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We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated

  

Category:  Op/Ed

Via:  ender  •  7 years ago  •  245 comments

By:   By George T. Conway III, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson

We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated
The president and his enablers have replaced conservatism with an empty faith led by a bogus prophet.

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T



Patriotism and the survival of our nation in the face of the crimes, corruption and corrosive nature of Donald Trump are a higher calling than mere politics. As Americans, we must stem the damage he and his followers are doing to the rule of law, the Constitution and the American character.

That’s why we are announcing the   Lincoln Project , an effort to highlight our country’s story and values, and its people’s sacrifices and obligations. This effort transcends partisanship and is dedicated to nothing less than preservation of the principles that so many have fought for, on battlefields far from home and within their own communities.

This effort asks all Americans of all places, creeds and ways of life to join in the seminal task of our generation: restoring to this nation leadership and governance that respects the rule of law, recognizes the dignity of all people and defends the Constitution and American values at home and abroad.

Over these next 11 months, our efforts will be dedicated to defeating President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box and to elect those patriots who will hold the line. We do not undertake this task lightly, nor from ideological preference. We have been, and remain, broadly conservative (or classically liberal) in our politics and outlooks. Our many policy differences with national Democrats remain, but our shared fidelity to the Constitution dictates a common effort.

The 2020 general election, by every indication, will be about persuasion, with turnout expected to be at record highs. Our efforts are aimed at persuading enough disaffected conservatives, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in swing states and districts to help ensure a victory in the Electoral College, and congressional majorities that don’t enable or abet Mr. Trump’s violations of the Constitution, even if that means Democratic control of the Senate and an expanded Democratic majority in the House.

The American presidency transcends the individuals who occupy the Oval Office. Their personalities become part of our national character. Their actions become our actions, for which we all share responsibility. Their willingness to act in accordance with the law and our tradition dictates how current and future leaders will act. Their commitment to order, civility and decency is reflected in American society.

Mr. Trump fails to meet the bar for this commitment. He has neither the moral compass nor the temperament to serve. His vision is limited to what immediately faces him — the problems and risks he chronically brings upon himself and for which others, from countless contractors and companies to the American people, ultimately bear the heaviest burden.

But this president’s actions are possible only with the craven acquiescence of congressional Republicans. They have done no less than abdicate their Article I responsibilities.

Indeed, national Republicans have done far worse than simply march along to Mr. Trump’s beat. Their defense of him is imbued with an ugliness, a meanness and a willingness to attack and slander those who have shed blood for our country, who have dedicated their lives and careers to its defense and its security, and whose job is to preserve the nation’s status as a beacon of hope.

Congressional Republicans have embraced and copied Mr. Trump’s cruelty and defended and even adopted his corruption. Mr. Trump and his enablers have abandoned conservatism and longstanding Republican principles and replaced them with Trumpism, an empty faith led by a bogus prophet. In a recent survey, a majority of Republican voters reported that they consider Mr. Trump a better president than Lincoln.

Mr. Trump and his fellow travelers daily undermine the proposition we as a people have a responsibility and an obligation to continually bend the arc of history toward justice. They mock our belief in America as something more meaningful than lines on a map.

Our peril far outstrips any past differences: It has arrived at our collective doorstep, and we believe there is no other choice. We sincerely hope, but are not optimistic, that some of those Republicans charged with sitting as jurors in a likely Senate impeachment trial will do likewise.

American men and women stand ready around the globe to defend us and our way of life. We must do right by them and ensure that the country for which they daily don their uniform deserves their protection and their sacrifice.

We are reminded of   Dan Sickles , an incompetent 19th-century New York politician. On July 2, 1863, his blundering nearly ended the United States.

(Sickles’s greatest previous achievement had been fatally shooting his wife’s lover across the street from the White House and getting himself elected to Congress. Even his most fervent admirers could not have imagined that one day, far in the future, another incompetent New York politician, a president, would lay claim to that legacy by saying he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it.)

On that day in Pennsylvania, Sickles was a major general commanding the Union Army’s III Corps at the Battle of Gettysburg, and his incompetence wrought chaos and danger. The Confederate Army took advantage, and turned the Union line. Had the rebel soldiers broken through, the continent might have been divided: free and slave, democratic and authoritarian.

Another Union general, Winfield Scott Hancock, had only minutes to reinforce the line. America, the nation, the ideal, hung in the balance. Amid the fury of battle, he found the   First Minnesota Volunteers .

They charged, and many of them   fell , suffering a staggeringly high casualty rate. They held the line. They saved the Union. Four months later, Lincoln stood on that field of slaughter and said, “It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”

We look to Lincoln as our guide and inspiration. He understood the necessity of not just saving the Union, but also of knitting the nation back together spiritually as well as politically. But those wounds can be bound up only once the threat has been defeated. So, too, will our country have to knit itself back together after the scourge of Trumpism has been overcome.

