The Many Faces of US Politics...

[whitey]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

[heganboy]

"patriotism not globalism."

How about this for a talking point- what sort of a dumb shit got elected president of the United States, and what sort of a dumb shit is writing his speeches.

The greatest minds of the GOP advised a defence akin to:
You can't find me guilty of attempted murder when I was 18, I didn't legally kill anyone until much later in my life.

Impressive news reporting from the indianapolis star...

Hopefully the rest is implied...

[seafoid]

"patriotism not globalism."

How about this for a talking point- what sort of a dumb shit got elected president of the United States, and what sort of a dumb shit is writing his speeches.

The greatest minds of the GOP advised a defence akin to:
You can't find me guilty of attempted murder when I was 18, I didn't legally kill anyone until much later in my life.

Impressive news reporting from the indianapolis star...

Hopefully the rest is implied...

Stephen Miller probably wrote the speech

[J70]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

[J70]

Michael Avenatti seems to be the new face of the Democratic Party

I thought yez were trying to force that mantle onto Ocasio-Cortez?

The difference IS, that the GOP has, in the real world, crowned an appalling extremist as their leader and biggest influence. Come back to us when the Dems do the same.

[whitey]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

The problem is that there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there, but by the time the Democrats are done with their character assassination they haven't a hope of getting elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/campaign-stops/crying-wolf-then-confronting-trump.amp.html

[seafoid]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

The problem is that there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there, but by the time the Democrats are done with their character assassination they haven't a hope of getting elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/campaign-stops/crying-wolf-then-confronting-trump.amp.html

So nothing to do with who funds the GOP , then.

[sid waddell]

The nut jobbery of Republicans is nothing to do with Republicans, it's all the Democrats fault.

"Personal responsibility", eh.

[whitey]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

The problem is that there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there, but by the time the Democrats are done with their character assassination they haven't a hope of getting elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/campaign-stops/crying-wolf-then-confronting-trump.amp.html

So nothing to do with who funds the GOP , then.

You mean people like George Soros or Tom Steyer

[J70]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

The problem is that there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there, but by the time the Democrats are done with their character assassination they haven't a hope of getting elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/campaign-stops/crying-wolf-then-confronting-trump.amp.html

It's all the Dem's fault that moderate Republicans are dropping like flies, either failing in the primaries or retiring?

Nothing to do with the extremism of the Republican base?

It's the Dem's fault that the only GOPers with the balls to even half-heartedly stand up to Trump are the ones not running for re-election?

It has NOTHING to do with the GOP's embrace and manipulation of white Christian fear and resentment, going all the back to Nixon?

[seafoid]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

The problem is that there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there, but by the time the Democrats are done with their character assassination they haven't a hope of getting elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/campaign-stops/crying-wolf-then-confronting-trump.amp.html

So nothing to do with who funds the GOP , then.

You mean people like George Soros or Tom Steyer

Polarisation is paid for in the US and Europe. It means problems don't get solved.
The same process is visible in France btw.
Working and middle class GOP voters have more in common with their Dem equivalents than they have with the Kochs.
The US needs institutions that reflect this.
The alternative is not worth thinking about.

https://youtu.be/lpWS1dlm5i8

[whitey]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

The problem is that there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there, but by the time the Democrats are done with their character assassination they haven't a hope of getting elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/campaign-stops/crying-wolf-then-confronting-trump.amp.html

It's all the Dem's fault that moderate Republicans are dropping like flies, either failing in the primaries or retiring?

Nothing to do with the extremism of the Republican base?

It's the Dem's fault that the only GOPers with the balls to even half-heartedly stand up to Trump are the ones not running for re-election?

It has NOTHING to do with the GOP's embrace and manipulation of white Christian fear and resentment, going all the back to Nixon?

It's actually very simple

Smear, vilify and lie about moderate Republicans-that's in the Democratic Playbook.

So then the Republican andidates have to go closer to the edge in order to be even competitive, then jump out from behind the bushes and say I told you so

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/11/05/maher_liberals_cried_wolf_about_bush_and_romney_and_we_were_wrong_fascist_trump_is_different.html?mobile_redirect=true

[J70]

Personally, I would lean towards the allegations being true, in that I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone would put themselves through the trauma of being such as accuser if they weren't true.

But... that is not the same as proof.

This isn't (at least currently) a criminal trial.

The key question is whether any of the allegations are credible or not.

The very distinct impression one gets it that they are.

