Voters Against Trump, on Thursday, Jan. 28, discussed the long-term repercussions that may come if Senate Republicans do not hold former President Donald Trump accountable for his actions. Longwell also stressed that the best course of action would be to end Trump’s political future now or he could be a heavy influence on the party for the next decade. 

“This is their best chance to put a stake through Donald Trump’s political future,” she said. “If they don’t take it, Donald Trump is going to control this party for the next 10 years.”

Longwell also noted the dangers Trumpism poses to not only the Republican Party but the entire country. Continue reading.

Kevin McCarthy taps Trump donors in seeking to retake House majority

Fundraising pitch comes from ‘trumps-majority’ web address

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is relying on the brand and grassroots network of his party’s ex-president to gin up donations in Republicans’ quest to retake the majority in the chamber in 2022. 

Not only did McCarthy meet with Donald Trump in Florida, but the House’s top Republican also sent a fundraising email Thursday from an account dubbed trumps-majority.com. 

It comes at a pivotal moment for the GOP as party insiders wrestle with the role that will now be played by Trump, whose supporters rioted at the Capitol on Jan. 6 but who also remains hugely popular among conservatives. Continue reading.

RNC invites Trump to speak at spring meeting

The former president has yet to make a public appearance since leaving the White House.

The Republican National Committee is planning to invite former President Donald Trump to its upcoming spring donor meeting, according to a person familiar with preparations for the event. 

The RNC is also expected to invite other potential 2024 candidates and Republican leaders to the retreat, which is to be held in Palm Beach, Fla., April 9-11.

Trump has yet to make a public appearance since leaving the White House earlier this month, and he has also been absent from Twitter, which banned him following the Jan. 6 insurrection. Continue reading.

State GOP Leaders Lurching Toward Cultism, Secession, And Worse

State Republican parties across the country became even more extreme over the first week without Donald Trump in the White House, punishing Republicans who they felt didn’t support Trump enough and pushing baseless conspiracy theories that helped lead to the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The actions from state Republican parties are a surefire sign that the GOP cannot easily wipe its hands clean of Trump, even though those like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell want nothing more to do with him following the attacks that led to the death of one Capitol Police officer.

Here’s a look at what some state Republican parties have done since President Joe Biden was inaugurated on Jan. 20: Continue reading.

Most House Republicans silent over violent Marjorie Taylor Greene comments as Democrats condemn them

Most House Republicans were silent on Wednesday after CNN’s KFile reported that Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress. 

“These comments are deeply disturbing, and Leader McCarthy plans to have a conversation with the Congresswoman about them,” Mark Bednar, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, said in a statement Wednesday evening. Axios was first to report his comments and the California Republican’s plans to speak with the congresswoman. 

House GOP Whip Steve Scalise said in a statement to CNN, “I’ve consistently condemned the use of violent rhetoric in politics on both sides, and this is no exception. There is no place for comments like that in our political discourse.” Continue reading.

Death threats and intimidation of public officials signal Trump’s autocratic legacy

As the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump approaches, federal officials are investigating threats to attack or kill members of Congress. This comes in the wake of the Capitol riot, when a mob stormed the building where members of the House and Senate were preparing to certify the presidential election. Some rioters reportedly threatened the lives of elected officials in both parties.

When the House took up impeachment proceedings, Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives reportedly felt afraid to vote to impeach Trump – even fearing for their lives. A video also captured a group accosting Republican Lindsey Graham, a U.S. senator from South Carolina, screaming that he was a “traitor” after he declared that Joe Biden had been lawfully elected president. 

These threats do not simply reflect increased levels of anger and depravity among individual Americans. Rather, they appear to be evidence of a more systemic use of fear and intimidation in U.S. politics, seeking to force fealty from Republicans and reinforce the authoritarian turn that defined Donald Trump’s leadership. Continue reading.

The GOP’s answer to its post-Trump blues: More Trump

For a moment, it looked like the Republican Party was getting some distance from the former president. Not anymore.

For a moment, it looked like Donald Trump might be losing his iron grip on the GOP. In the wake of the deadly Capitol riot, 10 House Republicans joined Democrats in their vote to impeach him. Several other Republicans openlysuggested at least censuring the president. 

Not anymore.

Local and state Republican parties are censuring Republicans for disloyalty in states across the country. The lawmakers who broke with him are weathering a storm of criticism from Trump-adoring constituents at home, with punitive primary challenges already taking shape. In Washington, party leaders who once suggested Trump bore some responsibility for the Jan. 6 violence are backtracking. Continue reading.