1.7 Trillion Reasons to Leave the GOP

 

As noted elsewhere, this miserable omnibus bill that neutered the incoming GOP House majority was voted for by 18 Senate Republicans. That’s nearly half.

I see more people here on Ricochet and on Twitter who are furious about this, and I am not talking about the usual Damn-the-RINOs brigade.  McConnell’s praise for the bill (much misreported, but still praise) is paired with his perverse non-performance going into the recent election — he is seen as one major reason why there is no incoming GOP Senate majority, and now he’s practically dancing on the grave of opposition to Democrats.  Senators Ron Johnson and Mike Lee are taking McConnell to the woodshed over it. I hope that lasts into the new session.

This omnibus debacle is “radicalizing” Republicans to oppose the business-as-usual leadership and loser deals that have been the GOP rule for decades.  The GOP has been negotiating with the left in order to prosecute a war against its base for too many elections, and the froth on the right has only grown.

Personally, I admit that I’m torn.  I’m typically a bit of a bomb-tosser — I do want to win, but I want that win to be valuable.  Increasingly, people are seeing diminished value in the GOP.

I don’t think Trump is viable anymore, not even as a stalking horse.  We are going to need a new Trump, because there is no way a new Jeb, new Romney, or new McCain will get anywhere in this environment.  Meanwhile, people are beginning to appreciate the value of causing pain to change GOP behavior.

How would you like to go broke and become a trivial rump party, GOP?  You’ll be threatened by a froth of minor initiatives styling themselves “parties” and “fronts” and “movements.”  And you will lose.  “Oh, but then the Democrats will ruin this country,” they cry.  Newsflash.  They’re already doing it, and you’re helping them.

Mitch screwed up big time.

Published in General
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 50 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. OldPhil Coolidge
    OldPhil
    @OldPhil

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    OldPhil (View Comment):
    So there is no strategy

    I think one of the first things to do is to refuse to donate to any of the generic GOP groups (like the Senate Committee run by McConnell or the RNC). Only donate directly to those you have a direct – and good – evaluation of.

    I have never sent a cent to any politician, so I’m good.

    • #31
  2. OldPhil Coolidge
    OldPhil
    @OldPhil

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    OldPhil (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    Hogan in Maryland

    My side hurts too much from laughing.

    Hogan is the first Republican in about 50 years to be re-elected as Maryland’s Governor. He is a fiscal conservative and a voice of sanity in a very liberal state.

    Still laughing. “Go-along to get-along” Larry.

    Edit: I lived in Maryland for decades. Hogan was a fire-breathing conservative, head of Red State Maryland for years. Then he ran for governor and succumbed to the left.

    • #32
  3. HeavyWater Inactive
    HeavyWater
    @HeavyWater

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    The answer is to look to Governors who have a track record of being conservative for their states and of winning not only winning their original election, but winning re-election. They include but are not limited to DeSantis in Florida, Kemp in Georgia, Abbott in Texas, Ducey in Arizona, Sununu in New Hampshire, and Hogan in Maryland. The last Republican to win the Popular Vote (and not just the Electoral College) was George W. Bush of Texas in 2004. We have won before with Governors, See Reagan, Ronald of California. We can win again with proven winners.

    Governors have to actually get things done.  They can’t just scream from the bleachers at everyone else.  So, I agree that we need to look towards governors as we look for presidential candidates.  

    • #33
  4. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    BDB (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    I still keep thinking of creating a new group within the Republican party that is prepared to fight. It would fight across the Senate and House, and you could only be part of this group if you are prepared to fight the Left. If you wuss out, you’re out.

    I agree. In practical terms, this means being prepared to abandon those wusses and not support them come election time. If the bad ones and the good ones get supported, then there’s no leverage.

    I threw McCain over despite his heroic conduct in war, because his political conduct had become so awful. I’m now done with Mitch despite his much-ballyhoo’d Senate wins. “Crush the Tea Party” and “$1.7 Trillion” should be the two sub-heads under the heading “Downfall” when his story is finished.

    It’s hard to support, but I definitely suspect that Mitch & Co. preferred narrow losses in order to blame it on Tea Party / Trump types. Their conduct after the election is certainly consistent with this interpretation. We’ve called them professional losers for years. I’m pretty proud of my own “pol/evo” theory for how this came to be; 40 years of domination in Congress means that the Ds evolved to wield power, while the Rs evolved to escape responsibility. Just like DNA, these things drive behavior in pervasive, insidious ways, and all the excuses and self-soothing moralizing in the world doesn’t change the behavior or the reasons for it. The 2022 election season has shown the GOP actively resisting victory, and celebrating the emasculation of the incoming House majority.

