[NB: Check the byline, thanks! /~Rayne]
I’ve got a couple of posts s-l-o-w-l-y brewing but there’s plenty to chew on in the mean time. There may be some all-caps yelling, I must warn.
~ 3 ~
Utah’s Senator Mike Lee went to Moscow this week to talk about lifting the sanctions. Because of course he did, being utterly insensitive to the ongoing attacks by Russia on U.S. elections ahead. The sanctions Russia placed against the U.S. are pure bullshit and shouldn’t be seen as anything more than that; a member of Congress negotiating with them only legitimizes them.
Curiously, Lee is one of the same Class III GOP senators whose terms end in January 2023. What a coincidence that eight of 22 Class III GOP senators have now made a visit to Moscow.
You’ll recall that last year GOP Senators Richard Shelby (AL), Steve Daines (MT), John Hoeven (ND), John Neely Kennedy (LA), Jerry Moran (KS), Ron Johnson (SD), and John Thune (SD) — all Class III senators except for Daines who is in Class II — made a visit to Moscow on July 4 last year ostensibly to ask Russia to stop meddling in our elections.
Ha. More likely to ask for help when they run for re-election.
~ 2 ~
Speaking of sketchy GOP senators, 26 of 53 GOP senators have now visited and used the Trump Hotel in Washington DC. Purely innocent use of a convenient facility, right? Except these senators never used any Trump hotel until after he was elected.
|
Last Name |
First Name |
State |
Term Ends |
Went to Russia |
|
Barrasso |
John |
WY |
2025 |
|
|
Blackburn |
Marsha |
TN |
2025 |
|
|
Blunt |
Roy |
AR |
2023 |
|
|
Cornyn |
John |
TX |
2021 |
|
|
Cotton |
Tom |
AR |
2021 |
|
|
Crapo |
Mike |
ID |
2023 |
|
|
Cruz |
Ted |
TX |
2025 |
|
|
Ernst |
Joni |
IA |
2021 |
|
|
Gardner |
Cory |
CO |
2021 |
|
|
Graham |
Lindsey |
SC |
2021 |
|
|
Grassley |
Chuck |
IA |
2023 |
|
|
Hawley |
Josh |
MO |
2025 |
|
|
Hoeven |
John |
ND |
2023 |
Moscow 2018 |
|
Inhofe |
James |
OK |
2021 |
|
|
Johnson |
Ron |
WI |
2023 |
Moscow 2018 |
|
Kennedy |
John |
LA |
2023 |
Moscow 2018 |
|
McConnell |
Mitch |
KY |
2021 |
|
|
Murkowski |
Lisa |
AK |
2023 |
|
|
Paul |
Rand |
KY |
2023 |
|
|
Rounds |
Mike |
SD |
2021 |
|
|
Rubio |
Marco |
FL |
2023 |
|
|
Sasse |
Ben |
NE |
2021 |
|
|
Scott |
Tim |
SC |
2023 |
|
|
Thune |
John |
SD |
2023 |
Moscow 2018 |
|
Tillis |
Thom |
NC |
2021 |
|
Kind of disgusting to see Lisa Murkowski on this list; she’s been more independent of the GOP than most of the rest of her caucus. The RNC has spent $400,000 at Trump hotels since the 2016 election, setting a great example of corruption for the rest of its ranks.
Don’t even get me started on spineless Ben Sasse, he of all talk and no cattle when it comes to doing the right thing.
Have to wonder what the state of play in Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin for these four GOP senators to not only call on Russia on America’s holiday of independence last year but to suck up to their mobster party boss at his overpriced hotels.
One thing I couldn’t find readily: the name of the lone Democratic senator who visited a Trump hotel. Name and shame them, people. Democrats need to clearly differentiate themselves from corruption.
