Republican Strategist: "The Party Has Gotten Trump-ier" | Amanpour & Company

Apr 19, 2022 • NATO’s united front has surprised and angered Moscow. But in the U.S., the Republican Party is anything but united. 63 House Republicans – nearly a third – voted against a recent resolution supporting NATO. It’s just one of a number of moves by the GOP in recent weeks that have set alarm bells ringing, including the RNC’s withdrawal from the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Longtime Republican strategist Sarah Longwell joins the program to discuss. Originally aired on April 19, 2022

How US Right-wing Views Putin amid Russian War on Ukraine

AL JAZEERA: Russian president has enjoyed support among US conservatives, but Ukraine attack now prompts criticism.

As Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine continues, a number of prominent American conservatives who had previously been complimentary of Vladimir Putin have been forced to confront past comments praising the Russian president. For years, Putin has enjoyed support from an unlikely coalition of elected Republican officials, conservative Christian leaders and right-wing television hosts, whose praise has ranged from admiration of his intelligence to his hardline position against progressive cultural ideas.

“The question of the American right’s support for Putin and Russia is a complex, many-layered issue,” Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, told Al Jazeera.

“There is an attraction to Putin’s hardline authoritarian stance and his aggressive foreign policy. Others are attracted to the brand of traditionalist Christianity Putin has expressed. Some like Putin’s attacks on the Russian LGBTQ community.”

In many ways, the American right’s Putin problem starts at the top.

Former President Donald Trump, who has voiced admiration for Putin for years, appeared to praise the Russian leader’s advances days before the invasion on February 24, calling the moves “smart” and “savvy”. “Putin is smart,” Trump also told a gathering in Mar-a-lago, Florida, on the eve of Russian forces’ all-out attack on Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of civilians and forced more than a million people to flee. “He’s taken over a country for two dollars worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart.” » | Chris Moody | Friday, March 4, 2022

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.

Let Me Save Civilisation, Donald Trump Urges Republicans

Donald Trump aired past complaints at Cpac and was warmly received. Polling, however, shows that his grip on the Republican Party is beginning to weaken | JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Donald Trump confirmed his grip on the Republican Party with a speech to conservatives insisting that he alone could save “our civilisation”, but a straw poll taken after his address suggests that his rivals may be closing the gap.

The former president, 75, who addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Florida at the weekend, emerged as clear leader in a straw poll of delegates, with 59 per cent of the vote. In second place was Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, on 28 per cent. » | Alistair Dawber, Orlando | Sunday, February 27, 2022

New subscribers to The Times / The Sunday Times: The Flash Office.

FFS! Leave us alone! Leave the world alone! Stop 'molesting' us! You belong in klink, not in the White House! My advice to you is this: Go back to Mar-a-Lago and enjoy the trappings of your ill-gotten gains whilst you still can. The authorities are coming after you – soon. And as for "saving civilisation", you can't save even yourself, still less civilisation! So give us a break! Please! – © Mark

Ted Cruz’s Teen Daughter Comes Out as Bisexual

LGBTQNATION: She described herself as bi on TikTok and said she "basically disagrees" with the far-right Senator on everything - from politics to her clothes.

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz | Photo: Shutterstock
Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) daughter, Caroline, has reportedly come out on social media as bisexual while castigating her father’s far-right political views.

In a video posted to TikTok, she also accuses her parents of digitally altering a photo for the family Christmas card to make her clothing look more conservative.

“A lot of people judge me based upon him at first glance,” she said. “But I really disagree with most of his views.” » | Bil Browning | Monday, January 10, 2022

Veteran Republican Leader Bob Dole Dies

GETTY IMAGES
BBC: Bob Dole, a World War Two veteran who went on to be a long-time Republican senator and US presidential candidate, has died aged 98.

His death was announced in a statement from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation: "It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep. At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years."

Earlier this year Dole had said that he was receiving treatment for lung cancer.

His political career was marked by a decade-long stint as the top Republican in the US Senate, and running unsuccessfully for the White House against Bill Clinton in 1996.

