https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/were-not-going-to-turn-on-our-own-republicans-rally-around-trump-as-threats-mount/2019/03/02/6b9786ac-3bb2-11e9-aaae-69364b2ed137_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eb909aad4b2b&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1


By Robert Costa March 2 at 4:24 PM
When President Trump’s longtime fixer Michael Cohen testified last week that his former boss was a “r****t” and “con man” who routinely skirts the law, Republicans showed little interest in following up on his claims.

They shrugged when Trump called murderous dictator Kim Jong Un a “real leader” and once again elevated the North Korean leader on the world stage.

And faced with a v**e on Trump’s legally contested declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border, just 13 of 197 House Republicans opposed him.

Acquiescence to Trump is now the defining trait of the Republican Party more than two years into his presidency — overwhelming and at times erasing principles that conservatives viewed as the foundation of the party for more than a half century.

Trump’s ownership of the GOP was on vivid display again Saturday, when the president appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, an annual gathering that has t***sformed into a raucous celebration of Trump, featuring propaganda-style art and a speaker who declared that the president was “chosen by God.”

Standing before an exuberant crowd chanting “Trump!” and “U-S-A,” Trump spent two hours railing against the “failed ruling class,” calling the special counsel’s Russia investigation “bulls**t” and portraying his e******n as a major moment in global history.

“We are reversing decades of blunders and betrayals,” Trump declared at one point, before asserting that he was only joking in 2016 when he asked Russia to release Hillary Clinton’s private emails.

“Lock her up! Lock her up!” CPAC attendees roared at the mention of the former Democratic p**********l nominee.

In interviews over the past week, Republicans on Capitol Hill offered an array of reasons for their unflinching loyalty to Trump as the 2020 campaign begins to take shape: a deep-seated fear of his pull with their supporters in primary races; fraying consensus about conservatism as nationalism takes hold of the party; and shared partisan disdain for Trump’s perceived enemies in the news media and the Democratic Party.

“We’re not going to turn on our own and make the Democrats happy,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who is up for ree******n in 2020. “We don’t see any benefit in fracturing, but we do see a lot to lose.”

Republicans say Trump’s overhaul of the federal judiciary and the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices, along with the passage of the GOP’s sweeping tax law, have helped bind the party together through bouts of political turbulence — from the loss of their House majority to the longest government shutdown in history to the torrent of developments related to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

All of it has left Trump firmly in control. Most potential 2020 primary challengers sit on the sidelines as the GOP establishment rallies around Trump’s ree******n. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who once gave Trump a jar of hand-selected Starbursts candy as a gift, is a Trump booster and confidant. Former GOP foes in the Senate, such as Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), flatter him and are regulars at his golf courses.


“They fetishize this nonconservative in the Oval because it’s tribal,” said Mike Murphy, a veteran GOP strategist and Trump critic. “It’s us versus them, we’re right and they’re evil, and it’s created this Trump cult that dominates the party.”

Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), a Democrat who fended off Trump’s attempts to unseat him in last year’s midterm e******n, said of Republicans: “I don’t understand why they allow all of this stuff to go on. I would bet money two years ago — 20 years ago — that this would never happen. I’m not sure Watergate would be prosecuted under the conditions we have today.”----MORE---

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/were-not-going-to-turn-on-our-own-republicans-rally-around-trump-as-threats-mount/2019/03/02/6b9786ac-3bb2-11e9-aaae-69364b2ed137_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eb909aad4b2b&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1


By Robert Costa March 2 at 4:24 PM
When President Trump’s longtime fixer Michael Cohen testified last week that his former boss was a “r****t” and “con man” who routinely skirts the law, Republicans showed little interest in following up on his claims.

They shrugged when Trump called murderous dictator Kim Jong Un a “real leader” and once again elevated the North Korean leader on the world stage.

And faced with a v**e on Trump’s legally contested declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border, just 13 of 197 House Republicans opposed him.

Acquiescence to Trump is now the defining trait of the Republican Party more than two years into his presidency — overwhelming and at times erasing principles that conservatives viewed as the foundation of the party for more than a half century.

Trump’s ownership of the GOP was on vivid display again Saturday, when the president appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, an annual gathering that has t***sformed into a raucous celebration of Trump, featuring propaganda-style art and a speaker who declared that the president was “chosen by God.”

Standing before an exuberant crowd chanting “Trump!” and “U-S-A,” Trump spent two hours railing against the “failed ruling class,” calling the special counsel’s Russia investigation “bulls**t” and portraying his e******n as a major moment in global history.

“We are reversing decades of blunders and betrayals,” Trump declared at one point, before asserting that he was only joking in 2016 when he asked Russia to release Hillary Clinton’s private emails.

“Lock her up! Lock her up!” CPAC attendees roared at the mention of the former Democratic p**********l nominee.

In interviews over the past week, Republicans on Capitol Hill offered an array of reasons for their unflinching loyalty to Trump as the 2020 campaign begins to take shape: a deep-seated fear of his pull with their supporters in primary races; fraying consensus about conservatism as nationalism takes hold of the party; and shared partisan disdain for Trump’s perceived enemies in the news media and the Democratic Party.

