22 Comments

"... character, words, actions, even criminal behavior. It all gets a pass in the Trump era."

Not just a pass--- they are now almost qualifications.

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I guess it’s a god thing Charles Manson is dead, otherwise we’d find him leading in a MAGA primary someplace.

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And yet the party now completely taken over by "the kooks" this Democrat and Republicans he knew back 40+ years ago in politics used to laugh at, has a presidential candidate openly stating his goal is to create a "Unified Reich," and who appears to be running ahead of the Defender of Democracy.

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T.C., there'sno fathoming this strange epoch we're all travelling in. The "kooks" have always existed among us, but as you say, they've now taken over the majority of their party. Mental illness I can understand, but I can't comprehend its turning into a mass hypnotic event.

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I hope senate candidates and Bden/ surrogates hammer on this. I don’t know how many more outrages I can stomach. Maybe I’ll start reading gardening magazines or something.

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It would be great if Congress could do something about the border situation instead of only complaining about it. I won't hold my breath, though.

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I hope the “worst first round draft pick ever” quickly turns into the worst Senate candidate ever. It sounds likely.

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I vaguely remember White. I think he refused to get on planes or something, and was a total diva basketcase. Anyway, this is what Republican voters want, and it's why this country is so dysfunctional. They prefer to complain about how broken the government is over nominating people who might be capable of salvaging it. They seem to equate anyone who wants a functioning government with communists. They just want to nominate the craziest sumbitch there is, get a reaction out of the people they hate, and move on to nominating the next craziest sumbitch for the next election once their current craziest sumbitch has lost. And it's fine for a Minnesota Senate race, where that type of candidate has no shot; but once they make it into office in these ruby red precincts, they never go away.

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Yep…my immediate recollection was, “Oh yeah, wasn’t that the guy who was afraid of flying? I wondered what happened to him. Oh, so he became a conspiracy theorist nutbag. Sounds about right”

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Another fun day with 118th

former GOP. They sure can

pick some choice people to

run in their party. One of the

most loathsome words

created was c*#t. Par for

their course these days.

Mikey Johnson can surely

forget any cooperation from

the BLUE side of the House

the next time he needs it.

2025 The Fourth Reich in

living color in the USA.

VOTE BLUE! Your life may

depend on it.

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And why would the GOP NOT choose an African American with mental health issues as a candidate? People who are suffering from mental illness are often much easier to control - plus any craziness is a bonus, as it conforms to the right's general opinion of "other races." Same thing happened with poor Herschel Walker, who after being used as an election tool is now left to his own diminished devices.

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I live in decidedly central Virginia, so I can't and won't delve into Minnesota politics - other than to make an observation of the skilllessness demonstrated by Republicans in their choices of candidates to place before voters in a general election. I'd think that the experience by Republicans of The Red Wave in 2022 would have taught someone something. But...

The first time I noticed this was during the campaign for U.S. Senator for Alaska in 2010 (could 14 years have passed since??), when Lisa Murkowski won in a write-in campaign against Joe Miller.

When - or if - one reviews Miller's actions after the 2010 Senate race, one discovers the template governing The False Prophet's whines, bellyaching, and legal maneuvering beginning on November 3, 2020. The False Prophet is a follower, not a god-like innovator.

Regarding Schumer, Senate Republicans, Republicans in the House of Representative, and U.S. border "security".

Meh.

Yes, Democrats, including President Biden, could have done more sooner to better handle the political fallout that could have been anticipated. Yes, Republicans in Congress could have and should have vigorously supported Senator Lankford's hard-won negotiated border security compromise legislation.

The Republicans did not, and every voter knows it. The Republican fall-on-our-sword backup is to whine and demand that The Other Guys completely cave to Republican attempts to mis-legislate the border away...away to Biden's complete responsibility.

Meh. Nothing will be done until voters decide to elect people who will govern.

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“I don’t think he could win a general election,” he reiterated.

It seems like it would concern a rational political party leader that he has a chance to win a primary.

I love Amy Klobuchar and am happy she is so blessed.

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"At the Minnesota GOP convention, Steve Bannon appeared via video message to introduce White, who went on to win 67 percent of the vote on the first ballot. But while these numbers are impressive, White’s Senate bid could still run into trouble if he succeeds in capturing the nomination on August 13. That’s because he is one of the most unhinged Republican candidates for national office in years."

First, *anyone* who Steve Bannon backs/supports/introduces will most likely never win in a general election. This also applies to repeat guests on Alex Jones' InfoWars program. It is a given that if these two back a candidate it is a sure bet that the person is "MAGA all the way."

Second, it is a recognized tendency for the extremists in a party to be the large majority of those who vote in primaries. I don't find it the least surprising to see White getting 67% of the vote at the state convention, and he'll probably breeze through the primary in Aug.

And third, besides JD Vance I'm hard pressed to name another MAGA RINO newly elected to the Senate in 2022. In fact, the RINOs lost a seat with the election of John Fetterman. (Admittedly, the carpetbagger Mehmet Oz had little else going for him besides TFG's support.)

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"White’s Twitter feed is littered with posts referring to women and men as “bitches,” “fags,” and “whores,” and he declared “the real issue is the Jews” while tweeting about white nationalist Nick Fuentes’s appearance on InfoWars."

I wouldn't expect anything less from a MAGAdroid; racism, misogyny, a fear of the LGBTQIA+ community and antisemitism are stock in trade for White and his fellow travelers. I'd have been floored if he didn't condemn the groups that it is de rigueur to hate on if he wants to be one of the tribe.

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"Backing a candidate who speaks and acts in this way is a strange decision for a state party, and it gets even harder to understand in light of the fact that it’s a critical race that a steadier Republican candidate could at least have a shot at winning."

Mr Perticone, I'm confused as to why you think the decision of the state convention to back Mr White is strange. IMO, the RINOs are less concerned with winning elections than being actors in the MAGA political theater productions. To them, the general election is merely a suggestion as to whom should go to DC; if they don't like the results they'll contest, deny the validity of the vote due to "fraud," and sue to try to overturn the will of the voters. And if that doesn't succeed, there is always the MAGAverse's reliance on threats of, or even actual, violence in an attempt to get their way.

fnord

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If Trump wins in November, Royce White may wind up Chief of Staff.

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We are not a serious people

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I know why Steve Daines is worried. His term as NRSC Chairman will be very brief if they don't take back the Senate, and with potential opponents like White, or Kari Lake, it's looking iffy at best.

Is it just me or does it seem as if Republicans are leaning on the wealthy guys to self-fund a lot more than they used to, especially in the Senate?

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We can hope that the people in Minnesota are discerning.

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