'Shocking': Hillary Clinton Surprised at Ease of GOP Capitulation to 'Puppeteer' Trump

Feb 8, 2024 | Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Alex Wagner about why she is still hopeful that aid for Ukraine will be passed by Congress, and the "profoundly silly" spectacle of Republicans in Congress abandoning their own principles to obey the whims of Donald Trump.

New House Speaker Mike Johnson Praised ‘18th-century Values’ in Speech

GUARDIAN US: Louisiana congressman told audience at 2013 anti-abortion event Americans should live by 250-year-old religious and moral values

Mike Johnson. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA
Before entering elected office, Mike Johnson, the new Republican speaker of the US House, praised “18th-century values” and told an audience that Americans should live by them when it came to morality and religion.

In video footage of a forum hosted in 2013 by Louisiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, Johnson, a devout Baptist and then an attorney for rightwing groups and causes, is asked about the “condition of conscience” in Europe and Canada regarding abortion policy.

Saying he has just given “a seminar … to a bunch of high school kids in Shreveport”, Johnson quotes George Washington and John Adams, saying the first two presidents and other founders “told us that if we didn’t maintain those 18th-century values, that the republic would not stand, and this is the condition we find ourselves in today”.

Johnson, 51, became speaker on Wednesday, as Republicans’ fourth candidate for the job since Kevin McCarthy was ejected by the far right of the party. » | Martin Pengelly in Washington | Friday, October 27, 2023

Geez! Just when you thought things couldn’t get much worse than with Trump, here comes another American screwball! What is there about the US that it keeps on cooking up fruitcakes? Is kookiness the new normal over there in the GOP, or what? – © Mark Alexander

‘Go pick up a Bible’: Speaker Mike Johnson defends anti-LGBTQ+ views: Republican House speaker, who has advanced extreme views as attorney and legislator, says ‘I am a Bible-believing Christian’ / Questioned about comments and actions deemed by many to be homophobic, the new Republican US House speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, told Fox News his worldview was: “Go pick up a Bible.” »

Historian Heather Cox Richardson: GOP “Has Become an Extremist Faction” | Amanpour & Company

Oct 6, 2023 | The Supreme Court is just one example of the eroding of public trust in America’s institutions. For decades, an elite majority has weaponized language and promoted false history, according to historian Heather Cox Richardson. Her new book "Democracy Awakening" explores how this process has drawn some Americans into authoritarianism. She joins Michel Martin to discuss. | Originally aired on October 6, 2023

The USA is a bloody mess! It is NOT the USA we foreigners knew and loved: the wellspring of progressive thinking, new ideas, creativity and innovation. It has now become a reactionary country which has turned in on itself. Frankly, the USA has never been the same since 9/11. Osama bin Laden f****d up America good and proper. It has never been able to recover from the 9/11 attack. It’s a sad story. – © Mark Alexander

‘The Trumpian Playbook’: Mehdi Unpacks the GOP and Elon Musk’s War on Truth

Sep 7, 2023 | Conspiracy theories have long been a cornerstone of Donald Trump’s brand, but Elon Musk may be taking his place as the chief purveyor of disinformation. Mehdi speaks with two authors about how the GOP and social media have created a war on truth – and what we can actually do about it.

Inside the Chaos in the GOP

Sep 24, 2023 | As infighting among House Republicans threatens to push the country into a government shutdown, Jonathan Capehart and his panel discuss the roots of Republican extremism including the influence of retiring Fox Chairman, Rupert Murdoch.

The Lincoln Project: This is the GOP

Sep 28, 2023 | "Does anyone see a VP in that group? I don't think so" - Donald Trump | The GOP Primary is over.

More Republicans Say Trump Committed Crimes. But They Still Support Him.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The share of Republicans saying the former president has committed “serious federal crimes” has grown modestly, according to a new poll from The New York Times and Siena College.

Supporters of former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Erie, Pa., on Saturday. | Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times
Donald J. Trump famously marveled during his first presidential campaign that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and he would not lose any support.

He now seems intent on testing the premise of unwavering loyalty behind that statement.

The federal charges against the former president seem to have cost him few, if any, votes in the 2024 election, even as the number of Republicans who think he has committed serious federal crimes has ticked up.

He continues to hold strong in a hypothetical general election matchup, despite the fact that 17 percent of voters who prefer him over President Biden think either that he has committed serious federal crimes or that he threatened democracy with his actions after the 2020 election, according to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll.

“I think he’s committed crimes,” said Joseph Derito, 81, of Elmira, N.Y. “I think he’s done terrible things. But he’s also done a lot of good.” » | Ruth Igielnik and Maggie Haberman| Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Oh Jesus! Don’t these Republicans know that even the Archangel can get depressed, and that God Himself can get angry? Very angry! One cannot help but wonder if Republican voters are trying His patience! – © Mark Alexander

The surest sign that Donald Trump is back? Ivanka is being seen in public with him: When the former president looked finished, Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner kept their distance. Now he is the Republican frontrunner, they’re once again by his side »

The Lincoln Project: Unintelligent Life

Jul 28, 2023 | Aliens: Looking for intelligent life in the GOP? Keep looking. xoxo, LP

‘There’s no fool like an old fool’, or so they say; and there are no voters like American voters either! Inform yourselves as to why Trump’s poll lead went up even after criminal indictments! Check out the reasons here. – Mark

The Lincoln Project: The GOP’s Playbook Is as Dangerous as It Is Predictable… | #shorts

Click here for more info.