But decades before his bid for the presidency, on 14 April 1945, Bob Dole was lying on a World War Two battlefield in northern Italy, left for dead. » | BBC | Sunday, December 5, 2021

Bob Dole, Old Soldier and Stalwart of the Senate, Dies at 98: Mr. Dole, a son of the Kansas prairie who was left for dead on a World War II battlefield, became one of the longest-serving Republican leaders. »

L'ex-sénateur Bob Dole, figure de la politique américaine, est mort à 98 ans : L'ancien sénateur avait été le candidat malheureux du Parti républicain face au président démocrate sortant Bill Clinton en 1996. »

Einstiger US-Präsidentschaftskandidat gestorben: Der Republikaner war ein Gegenspieler von Bill Clinton – unterlag ihm aber bei der amerikanischen Präsidentschaftswahl 1996. Nun ist Bob Dole im Alter von 98 Jahren gestorben. »

Bob Dole: ehemaliger amerikanischer Senator und Präsidentschaftskandidat im Alter von 98 Jahren gestorben: Der Weltkriegsveteran hat als einflussreicher Senator Jahrzehnte der amerikanischen Politik geprägt. Um den Chefsessel im Weissen Haus bemühte sich Bob Dole mehrfach vergeblich. »

Don Winslow Films - #MyLetterToRepublicans

"We are headed back into darkness again as a country because of lies, misinformation and gutter politics."

There’s a sucker born every minute of each and every day! – Mark

Don Winslow Films - #TexasWarOnWomen

Who in his right mind would ever vote Republican? There was a time when I held the Republican Party in high regard. No longer! The Party is not fit for purpose. They are destroying the once wonderful USA. The USA used to be a beacon of progressive thought and forward-thinking. That, alas, was long ago.

To think that my own country has cut the umbilical cord with the European Union only to get tied to the apron strings of the USA sends shivers down my spine!

Sooner or later, this country will have to re-join its European brothers and sisters. It is imperative that we do so. We also need to start thinking of a federal Europe, of which the UK could take a leading rôle.

Recent events in Afghanistan should have shown us all that we can no longer depend on America for our security. We need to go it alone. And for that, we Europeans need to work closely together and form our own military: a European army, a European air force, and a European navy.

This crooked Brexit referendum should also have shown us all that it was neither fair nor sensible. IT MUST BE REVERSED. Sooner rather than later.

If we do not re-join Europe, the once 'United' Kingdom, a nation of which I was once so proud, will break up: the regions will go their separate ways. Scotland is sure to be the first country to break away from the disUnited Kingdom. The Scots are proud Europeans; and so they should be. – © Mark

To read my comment on the Texas insanity, click here.

The Truth Behind Tucker Carlson's Disturbing Trip to Hungary

Aug 6, 2021 • Right-wing FOX News host Tucker Carlson is broadcasting from Hungary and praising that nation's hardline policies. We discuss what's really going on with Democratic Strategist Don Calloway and fmr. adviser to Republican presidents Mark McKinnon.

Liz Cheney Castigates Republican Colleagues for Backing Trump

The US representative Liz Cheney, speaking in the House a day before her expected ouster from a Republican leadership post, chastised her party colleagues for not standing up to the former president Donald Trump and his false claim that the November election was stolen. ’Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not participate in that,’ she said.

Cheney, the No 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, was one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Trump in January after he delivered a fiery 6 January speech to supporters, many of whom then stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to block certification of his election loss to Joe Biden

Cheney Embraces Her Downfall, Warning G.O.P. of Trump in a Fiery Speech

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law,” Representative Liz Cheney said on the eve of a vote to remove her from House Republican leadership.

WASHINGTON — In the hours before facing a vote that will almost certainly purge her from House Republican leadership, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming remained unrepentant on Tuesday, framing her expulsion as a turning point for her party and declaring in an extraordinary speech that she would not sit quietly by as Republicans abandoned the rule of law.

Delivering the broadside from the House floor on Tuesday night, Ms. Cheney took a fiery last stand, warning that former President Donald J. Trump had created a threat that the nation had never seen before: a president who had “provoked a violent attack” on his own Capitol “in an effort to steal the election,” and then continued to spread his election lies.

“Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar,” Ms. Cheney said. “I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy.”