    I do favor a Tea Party approach — I mean if we stay (by label) in the R club, then it’s fair to expect us to support “our guy”. But if it’s not our guy at all, by rejecting the label, we send a message before it’s too late. I do not expect us to get a Trump or Trump-lite into office this time around. The wounds are too fresh, and frankly, are still being inflicted. And like a lot of people, I am not interested in voting for the next McCain or Romney, Collins or Murkowski, Kinzinger or Cheney.

    “Leave” may not be the right word, but it’s pretty close, and it fits pithily in the title.

    The phrase that grinds my gears is “move on from Trump”. I’ve heard that from both Hogan and Sununu and it’s why I won’t vote for either. These slugs don’t mean to move on. They mean move back to 2015 and the GOP as it was before Trump came along and exposed the Uniparty. 

    • #34
  5. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Ekosj (View Comment):

    Richard Easton (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    Mitch, if when you sit down at the poker table, you can’t spot the fish? That means the fish is you.

    One of my uncles taught me that when I was ten years old.

    Mitch thinks we’re the fish.

    And so far, he’s been right about that.

    I was about the make much the same comment. Glad I read on first. 

    • #35
  6. aardo vozz Member
    aardo vozz
    @aardovozz

    BDB (View Comment):

    Backup plan? I don’t even have a Plan A.

    Then you and the GOP have something in common.😛

    • #36
  7. WI Con Member
    WI Con
    @WICon

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    I still keep thinking of creating a new group within the Republican party that is prepared to fight. It would fight across the Senate and House, and you could only be part of this group if you are prepared to fight the Left. If you wuss out, you’re out.

    i wonder why the numbers in The Freedom Caucus aren’t larger than they are – I hate to admit it but judging by the continual capitulation, what I’d consider traditional, ‘small government’ conservatives are a minority in the GOP. The GOP is not the home for Conservatives. They won’t come out and say it, but look what they have been doing for decades.

    • #37
  8. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    Django (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    I still keep thinking of creating a new group within the Republican party that is prepared to fight. It would fight across the Senate and House, and you could only be part of this group if you are prepared to fight the Left. If you wuss out, you’re out.

    I agree. In practical terms, this means being prepared to abandon those wusses and not support them come election time. If the bad ones and the good ones get supported, then there’s no leverage.

    I threw McCain over despite his heroic conduct in war, because his political conduct had become so awful. I’m now done with Mitch despite his much-ballyhoo’d Senate wins. “Crush the Tea Party” and “$1.7 Trillion” should be the two sub-heads under the heading “Downfall” when his story is finished.

    It’s hard to support, but I definitely suspect that Mitch & Co. preferred narrow losses in order to blame it on Tea Party / Trump types. Their conduct after the election is certainly consistent with this interpretation. We’ve called them professional losers for years. I’m pretty proud of my own “pol/evo” theory for how this came to be; 40 years of domination in Congress means that the Ds evolved to wield power, while the Rs evolved to escape responsibility. Just like DNA, these things drive behavior in pervasive, insidious ways, and all the excuses and self-soothing moralizing in the world doesn’t change the behavior or the reasons for it. The 2022 election season has shown the GOP actively resisting victory, and celebrating the emasculation of the incoming House majority.

    I do favor a Tea Party approach — I mean if we stay (by label) in the R club, then it’s fair to expect us to support “our guy”. But if it’s not our guy at all, by rejecting the label, we send a message before it’s too late. I do not expect us to get a Trump or Trump-lite into office this time around. The wounds are too fresh, and frankly, are still being inflicted. And like a lot of people, I am not interested in voting for the next McCain or Romney, Collins or Murkowski, Kinzinger or Cheney.

    “Leave” may not be the right word, but it’s pretty close, and it fits pithily in the title.

    The phrase that grinds my gears is “move on from Trump”. I’ve heard that from both Hogan and Sununu and it’s why I won’t vote for either. These slugs don’t mean to move on. They mean move back to 2015 and the GOP as it was before Trump came along and exposed the Uniparty.