Democracy Now! Trump Indictment: Scholar of Fascism Says GOP Has Become an “Autocratic Party” Led by a “Cult Leader”

The Lincoln Project: Last Week in the Republican Party

Aug 31, 2022

American whackadoos! – Mark

Texas Republican Platform: Being Gay Is 'Abnormal Lifestyle Choice'

From left: Dan Patrick and Greg Abbott
ADVOCATE: The platform, adopted over the weekend, also opposes “all efforts to validate transgender identity.”

The Republican Party of Texas is well known for its anti-LGBTQ+ stances, but the party platform it adopted this year goes beyond even previous ones, with language calling homosexuality “an abnormal lifestyle choice” and opposing “all efforts to validate transgender identity.”

The party adopted the platform Saturday at its convention in Houston, The Texas Tribune reports. Republican elected officials aren’t required to follow the platform, but the document indicates the general feelings and direction of the party.

Previous platforms included much antigay and anti-trans language, but the “abnormal lifestyle choice” statement is new. The platform also endorses conversion therapy, as it has in the past, and calls it by a new name, “reintegrative therapy.”

“Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice,” the platform reads. “We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin, and we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values. No one should be granted special legal status based on their LGBTQ+ identification.”

At least one delegate, David Gebhart, tried to soften this language, saying, “We are the Republican Party of Texas, not the Westboro Baptist Church,” Tribune editor Sewell Chan tweeted. Gebhart’s suggestion was met with laughter and boos. Other delegates made homophobic and sexually charged comments. » | Trudy Ring | Monday, June 20, 2022

Texas GOP Adopts Resolution Rejecting 2020 Election Results

Jun 20, 2022 • CNN's Chris Cillizza breaks down how Trump's hold over some Republicans was on full display at the Texas GOP convention and reports on disturbing rhetoric used in a recent GOP candidate's ad.

Trump reminds me of a spoilt child who plagues his parents to death and won’t shut up until he gets what he wants, until he gets his own way. Further, he likes the sound of his own voice and constantly craves attention. Moreover, he wants to stay in the limelight.

Why the GOP is pandering to the childish needs of this man is beyond my comprehension. No doubt, it is beyond the comprehension of many others, too. – © Mark Alexander

Chase Strangio: Alabama Ban on Trans Youth Healthcare Is Part of Wider GOP Attack on Bodily Autonomy

May 30, 2022 • Alabama has become the first U.S. state to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming medical care to trans youth. The Alabama law is the latest in a series of escalating conservative attacks on LGBTQ people in the United States. "This is all happening in the same context that we're seeing the criminalization of abortion care, that we're continuing to see the massive suppression of votes across the country," says ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, deputy director for trans justice with the organization's LGBTQ & HIV Project. "All of these things are interconnected and creating chaos and fear among individuals, families and communities."

Donald Trump ridiculed for saying teachers shouldn’t ‘teach transgender’ to kids: Former US president Donald Trump – clearly with nothing better to do – has once again attacked trans people at a hate-filled rally. »

Skin in the Game

'Falling Flat': Acosta Breaks Down GOP Lawmaker's Pro-gun Talking Points

May 28, 2022 • CNN's Jim Acosta breaks down the pro-gun talking points from some GOP members and examines the potential reasons the US leads in number of mass shootings compared to other countries.

Steve Schmidt Sounds the Alarm!

May 22, 2022 • The former GOP Operative & Lincoln Project founder warns of coming fascism

Anderson Debates Texas GOPer on Reparative Therapy | 2014

Jun 12, 2014 • Anderson Cooper asks Bryan Hughes, a Texas state representative, about why the state GOP is embracing reparative therapy.

GOP Struggles to Find Right Message on Russia as Trump Calls Putin ‘Smart’

Feb 28, 2022 • Republicans in Washington are trying to counter Russian aggression as Donald Trump calls Putin ‘smart’ and other world leaders ‘dumb.’ MSNBC Political Analysts Jennifer Rubin and Matthew Dowd joined American Voices with Alicia Menendez to discuss the danger of touting Kremlin talking points.

GOP Candidate Slams LGBTQ+ and ‘Sodomy’ Education In Schools

ADVOCATE: Jack Ciattarelli, a candidate in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, delivered an anti-LGBTQ+ speech to a crowd at a gun range.

Republican candidate for New Jersey Governor, Jack Ciattarelli, promised constituents that if elected he would put an end to the LGBTQ curriculum currently being taught in schools.

The comments were made while Ciattarelli was visiting a gun range on June 26, but the video was only made public on July 13, after being released by The Gothamist.

“I feel lucky [our kids] are in their 20s and I don’t have to be dealing with what you’re dealing with right now,” Ciatterelli says in the video. “You won’t have to deal with it when I’m governor, but we’re not teaching gender ID and sexual orientation to kindergarteners. We’re not teaching sodomy in sixth grade. And we’re going to roll back the LGBTQ curriculum. It goes too far.” » | Rachel Shatto | Wednesday, July 14, 2021


Being benighted is not a pre-requisite of membership of the GOP, but it sure does help! © Mark