Category: U.S. Senate

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Donald Trump GOP U.S. Senate

Is Donald Trump Blackmailing Lindsey Graham? A Former Republican Operative Weighs In

Back in 2016, when it became clear that Donald Trump might just be the 2016 GOP presidential nominee, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) warned that nominating Trump would be catastrophic for Republicans, posting his warning on Twitter.

Trump did indeed win the nomination and then went on to win the 2016 election, defeating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and Graham suddenly became one of the Donald’s staunchest defenders.

So what happened? Why did Graham do a 180 so quickly? Could it have been blackmail?

That question was poised to former Republican operative Tim Miller by Ron Filpkowski this week when Filipkowski asked what member of the GOP had most disappointed Miller in recent years.

Miller named Graham, noting that the senator had been a “hoot” to have on the 2016 campaign trail. At the time, Graham was supporting Jeb Bush and making appearances on the former Florida governor’s behalf:

“Me and Lindsey got to hang out a lot, like, two months. And his hatred for Trump, Ron, was greater than ours…. he would say stuff to me and every once in a while I’d be like, ‘OK, Lindsey, you’re going a little far. He’s really bad, but he’s not Hitler. He’s too stupid to be Hitler.”

That led Filpkowski to ask Miller if he thought perhaps Graham had become an ardent Trumper because Trump had blackmailed him.

Miller replied:

“No, I don’t. I don’t think Trump is good enough at keeping secrets to have blackmail… Lindsey, I think, is just a really weak person.”

Others, however, disagree, and  Jon Cooper of the Democratic Coalition said in 2019 that a Republican told him Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin did indeed have dirt on Graham and it was sexual in nature:

 

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Elections GOP Polls U.S. Senate

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson In Big Trouble As New Poll Shows Him Losing Badly In November

Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is fading quickly down the stretch as the 2022 midterm election enters the last leg, with a new poll showing him significantly behind in his race to remain in the U.S. Senate.

Johnson, who has been an ardent acolyte and apologist for disgraced, one-term, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump is now down by 7 points to Democratic nominee Mandela Barnes, who would become the youngest member of the Senate at 35 if he defeats the incumbent. He would also be the first black senator to ever represent Wisconsin.

The poll, from Marquette Law School, shows Barnes with a commanding 51-44% lead over Johnson, and the fact that Barnes is above 50% this late in the race is bad news for Johnson, who has a high unfavorable rating among those polled.

 

Johnson recently shot himself in the foot with remarks he made suggesting that Social Security and Medicare should be discretionary spending, meaning that Congress could refuse to fund the programs anytime they choose to. A discretionary item in the federal budget is also subject to review annually, which would jeopardize the long-term stability of both programs that benefit senior citizens.

Additionally, Johnson promised voters he wouldn’t serve more than two terms in the Senate, but is now seeking a third term, which has reportedly rankled many in the Badger State.

A win for Mandela Barnes would be a huge gain for Democrats and another step toward getting a filibuster-proof majority that would allow the Senate to get more done, including passing voting rights and abortion rights legislation which is being held hostage by Republicans.

Democrats are also doing well in other states that currently have GOP senators, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Trump-endorsed candidates J.D. Vance and Mehmet Oz are struggling to gain traction with voters.

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GOP U.S. Senate

Lindsey Graham Gets Verbally Slapped Down For His Hateful Attack On A Democratic Colleague

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham stepped way over the line during debate Sunday on amendments to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and he quickly got put in his place for his remarks.

HuffPost notes that Graham attacked Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH):

Graham directly addressed Hassan, calling her actions “deceitful” and “dishonest,” during a debate on repealing a tax on foreign oil.

“This gives phony and cynical a bad name,” Graham snapped in a video shared by Forbes. They wouldn’t let you do this in professional wrestling. If you think people are this dumb, you are gonna be sadly mistaken.”

That led Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who was presiding over the Senate at the time, to admonish Graham for attacking the motives of a fellow senator and directly addressing Hassan instead of through the chair, which is Senate procedure.

What got Graham so agitated? Of all things, a tax on foreign oil, which Graham wanted removed. Instead, it was defeated soundly, which led the South Carolinian to squawk:

“What she’s doing is trying to strike the provisions that she just voted against but it requires 60 votes So she can vote for repealing a gas tax she just voted against so she’ll look good for the voters. If you really wanted to repeal the gas tax, the new one indexed to inflation, you should have voted for my amendment.

“What you’re doing is deceitful, it’s dishonest, and we’re gonna call you out!”

Murphy told Graham:

“The senators are reminded to address each other through the chair and in the third person.”

After being called out, The Hill notes, Graham “settled down.”

Here’s the video courtesy of Forbes:

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GOP Whining Taxation U.S. Senate

WATCH Sen. Blumenthal Shut Down ‘Preposterous’ Lindsey Graham For Lying About The IRS And Taxes

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) had more than enough of South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s lies Sunday and shut him down during a joint appearance the two made on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The two senators were invited on to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which is on the verge of passing in the U.S. Senate, even though Graham says he won’t support the legislation no matter how amendments are added or changes made, and tried to raise the specter that adding more IRS agents would lead to some sort of tax Gestapo, remarking:

“Hiring 86,000 more IRS agents, if that makes you feel better, you missed a lot. They’re coming after waitresses and Uber drivers and everybody else to collect more taxes. So if you think growing the IRS is good for you, you’re wrong.”

Host Dana Bash asked Blumenthal if he wanted to reply to his colleague, and he took her up on the offer:

“I think the IRS is going to target the highest income Americans. As the saying goes, that’s where the money is, that’s where they’re going to look to collect.”

He then added:

“The idea there’s going to be this army of IRS agents descending on the average Americans is preposterous. Tax fairness is what we need. For the biggest corporations in this country to pay no taxes, for them to do stock buybacks that benefit the shareholders? For example in the case of oil companies, they are making three to four times they did last year. What are they doing with those excess windfall profits? Lowering gasoline prices? No, they are doing stock buybacks and they ought to pay a tax on it.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noDO3M-blwk&feature=emb_logo

Poor Lindsey! He can’t admit that the real reason he won’t support cracking down on rich tax cheats is because those same crooks are major contributors to his campaign.

Good on Sen. Blumenthal for calling Graham out and shutting him down. The last thing we need more of is GOP bullshit and excuses.

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GOP Whining U.S. Senate WTF?!

Grassley Pelted With Internet Karma For Whining About Having To Stay In DC Instead Of Attend Family Reunion

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is all up in his feelings today because he’s having to stay in Washington, D.C. and do his job instead of attend a family reunion.

You can start playing your world’s smallest violin for Chuckles.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has scheduled a vote on the Inflation Reduction Act today, meaning that Grassley can’t return to Iowa for his reunion, as he told the entire world via Twitter:

“Each Dec Schumer puts out schedule for Senate I set Grassley family reunion based on schedule. For 2nd yr in row I won’t be at reunion I’m in DC to fight Dems irresponsible tax&spend bill. Need a Republican majority to hv schedule we can count on & A RESPONSIBLE FISCAL AGENDA.”

Boo freaking hoo! Go to your damn family reunion, Chuck. There’s no need to do the job you were elected to do. A reunion is much more important than doing the business of government, which is supposed to be what you were elected for.

Grassley was hit with a torrent of internet karma for his bellyaching.

https://twitter.com/BCDreyer/status/1555666896699236352?s=20&t=HIDJIqlhmNC462yScYq1tw