    Then you are effectively voting for the Democrat.  Rarely is the Democrat better than the Republican.  But every 48 years or so, the Democrat is better than the Republican…

    • #38
  9. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    I still keep thinking of creating a new group within the Republican party that is prepared to fight. It would fight across the Senate and House, and you could only be part of this group if you are prepared to fight the Left. If you wuss out, you’re out..

    I threw McCain over despite his heroic conduct in war, because his political conduct had become so awful. I’m now done with Mitch despite his much-ballyhoo’d Senate wins. “Crush the Tea Party” and “$1.7 Trillion” should be the two sub-heads under the heading “Downfall” when his story is finished.

    It’s hard to support, but I definitely suspect that Mitch & Co. preferred narrow losses in order to blame it on Tea Party / Trump types. Their conduct after the election is certainly consistent with this interpretation. We’ve called them professional losers for years. I’m pretty proud of my own “pol/evo” theory for how this came to be; 40 years of domination in Congress means that the Ds evolved to wield power, while the Rs evolved to escape responsibility. Just like DNA, these things drive behavior in pervasive, insidious ways, and all the excuses and self-soothing moralizing in the world doesn’t change the behavior or the reasons for it. The 2022 election season has shown the GOP actively resisting victory, and celebrating the emasculation of the incoming House majority.

    I do favor a Tea Party approach — I mean if we stay (by label) in the R club, then it’s fair to expect us to support “our guy”. But if it’s not our guy at all, by rejecting the label, we send a message before it’s too late. I do not expect us to get a Trump or Trump-lite into office this time around. The wounds are too fresh, and frankly, are still being inflicted. And like a lot of people, I am not interested in voting for the next McCain or Romney, Collins or Murkowski, Kinzinger or Cheney.

    “Leave” may not be the right word, but it’s pretty close, and it fits pithily in the title.

    The phrase that grinds my gears is “move on from Trump”. I’ve heard that from both Hogan and Sununu and it’s why I won’t vote for either. These slugs don’t mean to move on. They mean move back to 2015 and the GOP as it was before Trump came along and exposed the Uniparty.

    Then you are effectively voting for the Democrat. Rarely is the Democrat better than the Republican. But every 48 years or so, the Democrat is better than the Republican…

    Unlike you who actually voted for a Democrat. Take your hypocrisy and .  .  . well, I don’t need to spell it out. “Better” doesn’t apply to the slugs you support. 

    • #39
  10. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    I still keep thinking of creating a new group within the Republican party that is prepared to fight. …

    I agree. In practical terms, this means being prepared to abandon those wusses and not support them come election time. If the bad ones and the good ones get supported, then there’s no leverage.

    I threw McCain over despite his heroic conduct in war, because his political conduct had become so awful. I’m now done with Mitch despite his much-ballyhoo’d Senate wins. “Crush the Tea Party” and “$1.7 Trillion” should be the two sub-heads under the heading “Downfall” when his story is finished.

    It’s hard to support, but I definitely suspect that Mitch & Co. preferred narrow losses in order to blame it on Tea Party / Trump types. Their conduct after the election is certainly consistent with this interpretation. We’ve called them professional losers for years. I’m pretty proud of my own “pol/evo” theory for how this came to be; 40 years of domination in Congress means that the Ds evolved to wield power, while the Rs evolved to escape responsibility. Just like DNA, these things drive behavior in pervasive, insidious ways, and all the excuses and self-soothing moralizing in the world doesn’t change the behavior or the reasons for it. The 2022 election season has shown the GOP actively resisting victory, and celebrating the emasculation of the incoming House majority.

    I do favor a Tea Party approach — I mean if we stay (by label) in the R club, then it’s fair to expect us to support “our guy”. But if it’s not our guy at all, by rejecting the label, we send a message before it’s too late. I do not expect us to get a Trump or Trump-lite into office this time around. The wounds are too fresh, and frankly, are still being inflicted. And like a lot of people, I am not interested in voting for the next McCain or Romney, Collins or Murkowski, Kinzinger or Cheney.

    “Leave” may not be the right word, but it’s pretty close, and it fits pithily in the title.

    The phrase that grinds my gears is “move on from Trump”. I’ve heard that from both Hogan and Sununu and it’s why I won’t vote for either. These slugs don’t mean to move on. They mean move back to 2015 and the GOP as it was before Trump came along and exposed the Uniparty.