Photo: Samuel Corum for The New York Times


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Ender
Professor Expert
1  seeder  Ender    7 years ago
Mr. Trump and his fellow travelers daily undermine the proposition we as a people have a responsibility and an obligation to continually bend the arc of history toward justice. They mock our belief in America as something more meaningful than lines on a map
 
 
 
Ender
Professor Expert
2  seeder  Ender    7 years ago

I have to be gone for a few hours so be nice.  Haha

 
 
 
cjcold
Professor Quiet
2.2  cjcold  replied to  Ender @2    7 years ago

You throw a grenade and expect it not to explode? 

 
 
 
cjcold
Professor Quiet
2.2.2  cjcold  replied to  XXJefferson51 @2.2.1    7 years ago

And that's why you responded?

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Expert
2.2.3  seeder  Ender  replied to  cjcold @2.2    7 years ago

Ha. Sorry. Was longer than expected. Shifter cable broke off on suv. Things are held on with plastic bushings.

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
2.2.5  cobaltblue  replied to  cjcold @2.2.2    7 years ago
And that's why you responded?

Instead of spending time with his children who are on winter break. 

 
 
 
pat wilson
Professor Quiet
2.2.8  pat wilson  replied to  XXJefferson51 @2.2.7    7 years ago
to keep me from participating here.  

No one wants to keep you from participating, you're too entertaining !

 
 
 
TᵢG
Professor Principal
2.2.9  TᵢG  replied to  pat wilson @2.2.8    7 years ago

Clearly.   If nobody is presenting bad ideas those who consider the ideas bad do not have the opportunity to publicly challenge them.

To tease out truth there needs to be opposing sides.

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
3  JBB    7 years ago

It is no wonder the once Grand Old Party of Abe Lincoln is now known merely as "the gop". Or, more and more often, as "the damn gop"...

The last few Big R Republicans there are left out there had better do something drastic quickly before Trump and his looney toon wacko "damn gop" faction sink what remains of that once great American political party...forevermore!

More and more people are realizing Trump is sick...

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2  Vic Eldred  replied to  JBB @3    7 years ago
The last few Big R Republicans there are left out there had better do something drastic quickly

You mean like John McCain? That was their chance in 2008. What happened? He was soooo honorable he wouldn't even raise a peep about Obama and Bill Ayers or Obama and the Rev Wright!  He supposedly voted as a matter of principle to leave Obamacare alone! He was a man of ethics and values and I'll bet none of the "Republicans" who wrote that article in the Times voted for him. So much for the BS about values and ethics!

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
3.2.1  JBB  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2    7 years ago

I mean like Senators Mitt Romney and Susan Collins and Ben Sasse and Lisa Murkowski. Do you think Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio or Martha Mcsally won't turn if it looks bad for them? Slowly they turn. Step by step. Inch by inch. Then...POW. Right in the US Senate. CONVICTED!

It ain't over till it's over. I'd sweat it if I was in the gop. Trump is in boiling water...

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
3.2.4  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2    7 years ago

Vic,

You have no idea what these men did or didn't do, other than what is on their resume. What we do know, is that they have their reservations and one of them happens to be Kellyanne Conway's husband.

And are you going to tell me you voted for Obama instead of John McCain? I think not, but I could be wrong.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.6  Vic Eldred  replied to  JBB @3.2.1    7 years ago

"Dream on Streibeck"

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.7  Vic Eldred  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @3.2.4    7 years ago
What we do know, is that they have their reservations and one of them happens to be Kellyanne Conway's husband.

Kellyanne's husband dosen't have reservations. He simply hates Trump and he has openly & widely expressed that.


And are you going to tell me you voted for Obama instead of John McCain?

Why would I say that? I voted for John McCain knowing he had no chance. In addition, I not only voted for, but volunteered work for Mitt Romney and I did that holding my nose. Sometimes it's only a matter of voting to avoid the worst possible outcome. Let's put aside voting for a minute. You are an independent, right? As you look at the demeanor of this President and contrast that with what he has accomplished for this country, under fire at all times, what do you think of the man?

Then I want your opinion of the impeachment brought against him, the one that was promised by democrats on inauguration day. What of the validity of the charges of impeachment?  And the demeanor of progressives?  Where are the democrats with a conscience?

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
3.2.8  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.7    7 years ago
Kellyanne's husband dosen't have reservations. He simply hates Trump and he has openly & widely expressed that.

And why do you think that is? He is not an ill informed man. 

Why would I say that? I voted for John McCain knowing he had no chance. In addition, I not only voted for, but volunteered work for Mitt Romney and I did that holding my nose.

Because I am trying to figure out if you will only vote Republican.