Her defiant exit — and unmistakable jab at the House Republican leaders working to oust her — illustrates Ms. Cheney’s determination to continue her blunt condemnation of Mr. Trump and her party’s role in spreading the false election claims that inspired the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. On the precipice of the vote to remove her on Wednesday, she has embraced her downfall rather than fight it, offering herself as a cautionary tale in what she is portraying as a battle for the soul of the Republican Party. » | Catie Edmondson | Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Conway: We're Watching Moral Collapse of Republican Party

CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks with conservative lawyer George Conway about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has pushed continued claims of election fraud and conspiracy theories about school shootings and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Also, CNN's Ryan Nobles reports on what actions the Republican Party may take against Taylor Greene.

Republicans Beg Democrats Not to Impeach Trump Again

Republicans are now claiming that impeaching Donald Trump for a second time would just be too darn divisive at a time when the country just needs to heal. The real reason they are against impeachment is because it is going to put them in the tough position of having to publicly stand up to the President, or publicly admit (with their vote) that they are secretly ok with everything he has done. Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins discusses this.

Opinion: The Republicans Who Embraced Nihilism

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Supreme Court thwarts the latest Trumpist attack on American democracy.

What is left to say about a political party that would throw out millions of votes?

The substance of a lawsuit filed by the State of Texas, and backed by more than 17 other states, would be laughable were it not so dangerous. Texas’ attorney general, Ken Paxton — who is under indictment for securities fraud — asked the Supreme Court to overturn the results of the presidential election in four other states. As a legal matter, this is the rough equivalent of objecting on the grounds that the other side is winning. As political rhetoric, however, it is incendiary.

The Supreme Court was right to toss out the lawsuit. But that the Republican Party tried and failed doesn’t make the attempt any less odious. There are a lot of Republican leaders who, the history books will record, wanted it to succeed.

What makes this entire episode so sad is that the nation needs a vibrant, honest, patriotic opposition party. A party that argues in good faith to win more votes the next time around. Many Republicans, particularly at the state and local level, stood tall and proud against the worst instincts of the national party.

The health of a democracy rests on public confidence that elections are free and fair. Questioning the integrity of an election is a matter of the utmost seriousness. By doing so without offering any evidence, Mr. Paxton and his collaborators have disgraced themselves. Attorneys general are sworn to uphold the rule of law. » | Adam Liptak | Published: Friday, December 11, 2020; Updated: Saturday, December 12, 2020

Leaders

“Call them whatever you like, but don’t call them leaders”

Conservative Political Analyst Bill Kristol on If Trump Will Concede

Conservative political analyst and Editor at Large at the Bulwark, Bill Kristol, chatted with me on Instagram Live about President Trump’s refusal to concede. “The Republicans by going along with Trump,” Kristol said. “They have strengthened him a lot. They’ve set him up to be a major figure in the next months, maybe years.”

Democracy

It's time for Republicans to put America first.

Republicans Express Fears Donald Trump Will Lose Presidential Election

THE GUARDIAN: Ted Cruz says he’s afraid of ‘bloodbath of Watergate proportions’ as John Cornyn slams Trump for ‘creating confusion’ over Covid

Ted Cruz fears an election “bloodbath”. His fellow top Republican senator Thom Tillis is talking in terms of a Joe Biden presidency. And even Mitch McConnell, the fiercely loyal Senate majority leader, won’t go near the White House over Donald Trump’s handling of coronavirus protocols.

Individually, they could arguably be seen as off-the-cuff comments from Trump’s allies attempting to rally support for the US president just days ahead of a general election that opinion polls increasingly show him losing.

But collectively, along with pronouncements from several other Republicans appearing to distance themselves from Trump, his administration and its policies, it reflects growing concern inside the Republican party’s top tier that 3 November could be a blowout win for Joe Biden and the Democrats.

“I think it could be a terrible election. I think we could lose the White House and both houses of Congress, that it could be a bloodbath of Watergate proportions,” Cruz, the junior senator for Texas and former vocal critic of Trump, said in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Friday. » | Richard Luscombe | Sunday, October 11, 2020

Don Winslow Films: An Open Letter to Republicans - #OpenLetterToRepublicans

Trump: Tinpot Dictator? With Noam Chomsky

Is there a move towards fascism in the US? The Democrats are split, but it is the Republicans have gone way off the spectrum toward neo-fascism. Professor Noam Chomsky explains why.