The wider picture is very interesting. Trump is a signed up misogynist and a liability among female voters. The GOP may have to sacrifice Kavanaugh in the interest of the midterms.

Support for Kavanaw among Republican-supporting women went up after Christime Blasey Ford's allegation went public.

There is no more masochistic bunch than Republican-supporting women.

Or maybe they've live their whole lives here and have seen the Democratic smear machine in action before

Or maybe they have a neanderthal attitude to sexual assault from being force fed a diet of right-wing misogynism their whole lives, and employ psychological defence and justification techniques to "dig in" when confronted with things that would blow their whole worldview apart if they didn't employ these psychological techniques.

Denial, in other words.

It's a very, very common thing for supporters of right-wing nut jobbery.

In fact it's the sort of thing on which the popularity of the Republican party and right-wing extremism in general depends.

Or maybe the Republicans focus on issues that are important to them land their families unlike the Democrats who have become a party for just those with grievances with little if any room for dissenting voices

Yeah, "issues" like the right of white cops to murder unarmed black people, equivocating about Nazis, pretending climate change doesn't exist, denying women the right to choice, making sure it's legal to carry machine guns and for mentally ill people to buy them, denying people decent healthcare, including creationist nonsense on school curriculums, shitting all over the rights of gay and trans people, destroying any protection for workers, and making sure the rich take an ever increasing stranglehold of wealth while the rest rot.

Yeah, real legitimate "issues".

I love when people talk about the Republicans as if they're some sort of moderate, sensible political force as opposed to a bunch of mentalists. Such discussion is a great way of identifying who is a member of the reality-based community and who is an utter loo-la.

I take it you have never heard of Charlie Baker then....the Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/09/25/more-democrats-give-high-marks-charlie-baker-than-republicans-survey-finds/xmOKfMhxPoBCJwRk5XIDZO/amp.html

Open you mind beyond the talking points you pick up from CNN

And the likes of Montana has a Democratic governor, despite being deep red in national elections.

How would Baker, with his social positions, get on in front of the GOP presidential primary/caucus crowd? Or his Vermont counterpart?

The problem is that there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there, but by the time the Democrats are done with their character assassination they haven't a hope of getting elected.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/campaign-stops/crying-wolf-then-confronting-trump.amp.html

It's all the Dem's fault that moderate Republicans are dropping like flies, either failing in the primaries or retiring?

Nothing to do with the extremism of the Republican base?

It's the Dem's fault that the only GOPers with the balls to even half-heartedly stand up to Trump are the ones not running for re-election?

It has NOTHING to do with the GOP's embrace and manipulation of white Christian fear and resentment, going all the back to Nixon?

It's actually very simple

Smear, vilify and lie about moderate Republicans-that's in the Democratic Playbook.

So then the Republican andidates have to go closer to the edge in order to be even competitive, then jump out from behind the bushes and say I told you so

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/11/05/maher_liberals_cried_wolf_about_bush_and_romney_and_we_were_wrong_fascist_trump_is_different.html?mobile_redirect=true

Let me get this straight - liberals and Dems call moderate Republicans bigoted and homophobic and misogynistic etc. The GOP base responds by electing candidates who are even more bigoted and homophobic and misogynistic etc. Thus, it is all the Dems fault that the GOP is sliding further and further into the reactionary fever swamp.

Is that right?

The GOP politicians/base didn't create/enable/empower Trump and Bannon and Sessions and Limbaugh and Fox News. Liberals did with their mean words.

[omochain]

Whitey, Whitey, Whitey. Those awful bad, bad Dems are undermining the true word by calling Romney and Bush on economic and social policy BS... and driving poor moderate Republicans to have to adopt even more trickle down medicine and less healthcare to save the country. Dems are driving them to play the racist and evangelical cards to win elections! Poor Republicans... All this stuff started with Blessed Ronald Reagan when he co-oped the Dixiecrat racists into the Republican Party and they have been embracing our less enlightened instincts to stay in power ever since.

[seafoid]

Whitey, Whitey, Whitey. Those awful bad, bad Dems are undermining the true word by calling Romney and Bush on economic and social policy BS... and driving poor moderate Republicans to have to adopt even more trickle down medicine and less healthcare to save the country. Dems are driving them to play the racist and evangelical cards to win elections! Poor Republicans... All this stuff started with Blessed Ronald Reagan when he co-oped the Dixiecrat racists into the Republican Party and they have been embracing our less enlightened instincts to stay in power ever since.

Whitey is full of shit.
Norm Ornstein used to be a Republican
https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/50/divided-we-stand/