Sometimes it's only a matter of voting to avoid the worst possible outcome.

Agreed! And sometimes that comes from one party and other times it comes from the other since really we are not given a true choice, as in a third party.

You are an independent, right? As you look at the demeanor of this President and contrast that with what he has accomplished for this country, under fire at all times, what do you think of the man?

I think he has done a few good things but on the balance of it all, I think he has been terrible and demeanor aside, which is the most unpresidential ever, (maybe tied with Johnson, but at least he was disgusting in private), he has done more to hurt the very simplest things, like clean water that we drink, all for the sake of business. 

Then I want your opinion of the impeachment brought against him, the one that was promised by democrats on inauguration day.

I was not for impeachment. But then again, the same thing happened from day 1, when Clinton came to office and we spent $70M on "Whitewater". This is why I am not in a party. 

What of the validity of the charges of impeachment? 

Not sure. Still waiting. Newest information seems worrisome.

And the demeanor of progressives?  Where are the democrats with a conscience?

There is a difference between progressives and democrats. I think they behave like most partisans. 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.9  Vic Eldred  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @3.2.8    7 years ago
And why do you think that is?

Most likely because he dosen't like the way Trump talks. That is not a good reason. What Trump does is vital to all of us. Thank God Trump got us off the road we were on.

Because I am trying to figure out if you will only vote Republican.

You should have simply asked. As far as presidential politics go, I voted for Bill Clinton in 1996 (his second term), that was the only time I have ever voted for a democrat for the office of president. In MA politics Iv'e voted for democrat Mike Capuano for every office he ran for (and he ran for many). Other than that Iv'e always voted Republican since the days of the Vietnam protests and it seems Iv'e been voting against those "protesters" all my life. It's incredible how much influence and power that rotten rabble had.

Agreed! And sometimes that comes from one party and other times it comes from the other since really we are not given a true choice, as in a third party.

A third party would really be impractical. It would always be at a disadvantage.Think about what that would be like?

I think he has done a few good things but on the balance of it all, I think he has been terrible and demeanor aside, which is the most unpresidential ever, (maybe tied with Johnson, but at least he was disgusting in private), he has done more to hurt the very simplest things, like clean water that we drink, all for the sake of business. 

Johnson?  LBJ or Andrew Johnson? Either way I'd love to know what would make either of them unpresidential. If that was your only complaint I would have to classify it as a concern for form over substance. But it does sound like you have a policy disagreement with Trump. You want a more comprehensive environmental policy. That is a different matter and that is the way the argument should go. Saying somebody is a terrible human being is a divisive argument. Bill Clinton was arguably not much of a human being but he was never the less a good president. Barak Obama was the finest public speaker of my lifetime, a master politician but unfortunately a far left radical and without a doubt the most dangerous man to ever be elected to high office. Do you see what I'm getting at?


I was not for impeachment. But then again, the same thing happened from day 1, when Clinton came to office and we spent $70M on "Whitewater". This is why I am not in a party. 

Whataboutism? Not a lot of similarity. I didn't like that impeachment either. When they couldn't get a conviction on the Whitewater inquiry the investigation should have ended. Instead they investigated everything Clinton and thus Clinton eventually committed crimes that never would have happened if they stopped when they should have. BTW I don't know if that happened from day 1. Nobody was going insane because Bill Clinton won and unlike Trump, Bill Clinton always had the media on his side!


Not sure. Still waiting. Newest information seems worrisome.

Well that's the thing. The House already did their investigation and wrote up & voted on Articles of impeachment. The fact that they want to do a little more digging should tell you something.


There is a difference between progressives and democrats.

Very true, there is a big difference.


 I think they behave like most partisans. 

Sorry, I disagree. They are well beyond that.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
3.2.10  JohnRussell  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.9    7 years ago
Most likely because he dosen't like the way Trump talks. That is not a good reason. What Trump does is vital to all of us. Thank God Trump got us off the road we were on.

You are a true believer Vic, but this is just silliness. 

You make it sound like America was about to go down the tubes until Trump came along. That is an EXTREMIST position, at best. 

Lets say you got lucky and Cruz or Rubio or Jeb Bush were president now, do you really think life in America would have deteriorated before your eyes? Same thing if Hillary had won. 

The idea that only Trump can save us and he is NEEDED is extremist, and frankly, should be offensive to just about everybody. 

Especially since he is a known liar crook bigot and moron. 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.11  Vic Eldred  replied to  JohnRussell @3.2.10    7 years ago
You make it sound like America was about to go down the tubes until Trump came along.

You could say that.

 That is an EXTREMIST position, at best. 

No, John, It's a patriotic position. One that wants a decent place to live for my descendants.

Lets say you got lucky and Cruz or Rubio or Jeb Bush were president now, do you really think life in America would have deteriorated before your eyes?