    Then you are effectively voting for the Democrat. Rarely is the Democrat better than the Republican. But every 48 years or so, the Democrat is better than the Republican…

    Maybe you think the Democrat is better, but very few people care what you think.

    • #40
  11. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    I still keep thinking of creating a new group within the Republican party that is prepared to fight. …

    I agree. In practical terms, this means being prepared to abandon those wusses and not support them come election time. If the bad ones and the good ones get supported, then there’s no leverage.

    I threw McCain over despite his heroic conduct in war, because his political conduct had become so awful. I’m now done with Mitch despite his much-ballyhoo’d Senate wins. “Crush the Tea Party” and “$1.7 Trillion” should be the two sub-heads under the heading “Downfall” when his story is finished.

    It’s hard to support, but I definitely suspect that Mitch & Co. preferred narrow losses in order to blame it on Tea Party / Trump types. Their conduct after the election is certainly consistent with this interpretation. We’ve called them professional losers for years. I’m pretty proud of my own “pol/evo” theory for how this came to be; 40 years of domination in Congress means that the Ds evolved to wield power, while the Rs evolved to escape responsibility. Just like DNA, these things drive behavior in pervasive, insidious ways, and all the excuses and self-soothing moralizing in the world doesn’t change the behavior or the reasons for it. The 2022 election season has shown the GOP actively resisting victory, and celebrating the emasculation of the incoming House majority.

    I do favor a Tea Party approach — I mean if we stay (by label) in the R club, then it’s fair to expect us to support “our guy”. But if it’s not our guy at all, by rejecting the label, we send a message before it’s too late. I do not expect us to get a Trump or Trump-lite into office this time around. The wounds are too fresh, and frankly, are still being inflicted. And like a lot of people, I am not interested in voting for the next McCain or Romney, Collins or Murkowski, Kinzinger or Cheney.

    “Leave” may not be the right word, but it’s pretty close, and it fits pithily in the title.

    The phrase that grinds my gears is “move on from Trump”. I’ve heard that from both Hogan and Sununu and it’s why I won’t vote for either. These slugs don’t mean to move on. They mean move back to 2015 and the GOP as it was before Trump came along and exposed the Uniparty.

    Then you are effectively voting for the Democrat. Rarely is the Democrat better than the Republican. But every 48 years or so, the Democrat is better than the Republican…

    Maybe you think the Democrat is better, but very few people care what you think.

    Please don’t start this up here.  Thank you.

    • #41
  12. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    BDB (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    I still keep thinking of creating a new group within the Republican party that is prepared to fight. …

    I agree. In practical terms, this means being prepared to abandon those wusses and not support them come election time. If the bad ones and the good ones get supported, then there’s no leverage.

    I threw McCain over despite his heroic conduct in war, because his political conduct had become so awful. I’m now done with Mitch despite his much-ballyhoo’d Senate wins. “Crush the Tea Party” and “$1.7 Trillion” should be the two sub-heads under the heading “Downfall” when his story is finished.

    It’s hard to support, but I definitely suspect that Mitch & Co. preferred narrow losses in order to blame it on Tea Party / Trump types. Their conduct after the election is certainly consistent with this interpretation. We’ve called them professional losers for years. I’m pretty proud of my own “pol/evo” theory for how this came to be; 40 years of domination in Congress means that the Ds evolved to wield power, while the Rs evolved to escape responsibility. Just like DNA, these things drive behavior in pervasive, insidious ways, and all the excuses and self-soothing moralizing in the world doesn’t change the behavior or the reasons for it. The 2022 election season has shown the GOP actively resisting victory, and celebrating the emasculation of the incoming House majority.

    I do favor a Tea Party approach — I mean if we stay (by label) in the R club, then it’s fair to expect us to support “our guy”. But if it’s not our guy at all, by rejecting the label, we send a message before it’s too late. I do not expect us to get a Trump or Trump-lite into office this time around. The wounds are too fresh, and frankly, are still being inflicted. And like a lot of people, I am not interested in voting for the next McCain or Romney, Collins or Murkowski, Kinzinger or Cheney.

    “Leave” may not be the right word, but it’s pretty close, and it fits pithily in the title.

    The phrase that grinds my gears is “move on from Trump”. I’ve heard that from both Hogan and Sununu and it’s why I won’t vote for either. These slugs don’t mean to move on. They mean move back to 2015 and the GOP as it was before Trump came along and exposed the Uniparty.

