Discussion: GOPer Breaks With Trump And Pence, Calls Omar Apology 'Entirely Appropriate'

1 Like

I have to wonder what personal gaffe he’s getting out in front of. If not, good on him.

6 Likes

Lankford more and more strikes me as one of the few republicans with some actual decency. (He either is or is really good a faking it, not sure there is much difference…) The comparison with Inhoff is rather profound. His name pops up more and more with compromise positions. He is clearly smart, and is one of the few, wise republicans who appears to be proactively positioning themselves for the post-Trump world.

One could also look at this as “rats leaving the ship” but these type of breaks with Trump, are getting more regular,and by more people. There is a lot of unease, particularly in the Senate. Thinking hopefully, this is what began to happen in 1974 with Nixon, people who had formerly been 100% behind him, started going after him over little things, it then snowballed.

22 Likes

A modern Dixie Republican with empathy. Who woulda thunk?

1 Like

He’s trying to de-escalate this for Trump and Pence, knowing they lack the moral courage to apologize and realizing this is blowing back in their faces. It’s called saving Representative King. But good for him because he is right.

7 Likes

I think accepting an apology is just good, sensible optics. It reinforces that a Democrat did a bad thing, while looking magnanimous and gracious and above the fray. Acting like an adult.

It’s the sort of thing you’d expect a politician to say, whether or not he actually felt that way, in an era before Gingrich.

10 Likes

Take the party back.

See what happens…

2 Likes

I guess Lankford is just barely smart enough to see the shi…um, I mean the writing on the wall.

3 Likes

I think he sees they didn’t provide nearly enough lifeboats on the U.S.S. Donald Trump.

6 Likes

“Take the party back”

…but wear surgical gloves and bring a quart bottle of Purell.

5 Likes

where she appeared to perpetuate an anti-Semitic trope when she suggested that Republicans’ support for Israel was fueled by political donations.

Because a person might think she meant that R officeholders receive supportive donations from AIPAC, when it’s the threat of funding a more-right-wing primary opponent that keeps them in line. Omar just put the emphasis on the wrong beat, that’s all.

3 Likes

I agree, but I would like to suggest that apologizing doesn’t have to mean that you did a bad thing, it means you were wrong, and could admit the error and excuse any offense caused. Not at all saying you were implying this, but too often opponents buy into this idea of scoring on someone’s mistakes, which leads far too often, especially on the GOP side, to never admitting mistakes or apologizing, because clearly that would show weakness and give the other side the advantage. It’s what’s contributed to the current level of toxicity in our politics.

1 Like

Since its creation in 2006—the [United Nation’s Human Rights] Council had resolved almost more resolutions condemning Israel than on the rest of the world combined. -Wikipedia

2 Likes

Good, smart politics — smarter than most of the R’s evidently. He looks magnanimous and reasonable, and chose a situation where he won’t anger his own party by sounding reasonable. As a bonus, he’ll have an easier time dealing with Omar in the future. For him, this is all benefit and no cost. I’m not sure if asking whether he “really means it” is a relevant question.

5 Likes

Lankford is one of my Senators, and compared to the other (Inhofe) , he is a blend of Mother Theresa and Barack Obama. On a good day, he makes sense and is a decent person. On a bad day, he’s a Republican. At least he has good days occasionally.

10 Likes

At this point I have to respect any comment from a congressional rep that shows any degree of reflection and circumspection, so good for him.

3 Likes

Whenever I see Lankford,I think its Tony Perkins and Cantor help but loath him.

Here he is being reasonable. He escapes my hate for the day.

1 Like

There have been times in the past when Lankford has surprised me. Most of the time he’s a typical conservative, but on occasion, instead of the run-of-the-mill knee-jerk response, he’ll say something that is actually thoughtful and well-reasoned. I wouldn’t exactly call him a Rockefeller Republican, but he doesn’t seem to be a lemming or reactionary kook.

4 Likes

Kudos to Senator Lankford; it’s such a pity he represents such a small minority of the rest of his party.

2 Likes

Your point is well taken. We have GOT to take this country back. The GOP attacked it. I have always looked at the post-2012 GOP as a Foreign Occupying Force.

The ever-shape-shifting “Independents” could be our undoing if we try to be too magnanimous…especially before the 2020 elections. VOTE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

PERIOD.

No “experiments”. Just DEMOCRATIC.

My initial post on this thread was more an acknowledgement of the out and out depravity of the present-day GOP.

6 Likes