Lucky?   At the start of the GOP primaries I was a Rubio supporter (before he melted on the stage one night). What would have happened if Rubio became president? I can't say. We would first have to assume he survived the foul play of the Clinton machine. You saw what they did to Trump. Remember that back then the Clinton campaign rated Rubio as most likely to win. He was a young, Hispanic moderate. Can you imagine what they had in store for him? The day after his famous meltdown, the clinton campaign had protesters dressed as robots labeled Marco Ruboto. Protests against the moderate Senator continued into 2017. Never underestimate the strength of the Clinton machine.
However, let's assume for the point of your hypothetical that he did win. President Trump made a recent statement that I thought was true and applicable to someone like Rubio. Trump said any other president who had been subjected to what he had endured would probably be under a table sucking his thumb. Based upon Rubio's timid actions in the primary debates and his thoughts about retiring from the Senate after his defeat, I would have to say he would have been a very weak leader unable to deal with the powerful forces of the left.
You also mentioned the runner up Ted Cruz. Cruz once represented the right wing of the Republican Party. You may recall his recent hard fought win for his Senate seat tempered him quite a bit. The fact that Cruz could be so easily intimidated makes me doubt that he would have been much stronger that George W Bush. George W Bush was the one who ceded much of his authority to his Vice President. He was the first president to face intense harassment by the left. A weak link.

There would have only been a few good things to come out of a Rubio or Cruz Presidency. Their Conservative values governing legislation and choice of judges and the fact that the election of either would have given the GOP claim to the first Hispanic President.

I'm afraid only Trump could have had the force of will to overcome the power of the old leftist order and all the enormous obstacles hurled in front of him. The Obama legacy is all but obliterated, the border is slowly being secured, the Judiciary is being restored and the disreputable American media has been exposed. I'm convinced only Trump could have done it!


The idea that only Trump can save us and he is NEEDED is extremist, and frankly, should be offensive to just about everybody. 

To quote another man of strength & vision: "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."


Especially since he is a known liar crook bigot and moron. 

Keep saying it, John, I want them to hear it so they run out and vote for him and against the radical left again.

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.12  cobaltblue  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.11    7 years ago
One that wants a decent place to live for my descendants.

Why isn't it a decent place for your descendants now? What is it that makes it indecent for you? 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.13  Vic Eldred  replied to  cobaltblue @3.2.12    7 years ago

I want a place where people are free to say whatever they want and think whatever they want, rather than Orwell's Oceania where one day the government may declare that felonies are no longer crimes and the word felony may not be used.

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.14  cobaltblue  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.13    7 years ago
government may declare that felonies are no longer crimes and the word felony may not be used

Can you link a credible site's claim that the government is heading in that direction? Particularly where felonies will no longer be crimes? And since you want to go back to a time when America was great again, how far back is it you'd like to go? And do war crimes count? It seems war crimes committed by Americans are being overlooked under this administration. I'm assuming you support that. 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.15  Vic Eldred  replied to  cobaltblue @3.2.14    7 years ago
Can you link a credible site's claim that the government is heading in that direction?

Do you think my opinion is based on some article I read? My opinions are based on life. Where you living in the US during the 8 years under Obama? During those years what would happen (hypothetically) to your son if he was going to college and had been accused of rape?


Particularly where felonies will no longer be crimes? 




And since you want to go back to a time when America was great again, how far back is it you'd like to go?

We can never go back. America has had it's high point. I simply want to preserve some freedoms.


And do war crimes count?

I've never been a fan of war crimes.

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.16  cobaltblue  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.15    7 years ago
Where you living in the US during the 8 years under Obama? During those years what would happen (hypothetically) to your son if he was going to college and had been accused of rape?
In 2014, President   Barack Obama   established the   White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault , which published a report reiterating the interpretation of Title IX in the "Dear Colleague" letter and proposing a number of other measures to prevent and respond to sexual assault on campus, such as campus climate surveys and bystander intervention programs. One example of a campus climate survey that was developed in response to this task force is the   ARC3 Survey . Shortly thereafter, the Department of Education released a list of 55 colleges and universities across the country that it was investigating for possible Title IX violations in relation to sexual assault.   As of early 2015, 94 different colleges and universities were under ongoing investigations by the U.S. Department of Education for their handling of rape and sexual assault allegations. In September 2014, President Obama and Vice President   Joe Biden   launched the "It's on Us" campaign as part of an initiative to end sexual assault on college campuses. The campaign partnered with many organizations and college campuses to get students to take a pledge to end sexual assault on campuses.

Cite

Okay. What does Obama have to do with it? 