    Then you are effectively voting for the Democrat. Rarely is the Democrat better than the Republican. But every 48 years or so, the Democrat is better than the Republican…

    Maybe you think the Democrat is better, but very few people care what you think.

    Please don’t start this up here. Thank you.

    I will say no more here. 

    • #42
  13. ctlaw Coolidge
    ctlaw
    @ctlaw

    Your favorite ships get mentioned.

    Who could ever have predicted:

    > But the much-hyped LCS mission modules never materialized, and concerns have emerged about the ships’ survivability in a conventional war with China or Russia.

    https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-navy/2022/12/27/could-the-lcs-fleet-be-getting-a-new-mission/

    • #43
  14. ChrisShearer Coolidge
    ChrisShearer
    @ChrisShearer

    “I see more people here on Ricochet and on Twitter who are furious about this, and I am not talking about the usual Damn-the-RINOs brigade.”  

     

    And yet once again we see it here.  I’m pretty sure its a majority of votes that wins elections.  The angry Kari Lake approach (and I like her as a personality but not as a candidate) will energize “the base” (whatever that still is) but not get a majority of votes.

    I left the Republican party several years ago.  Its now dominated by loud voices that are far more concerned with ridicule than strategy.  As an Independent (and a conservative one at that) I’ve yet to see much outreach for my vote.  I have however seen far too many texts and phone calls for my $$.

     

    PS Have we forgotten Trumps signing of the massive COVID bail out bill #1.  We’re bitching about fiscal insanity.  Both Parties gave up on fiscal sanity a long time ago.

    • #44
  15. DrewInWisconsin, Oik Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Oik
    @DrewInWisconsin

    ChrisShearer (View Comment):
    I’m pretty sure its a majority of votes that wins elections.

    No, it’s a majority of ballots.

    • #45
  16. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    DrewInWisconsin, Oik (View Comment):

    ChrisShearer (View Comment):
    I’m pretty sure its a majority of votes that wins elections.

    No, it’s a majority of ballots.

    Or even the highest COUNT, whether or not those ballots actually existed.

    • #46
  17. Ed G. Member
    Ed G.
    @EdG

    ChrisShearer (View Comment):
    PS Have we forgotten Trumps signing of the massive COVID bail out bill #1.  We’re bitching about fiscal insanity.  Both Parties gave up on fiscal sanity a long time ago.

    It goes back a lot farther than that. By the time Trump came along no one seriously thought of Republicans as fiscally conservative in any way. That’s why so many of us didn’t blame Trump as some unique fiscal danger – they all are and have been for two decades.

    • #47
  18. ChrisShearer Coolidge
    ChrisShearer
    @ChrisShearer

    kedavis (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Oik (View Comment):

    ChrisShearer (View Comment):
    I’m pretty sure its a majority of votes that wins elections.

    No, it’s a majority of ballots.

    Or even the highest COUNT, whether or not those ballots actually existed.

    Yeah, that strategy worked so well for Kari Lake.  But sure keeps a certain “base” fired up for the next assault on the windmill.

    • #48
  19. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    Ed G. (View Comment):

    ChrisShearer (View Comment):
    PS Have we forgotten Trumps signing of the massive COVID bail out bill #1. We’re bitching about fiscal insanity. Both Parties gave up on fiscal sanity a long time ago.

    It goes back a lot farther than that. By the time Trump came along no one seriously thought of Republicans as fiscally conservative in any way. That’s why so many of us didn’t blame Trump as some unique fiscal danger – they all are and have been for two decades.

    Right.  The prospect of fiscal ruin under Trump was more attractive than fiscal ruin under Jeb! or Hillary.  

    • #49
  20. Ed G. Member
    Ed G.
    @EdG

    ChrisShearer (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Oik (View Comment):

    ChrisShearer (View Comment):
    I’m pretty sure its a majority of votes that wins elections.

    No, it’s a majority of ballots.

    Or even the highest COUNT, whether or not those ballots actually existed.

    Yeah, that strategy worked so well for Kari Lake. But sure keeps a certain “base” fired up for the next assault on the windmill.

    Is the election system on the level and working well, or not? Has there been fascistic collusion between government and media to propagandize for dems and censor conservatives, or not?

    • #50
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.