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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1342907
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1342907
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I’m going to give Corman and Benninghoff the benefit of the doubt, but will not breathe normally until the result is official. It looks as if we are going to throw this crook out of office; the only remaining question is how much damage he can do between now and January 20th. I’m betting the answer is “plenty.”
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“In 2020, we may have to thank State Senate Majority Leader Corman and State House Majority Leader Benninghoff for their unlikely profile in courage.” Hardly a profile in courage to proceed in the appropriate manner when deviating would be, probably, be illegal and definitely undemocratic and unpopular.
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What about Wisconsin where there’s a republican legislature and state Supreme Court each of whom appear willing to do just about anything in their party’s interest?
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Hi! To find out what I can do, say @discobot display help.
Unfortunately there are more than 3,000,000 Keystone State voters who would applaud disenfranchising PA voters.
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Not the end of the story, however.
Looks like it’s pretty much over, and many of us are celebrating.
But the fact remains that roughly 70 million Americans watched, for four years, as a President lied incessantly, lined his own pockets, bullied people, actively encouraged violent white nationalists, took small children from their parents and locked them in cages, pretended that nothing was happening while tens of thousands of Americans died needlessly, cozied up to murderous dictators (and even provided cover for them), did everything in his power to destroy our alliances with other democracies, launched a collection of pointless, damaging trade wars, displayed contempt for women of all stripes, embraced all manner of crazy conspiracy theories, let the Senate pack the courts with Federalist Society hacks, did all he could to let big corporations poison the air, land, and water, and got in a lot of rounds of golf.
At the end of all that, these people said, “Yup, that Trump guy really speaks for me. I’m proud he’s leading the country, and I think it should continue.”
As if that wasn’t enough, they also returned a collection of his Senate enablers and cheerleaders to office.
In 2008, I thought we had turned the corner. I guess I was just being too optimistic.
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In 2008, we did turn a corner; unfortunately, we walked straight into a brick wall.
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Republicans announcing publicly that they will not do the obviously wrong, corrupt, sociopathic thing! What’s next, dogs and cats living together? The very foundations of the republic tremble.
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Well, that’s reassuring. I mean, Republicans always keep their word - like that time in 2016 when they swore they’d never confirm a GOP-nominated Supreme Court justice during an election year.
Edited to Add:
In other words, I assume PA Republicans - who, by they way, have a long record of being spectacularly corrupt and partisan (for example, their 2010 gerrymander, which was one of the worst in the nation) - will go back on their word as soon as they find it useful and convenient.
IF PA Republicans don’t over-ride the will of the voters, it’ll only be because
- they fear a voter backlash, or
- because it wouldn’t make any difference once Biden gets more than 20 EV ahead, or
- they somehow become convinced SCOTUS would slap it down.
Just to be clear, I don’t expect the PA legislature to intervene. But it won’t be out of any nobility - it’ll be because of those three reasons.
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You nailed it. It’s not that they’re against corruption; it’s just that they won’t gain anything from it this time - so why waste the powder on an issue that won’t change the outcome?
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