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.17  cobaltblue  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.15    7 years ago
I've never been a fan of war crimes

Good on you.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.18  Vic Eldred  replied to  cobaltblue @3.2.16    7 years ago

That information you cited was just a prelude to what Obama made the Universities do under that "Dear Colleague letter. I can provide plenty of the follow up. Let me start here:




The Constitution provides for due process for the accused. Only Obama could get away with taking it away. I admit that rapes on campus was a serious problem, but taking away the rights of the accused is what they do in Authoritarian regimes.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.19  Vic Eldred  replied to  cobaltblue @3.2.17    7 years ago
Good on you.

Well that was fairly easy. I like when people can find common ground.

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.20  cobaltblue  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.19    7 years ago
I like when people can find common ground.

You may not remember, but we have agreed on a few things. And you have made me laugh really hard a couple of times over the years that we've interacted on this and another site. 

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.21  cobaltblue  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.18    7 years ago
but taking away the rights of the accused is what they do in Authoritarian regimes

Authoritarian regimes insist on small shit ... like insisting football players be fired for peaceful protest. The only thing I know is that many men and women have fought on foreign soil to keep our country one where peaceful protest is protected under our nation's First Amendment. Authoritarians claim repeatedly that press/media that don't agree with them are enemies of the people. Authoritarians are those that claim that they are denied due process yet they don't allow witnesses to answer subpoenas, they refuse to cooperate with any court jurisdiction, etc. 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.22  Vic Eldred  replied to  cobaltblue @3.2.20    7 years ago

I do remember...vaguely

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.24  Vic Eldred  replied to  cobaltblue @3.2.21    7 years ago
Authoritarians are those that claim that they are denied due process yet they don't allow witnesses to answer subpoenas, they refuse to cooperate with any court jurisdiction, etc. 

That seems to be well aimed. I just want to know how you feel about the rape policy that the Obama administration pursued?

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.25  cobaltblue  replied to  Texan1211 @3.2.23    7 years ago
football players be fired for peaceful protest, when did they do so, and who was fired?

No one was fired. Because they're protected by the First Amendment. 

President Donald Trump built his fame as the host of "The Apprentice," on which he told contestants, "You're fired." Playing off his patented line, Trump, in a campaign rally last week, called for NFL teams to fire players who kneel during the U.S. national anthem to protest police brutality and poor race relations. He then repeated this demand on Twitter. Since then, the NFL has publicly said the league will not dismiss protesting players. However, with   President  Trump refusing to let this issue go, fans have been left to ask whether an NFL team even could "fire" a player for his public protests. The answer to that question, like so many in law, is that it depends.

Cite

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
3.2.26  cobaltblue  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.24    7 years ago
I just want to know how you feel about the rape policy that the Obama administration pursued?

Good question. I think it was an attempt to give voice to the victims. Most rapes go unreported, for the obvious reasons. It usually ends up with the victim being treated like the accused. From questioning what they were wearing, how much they drank, her previous consenting partners, etc., women in general are loathe to report it. It's shameful and demeaning. It's as if they're on trial. Add to the that the guilt women feel for NOT reporting it. They question if they put other women in harm's way by not reporting it. I think President Obama hoped to afford women a safe place for reporting. Or men, for that matter. Men who have been raped are equally damaged by reporting it. It's an ugly crime and perpetrators count on not being reported knowing that men and women who are the targets will be treated as if they're to blame. It's a defense lawyer's mantra. Blame the victim. Find a way to blame the victim. 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.27  Vic Eldred  replied to  cobaltblue @3.2.26    7 years ago

All of what you say is true, except for the old adage that two wrongs don't equal right. There are men who have been falsely accused as well. Plus that little thing called the Constitution.

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
3.2.28  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.27    7 years ago
There are men who have been falsely accused as well.

"With regard to the rape allegations made to police or campus authority that are proven false after a thorough investigation has established that no crime was committed or attempted, estimates generally vary from 2% to 10%. Due to varying definitions of a "false accusation", the true percentage, however, remains unknown."

"Rape is a severely under-reported crime with surveys showing dark figures of up to 91.6% of rapes going unreported"

"The 2011 Obama guidance for the first time pushed school district, college and university leaders to combat sexual harassment, including sexual violence, saying the institutions were required to do so under Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination. Women's groups hailed that as a crucial step in cracking down on sexual violence on campuses. But critics said it trampled the rights of the accused."

So I guess for some, their precious wittle boys might be accused of bad things and have their life ruined. Sure, the odds are that up to 98% of the claims made against them are truthful, and that's only of the less than 10% of rapes that actually get reported, but we have to protect those possibly falsely accused! /s

I guess for Republicans it is better that 98 rapists go free than to even wrongly accuse 2 young men, and better that the 92 young women out of a hundred who get raped but are too scared to come forward because they know they will be further victimized by their rapist, the rapists parents, friends and right wing media than to have the 8 young women who statistically do come forward believed and protected. Just another sick and disgusting reason I will never be part of the new Republican party that was hijacked by an admitted sexual predator who immediately shredded the protections for young women when he took office.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.29  Vic Eldred  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @3.2.28    7 years ago
I guess for Republicans it is better that 98 rapists go free than to even wrongly accuse 2 young men,

So you are against due process?