~ 1 ~
Meanwhile, some Democratic freshmen can’t find their butts with both hands when it comes to an impeachment inquiry. These representatives so far have resisted supporting an inquiry in spite of being elected to office in a blue wave — they were chosen to fix Trump’s Washington, in short. Most of them are holding out for more facts, a stronger case before they support impeachment.
And now a direct message to those freshmen holdouts:
WHAT PART OF MULTIPLE COUNTS OF OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE DON’T YOU GET, FRESHMEN??
It’s right there in the Special Counsel’s Report which every member of Congress has had more than ample time and at least one lengthy break to read.
Not to mention the ongoing daily abuses of power and gross negligence which speak for themselves and in some cases have cost human lives (ask Puerto Rico and the untold numbers of asylum-seeking children still in cages).
Take notes from California frosh Rep. Katie Porter on an impeachment inquiry. Nobody is above the law and you members of Congress have a constitutional duty to uphold and defend it — you’re given the power to deal with an intransigent executive by the Constitution.
You’ve read the Constitution’s Article I, haven’t you? You understood your oath of office, yes? Bloody well do what you were hired to do which is outlined in the Constitution and your oath, neither of which prescribe winning popularity contests or fundraising.
These are the representatives I’ve seen named in several reports* as reluctant to get behind an impeachment inquiry:
Susan Wild PA-7 D+1.1 (redistricted from pivot districts, doesn’t believe there’s enough evidence for impeachment)
Gil Cisneros CA-39 EVEN R+0/D+0
TJ Cox CA-21 EVEN R+0/D+0
Josh Harder CA-10 EVEN R+0/D+0
Katie Hill CA-25 EVEN R+0/D+0
Jared Golden ME-2 R+2 (called impeachment nonsense, isn’t hearing from constituents about supporting impeachment)
Angie Craig MN-2 R+2
Andrew Kim NJ-3 R+2
Conor Lamb PA-17 R+2.5 (redistricted)
Haley Stevens MI-11 R+4
Elissa Slotkin MI-8 R+4
Being from Michigan I can almost understand the concerns of the last two, BUT…they were elected in districts which have been strongly GOP for at least a decade, as a direct rebuttal of Trump policies. Trump’s bullshit trade war with China has hurt both businesses and investments of their constituents greatly (unless they’re accountants who are raking in big bucks from all the new tax code changes). They’ve also got a Democratic governor, attorney general, and secretary of state who are women and going to do their best to get their backs and assure a fair election in 2020. The excuses they have for waffling in R+4 districts are nominal, especially after Trump’s egregious behavior on so many topics this week. How badly does Trump have to meltdown before they will get behind a formal inquiry?
And that’s what should be pounded into the rest of the freshmen who are holding out ‘because we don’t have all the facts’ or ‘we need the strongest case’ or ‘I don’t jump on a bandwagon’: DO THE RIGHT THING BY SUPPORTING AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
We will get all the facts and make the strongest case with a formal inquiry which has Constitutional support.
And the bandwagon is to DO THE RIGHT THING, not worry about re-election, Rep. Wild. None of your bills are going anywhere so long as Senate Majority Leader #MoscowMitch McConnell is in thrall to both Trump and Russia. Quit dragging your feet and get the hell on board.
~ 0 ~
I’ve got a post in progress on the Epstein-MIT Media Lab scandal and another on Scotland. Later this week we’ll have to do another whip count now that I’ve laid out the problem with freshmen Democrats.
If you haven’t called your representative lately, do so — Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121 — and ask them to support an impeachment inquiry. Thank them if they already have committed to supporting an inquiry. They count calls, I can see it reflected in media reports.
Let’s get back to school, people. Treat this as an open thread.
________
* Sources:
31-AUG-2019 – House Democrats in Trump districts resist liberal pressure on impeachment (WaPo)
02-SEP-2019 – Impeachment Summer Passes By, Without A Breakthrough (HuffPo)
07-SEP-2019 – Impeachment fight looms over freshmen Democrats at home in California (CNN)