“We’re not going to turn on our own and make the Democrats happy,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who is up for ree******n in 2020. “We don’t see any benefit in fracturing, but we do see a lot to lose.”

Republicans say Trump’s overhaul of the federal judiciary and the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices, along with the passage of the GOP’s sweeping tax law, have helped bind the party together through bouts of political turbulence — from the loss of their House majority to the longest government shutdown in history to the torrent of developments related to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

All of it has left Trump firmly in control. Most potential 2020 primary challengers sit on the sidelines as the GOP establishment rallies around Trump’s ree******n. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who once gave Trump a jar of hand-selected Starbursts candy as a gift, is a Trump booster and confidant. Former GOP foes in the Senate, such as Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), flatter him and are regulars at his golf courses.


“They fetishize this nonconservative in the Oval because it’s tribal,” said Mike Murphy, a veteran GOP strategist and Trump critic. “It’s us versus them, we’re right and they’re evil, and it’s created this Trump cult that dominates the party.”

Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), a Democrat who fended off Trump’s attempts to unseat him in last year’s midterm e******n, said of Republicans: “I don’t understand why they allow all of this stuff to go on. I would bet money two years ago — 20 years ago — that this would never happen. I’m not sure Watergate would be prosecuted under the conditions we have today.”----MORE---

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/were-not-going-to-turn-on-our-own-republicans-rally-around-trump-as-threats-mount/2019/03/02/6b9786ac-3bb2-11e9-aaae-69364b2ed137_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eb909aad4b2b&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1


By Robert Costa March 2 at 4:24 PM
When President Trump’s longtime fixer Michael Cohen testified last week that his former boss was a “r****t” and “con man” who routinely skirts the law, Republicans showed little interest in following up on his claims.

They shrugged when Trump called murderous dictator Kim Jong Un a “real leader” and once again elevated the North Korean leader on the world stage.

And faced with a v**e on Trump’s legally contested declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border, just 13 of 197 House Republicans opposed him.

Acquiescence to Trump is now the defining trait of the Republican Party more than two years into his presidency — overwhelming and at times erasing principles that conservatives viewed as the foundation of the party for more than a half century.

Trump’s ownership of the GOP was on vivid display again Saturday, when the president appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, an annual gathering that has t***sformed into a raucous celebration of Trump, featuring propaganda-style art and a speaker who declared that the president was “chosen by God.”

Standing before an exuberant crowd chanting “Trump!” and “U-S-A,” Trump spent two hours railing against the “failed ruling class,” calling the special counsel’s Russia investigation “bulls**t” and portraying his e******n as a major moment in global history.

“We are reversing decades of blunders and betrayals,” Trump declared at one point, before asserting that he was only joking in 2016 when he asked Russia to release Hillary Clinton’s private emails.

“Lock her up! Lock her up!” CPAC attendees roared at the mention of the former Democratic p**********l nominee.

In interviews over the past week, Republicans on Capitol Hill offered an array of reasons for their unflinching loyalty to Trump as the 2020 campaign begins to take shape: a deep-seated fear of his pull with their supporters in primary races; fraying consensus about conservatism as nationalism takes hold of the party; and shared partisan disdain for Trump’s perceived enemies in the news media and the Democratic Party.

“We’re not going to turn on our own and make the Democrats happy,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who is up for ree******n in 2020. “We don’t see any benefit in fracturing, but we do see a lot to lose.”

Republicans say Trump’s overhaul of the federal judiciary and the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices, along with the passage of the GOP’s sweeping tax law, have helped bind the party together through bouts of political turbulence — from the loss of their House majority to the longest government shutdown in history to the torrent of developments related to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

All of it has left Trump firmly in control. Most potential 2020 primary challengers sit on the sidelines as the GOP establishment rallies around Trump’s ree******n. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who once gave Trump a jar of hand-selected Starbursts candy as a gift, is a Trump booster and confidant. Former GOP foes in the Senate, such as Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), flatter him and are regulars at his golf courses.


“They fetishize this nonconservative in the Oval because it’s tribal,” said Mike Murphy, a veteran GOP strategist and Trump critic. “It’s us versus them, we’re right and they’re evil, and it’s created this Trump cult that dominates the party.”

Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), a Democrat who fended off Trump’s attempts to unseat him in last year’s midterm e******n, said of Republicans: “I don’t understand why they allow all of this stuff to go on. I would bet money two years ago — 20 years ago — that this would never happen. I’m not sure Watergate would be prosecuted under the conditions we have today.”----MORE---

If Trump has done nothing else positive ( he hasn't ) he has burned the weeds away, allowing Americans to see the true face of our politics and society. It is more about getting and keeping power, than it is about serving the citizens. It is more about always being right, than it is about being humble and approaching God with humility.

Democrats are still pretending to be "of, by and for " the people................Republicans have dropped the pretense. It is disheartening to see so many people participate in their own ens***ement, perhaps it's a case of Stockholm syndrome.