 
 
 
igknorantzrulz
PhD Silent
3.2.30  igknorantzrulz  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.29    7 years ago

So you are against due process?

i think it's over

due    process

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
3.2.31  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  Vic Eldred @3.2.29    7 years ago
So you are against due process?

Not at all, and those two who are wrongly accused will have their day in court and be shown to be innocent if they are. But to proclaim we have to protect the young boys and just throw our daughters to the fucking wolves is sick and disgusting. To say we shouldn't believe our daughters because we just "might" ruin a young mans reputation if we openly speak about things the girls he's dated say about him is beyond weak, it's a sniveling cowardly retreat into more worthless bigoted misogynistic patriarchy that has fucked over women for millennia. Saying we can't believe our daughters just in case the 2% that get wrongly accused might have a hard time living as an "accused" even though it means we have to throw the 92 girls under the bus is just fucked up and I honestly don't even have a response to someone who is out there banging the "defend the boys!" drum. The group of wrongly accused is SOOOOOOO fucking small anyone using it as an excuse to disbelieve the accusers knows they're just protecting rapists, and apparently they just don't care and are just as guilty as those pieces of shit they protect who were never taught to respect women.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.32  Vic Eldred  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @3.2.31    7 years ago
Not at all, and those two who are wrongly accused will have their day in court and be shown to be innocent if they are.

Not under the system the universities had via Obama's interpretation of Title IX in the "Dear Colleague" letter !!!  The schools were treating the accused like they had already been convicted. 


 But to proclaim we have to protect the young boys and just throw our daughters to the fucking wolves is sick and disgusting.

Fairness for all is what I want. Constitutional protections - Not Social Justice!!!

 
 
 
KDMichigan
Junior Quiet
3.3  KDMichigan  replied to  JBB @3    7 years ago
"damn gop" faction sink what remains of that once great American political party...forevermore!

I don't think the damn GoP has to worry about the dnc, when all the can run on is stirring up their triggered base and pushing their socialist viewpoints they are bound for failure.

 
 
 
JBB
Professor Principal
3.3.1  JBB  replied to  KDMichigan @3.3    7 years ago

Except, the damn gop suffered its worst elector vote loss in history in the 2018 Congressional midterms. That is not a good sign at all here in reality. Where most, um, American people live...

 
 
 
KDMichigan
Junior Quiet
3.3.3  KDMichigan  replied to  JBB @3.3.1    7 years ago

Why was the do nothing President that lost the most seats ever in the house and Senate during midterms?

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Expert
3.3.4  seeder  Ender  replied to  KDMichigan @3.3.3    7 years ago
So far this year, 22 Republicans in the U.S. House have announced that they will not run for reelection next November. This represents the most retirements for either party in a non-election year this decade

.

Since President Trump took control of the Republican Party, 106 House Republicans have either been defeated in elections or retired

.

"There's no such thing as voting with him when you agree with him and voting against him when you don't. You get primaried," Mook said. "The Republican Party's gone so all in with [Mr. Trump] that there's no there's no such thing as halfway anymore."

.

"[Mr. Trump is] redefining the electoral landscape and I don't think Republicans can do much to change that," Davis said.

Link
 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
3.3.5  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  KDMichigan @3.3    7 years ago

There are good people in both parties that are not too extreme. Sadly, the extreme parts of both parties are wagging the dog. 

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
3.3.6  JohnRussell  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @3.3.5    7 years ago
There are good people in both parties that are not too extreme. Sadly, the extreme parts of both parties are wagging the dog.

BOTH SIDES are at fault, of course. It's all Hillary's fault, right Perrie?  Even though she has been out of politics for 3 years. 

Keep blaming both sides for the plague of Donald Trump and see where it gets this country. 

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Expert
3.3.7  seeder  Ender  replied to  JohnRussell @3.3.6    7 years ago

Actually I agree with her that there are extremes on both sides, which are usually louder.

The difference I see is that now trump seems to be the leader of all republicans. Those who cross him or disagree are attacked and considered to be not party loyalists.

He seems to even have top members of congress either afraid of him or being total yes men.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
3.3.8  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  Ender @3.3.7    7 years ago

I appreciate the fact, that someone else can see what I am trying to say.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
3.3.9  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  JohnRussell @3.3.6    7 years ago
BOTH SIDES are at fault, of course. It's all Hillary's fault, right Perrie?  Even though she has been out of politics for 3 years. 

I'm sorry John, but please tell me where I brought up Hillary? In fact, I didn't. 

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
3.3.10  JohnRussell  replied to  Ender @3.3.7    7 years ago

The argument that "both sides": are responsible for the rise of Trump will normalize him and get him re-elected. 

Its interesting to see this group  (The Lincoln Project) being promoted.  Does everyone know that the main point of the Lincoln Project is to elect a Democrat president in 2020 ? 

Yes. all these prominent Republicans are going to tell people to vote for the Democratic candidate NO MATTER WHO IT IS.  Rick Wilson has already specifically said this. 

He says that the danger Trump is and the damage Trump is doing is more serious than anything ANY Democrat could do and that of course includes Warren or Bernie Sanders. 

Under that circumstance I am not sure why we are talking  about "both sides". 

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Expert
3.4  seeder  Ender  replied to  JBB @3    7 years ago

I sometimes wonder if it is to late. It seems the party has completely changed. I have said it before but I wonder what is going to happen when trump is no longer in charge. I can see chaos as there is no one or thing to fill the void.

 
 
 
pat wilson
Professor Quiet
3.4.1  pat wilson  replied to  Ender @3.4    7 years ago
when trump is no longer in charge

I think there will be a huge sigh of relief from ALL sides when that happens. Many are dealing with trump fatigue at this point.

Bring the void ! Now !

 
 
 
Tacos!
Professor Guide
4  Tacos!    7 years ago

Didn't we just have a seed on these fakers a couple of days ago?

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
4.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  Tacos! @4    7 years ago

Why are they fakers? 

Let's look at their history:

George T. Conway III

Steve Schmidt

John Weaver

Rick Wilson  

They look like they gave a whole lot of time to their party. I think they get a say more than anyone here does.

 
 
 
arkpdx
Professor Quiet
4.1.1  arkpdx  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @4.1    7 years ago

And none of that makes their opinion more relavent than anyone elses. I, for one, could give a rats ass for the opinion them or anyone else for that matter. That is why I am not a lemming, I mean a jackass, oops, I mean a democrat.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
4.1.2  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  arkpdx @4.1.1    7 years ago
That is why I am not a lemming, I mean a jackass, oops, I mean a democrat.

Well then, we would have that in common than other than I must add that I have known as many jackasses that were Republicans. 

 
 
 
arkpdx
Professor Quiet
4.1.3  arkpdx  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @4.1.2    7 years ago

But there allot fewer of them in Republican Party than in the democrat Party and a damn sight lower number of lemmings.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
4.1.4  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  arkpdx @4.1.3    7 years ago

Says who? You? A Poll? Here is the thing anyway, most people are not in a party right now. They are indies like me and you have no idea how we think.

 
 
 
Tacos!
Professor Guide
4.1.5  Tacos!  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @4.1    7 years ago
They look like they gave a whole lot of time to their party.

Yeah, I see that. And now they are saying let's just chuck all that and vote for someone (most likely a Democrat) who disagrees with Republicans on the issues they care about simply because they think Donald Trump is a terrible human being. 

Now, my point is not to dispute their dissatisfaction. I have a problem with their implied solution.

Over these next 11 months, our efforts will be dedicated to defeating President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box and to elect those patriots who will hold the line. We do not undertake this task lightly, nor from ideological preference. We have been, and remain, broadly conservative (or classically liberal) in our politics and outlooks. Our many policy differences with national Democrats remain, but our shared fidelity to the Constitution dictates a common effort.

Considering the lack of Republicans challenging Trump for the nomination, that sounds a lot to me like they plan on backing whoever the Democratic nominee is. 

It seems to me that a more genuine Republican response would have been to find a Republican alternative to Trump and get behind that person. They have some ready examples in their résumés. Notably,

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
4.1.6  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  arkpdx @4.1.1    7 years ago
That is why I am not a lemming, I mean a jackass, oops, I mean a democrat.

Blind loyalty, just supporting Trump no matter what he does, no matter the facts, seems a lot like something a lemming would do.

These Republicans above are the ones refusing to be the lemmings. They refuse to be told what to believe, what to like, what to accept from their political candidates and they make their own minds up regardless of party. They, unlike the republican lemmings they rebuke, have a back bone and are using it.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Expert
4.1.7  seeder  Ender  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @4.1.6    7 years ago

It now seems that anyone that dares go against anything trump are automatically held in contempt.

Funny that I don't think he was even a republican before he decided to run and now he is their king.

I think there is a reason he chose the party he did.

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
4.1.8  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  Ender @4.1.7    7 years ago
It now seems that anyone that dares go against anything trump are automatically held in contempt.

that contempt started around the time the terms bible thumpers, bitter clingers, and teabaggers were first being thrown around.

but if ya want to blame that on trump?   Okay... LOL

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Expert
4.1.9  seeder  Ender  replied to  The Magic 8 Ball @4.1.8    7 years ago

Are you going to deny people that go against trump are disparaged...