You have been on this Earth longer than me, but I have been politically aware for it seems thousands of years longer than you. I've seen every twist and turn since the Watergate Hearings. Lets us discuss what has happened.

Washington DC has always been a cesspool of corruption. People go there for money and power. Even the few who show up because they want to do good eventually become disillusioned or corrupt. The Gilded Age, Post Civil War, was particularly bad. The trick is to go there, do what ever good you can and then get out of Dodge before the stink of the place gets on you.

Donald Jobs. Trump is a destructive tornado, an ill wind descending on the long time roaches, living in DC. After 8 years he will leave. He will leave a creative destruction on the place. Eventually the swamp critters will rebuild their lives, their influence empires and all will go back to the kind of easy back scratching business as usual heaven that you favor. However, for at least 8 years, the insects will have been inconvenienced and the American citizen will have been served.

Don't worry if you cannot understand my words of wisdom. Go find a 4 year old to splain it to you.

You have been on this Earth longer than me, but I have been politically aware for it seems thousands of years longer than you. I've seen every twist and turn since the Watergate Hearings. Lets us discuss what has happened.

Washington DC has always been a cesspool of corruption. People go there for money and power. Even the few who show up because they want to do good eventually become disillusioned or corrupt. The Gilded Age, Post Civil War, was particularly bad. The trick is to go there, do what ever good you can and then get out of Dodge before the stink of the place gets on you.

Donald Jobs. Trump is a destructive tornado, an ill wind descending on the long time roaches, living in DC. After 8 years he will leave. He will leave a creative destruction on the place. Eventually the swamp critters will rebuild their lives, their influence empires and all will go back to the kind of easy back scratching business as usual heaven that you favor. However, for at least 8 years, the insects will have been inconvenienced and the American citizen will have been served.

Don't worry if you cannot understand my words of wisdom. Go find a 4 year old to splain it to you.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/were-not-going-to-turn-on-our-own-republicans-rally-around-trump-as-threats-mount/2019/03/02/6b9786ac-3bb2-11e9-aaae-69364b2ed137_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eb909aad4b2b&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1


By Robert Costa March 2 at 4:24 PM
When President Trump’s longtime fixer Michael Cohen testified last week that his former boss was a “r****t” and “con man” who routinely skirts the law, Republicans showed little interest in following up on his claims.

They shrugged when Trump called murderous dictator Kim Jong Un a “real leader” and once again elevated the North Korean leader on the world stage.

And faced with a v**e on Trump’s legally contested declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border, just 13 of 197 House Republicans opposed him.

Acquiescence to Trump is now the defining trait of the Republican Party more than two years into his presidency — overwhelming and at times erasing principles that conservatives viewed as the foundation of the party for more than a half century.

Trump’s ownership of the GOP was on vivid display again Saturday, when the president appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, an annual gathering that has t***sformed into a raucous celebration of Trump, featuring propaganda-style art and a speaker who declared that the president was “chosen by God.”

Standing before an exuberant crowd chanting “Trump!” and “U-S-A,” Trump spent two hours railing against the “failed ruling class,” calling the special counsel’s Russia investigation “bulls**t” and portraying his e******n as a major moment in global history.

“We are reversing decades of blunders and betrayals,” Trump declared at one point, before asserting that he was only joking in 2016 when he asked Russia to release Hillary Clinton’s private emails.

“Lock her up! Lock her up!” CPAC attendees roared at the mention of the former Democratic p**********l nominee.

In interviews over the past week, Republicans on Capitol Hill offered an array of reasons for their unflinching loyalty to Trump as the 2020 campaign begins to take shape: a deep-seated fear of his pull with their supporters in primary races; fraying consensus about conservatism as nationalism takes hold of the party; and shared partisan disdain for Trump’s perceived enemies in the news media and the Democratic Party.

“We’re not going to turn on our own and make the Democrats happy,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who is up for ree******n in 2020. “We don’t see any benefit in fracturing, but we do see a lot to lose.”

Republicans say Trump’s overhaul of the federal judiciary and the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices, along with the passage of the GOP’s sweeping tax law, have helped bind the party together through bouts of political turbulence — from the loss of their House majority to the longest government shutdown in history to the torrent of developments related to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

All of it has left Trump firmly in control. Most potential 2020 primary challengers sit on the sidelines as the GOP establishment rallies around Trump’s ree******n. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who once gave Trump a jar of hand-selected Starbursts candy as a gift, is a Trump booster and confidant. Former GOP foes in the Senate, such as Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), flatter him and are regulars at his golf courses.


“They fetishize this nonconservative in the Oval because it’s tribal,” said Mike Murphy, a veteran GOP strategist and Trump critic. “It’s us versus them, we’re right and they’re evil, and it’s created this Trump cult that dominates the party.”

Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), a Democrat who fended off Trump’s attempts to unseat him in last year’s midterm e******n, said of Republicans: “I don’t understand why they allow all of this stuff to go on. I would bet money two years ago — 20 years ago — that this would never happen. I’m not sure Watergate would be prosecuted under the conditions we have today.”----MORE---