The blame is always thrown to others.

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
4.1.10  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  Ender @4.1.9    7 years ago
Are you going to deny people that go against trump are disparaged

correlation does not equal causation.

so yeah it is the same group of people but not because they hate trump.  the bs started 8yrs before "trump"  it is not who the left hates that matters it is why they hate. they can hate the next president as well it won't change a thing.

but ya know. look on the bright side - progressives had a good run. it is over now, but they will always have the memories

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
6  The Magic 8 Ball    7 years ago

some anti trumpers think they can sway votes.... that is hillarious.

every attack on trump just makes him stronger.

cheers :)

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
6.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  The Magic 8 Ball @6    7 years ago
every attack on trump just makes him stronger.

Nothing makes him look stronger. He tweets way too much. Besides, it will be more about who runs against him. 

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
6.1.1  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @6.1    7 years ago
Nothing makes him look stronger.

impeachment helped his poll numbers and a couple neo cons will not get a different result.

nobody will beat trump in 2020

but yanno... people need hobbies and with a little luck the house will try to impeach trump again... LOL :)

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
6.1.2  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  The Magic 8 Ball @6.1.1    7 years ago

Personally I think that impeachment is a waste of time. 

I would just rather focus on a person more befitting that office.

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
6.1.3  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @6.1.2    7 years ago
I would just rather focus on a person more befitting that office

that person does not exist on the left.  and after all the crap thrown at trump before during and after the election, they spied on an incoming president and spent every day since looking to impeach him  - but now a few never trumpers are going to move the ball against him?  try again.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
7  Perrie Halpern R.A.    7 years ago
that person does not exist on the left.  and after all the crap thrown at trump before during and after the election a few never trumpers are going to move the ball?  try again.

The left is not the democrats just like the right are not the republicans. And there are more than a few never trumpers out there..... this is for them.

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
7.1  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7    7 years ago
And there are more than a few never trumpers out there

as 2016 has shown... not enough.

trump will have more support than he did in 2016

 barr and durham bringing down the house this summer will seal that deal.

people vote for winners not whiners.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Guide
7.1.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  The Magic 8 Ball @7.1    7 years ago

This is a silly conversation. We'll talk after the election.

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
7.1.2  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1.1    7 years ago
We'll talk after the election.

after trump wins in 2020 this conversation will be pointless and a waste of time.

 
 
 
igknorantzrulz
PhD Silent
7.1.3  igknorantzrulz  replied to  The Magic 8 Ball @7.1.2    7 years ago

after trump wins in 2020 this conversation will be pointless and a waste of time.

it already is

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
7.1.4  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  igknorantzrulz @7.1.3    7 years ago
it already is

yepp but it is timely... LOL

the left and never trumper neo-cons have thrown every bs accusation they could think of at trump for bout 4 yrs now. they threw the kitchen sink, the driveway, and recently they threw the whole damn house.  all to no avail.

thinking a few never trumper neo-coons are suddenly going to move the ball because they say "we are republicans - is damn silly.

those are the people we have been trying to get rid of from the start. "drain the swamp" is not just about democrats.  it is about getting rid of the neo-cons as well.

all that's happening is the swamp is flailing its arms for help. and they are probably just out to make a few bucks along the way...  LOL


the last 20 yrs has been one hell of a show.

summertime for the reckoning :)

 
 
 
freepress
Freshman Silent
8  freepress    7 years ago

Amen to that. If the truth were actually told, at least 60 % of Americans feel that way. Right now the polls are running at 51 to 55% against Trump. It still boils down to the hard core "R" voters who vote for any candidate with an "R" beside it which is less than 40% of voters, subtract people who vote 3rd party and we are constantly trying to be marginalized by a less than 40% voting bloc who will never ever admit they were wrong about voting for Nixon, voting for Bush or voting for Trump. They do not care about America or the majority, they want to force the "R" candidate on everyone and that has to stop. Hillary won 3 million more votes and if foreign influence, sloppy media narratives, and peeved 3rd party voters who didn't get their preferred Democrat had just done what the "R" voting bloc does, Hillary would have won by a landslide. I know that the majority of the country regardless of party wants Trump out of office. 

 
 
 
Veronica
Professor Participates
9  Veronica    7 years ago

I have to wonder what a politician has to do to lose the support of people.  It seems some people will defend a politician they support against any behavior.  Even when that politician calls his supporters stupid, they stay steadfast.  

 
 
 
cobaltblue
Junior Quiet
9.1  cobaltblue  replied to  Veronica @9    7 years ago
Even when that politician calls his supporters stupid, they stay steadfast.  

Well stated. Very well stated.

 
 

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