Rep. Peter Meijer Talks Paying The Price For Disloyalty To Trump And The State of Today’s GOP
[guest post by Dana]
I’m pressed for time but wanted to point your attention to a devastating interview with Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) which illustrates the tenuous and depressing position in which Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump find themselves. Freshman Meijer filled the vacancy left by longtime congressman Justin Amash. I have high regard for Meijer’s demonstrated loyalty to the Consitution no matter the political cost.
I’m going to post a few excerpts to give you a sense of the quick transition from a naive elected official to a weary but wiser congressman who tries or perhaps struggles to remain hopeful despite the bleak state of his party. It would be beneficial to read the entirety of the piece before commenting.
Late at night on the second Tuesday of January, Peter Meijer, a 33-year-old freshman congressman from West Michigan, paced the half-unpacked rooms of his new rental apartment in Washington, D.C., dreading the decision he would soon have to make.
Six days earlier, Meijer had pulled a smoke hood over his face and fled the U.S. House of Representatives as insurgents broke into the lower chamber. They were attempting to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Meijer had been on the job for all of three days. Once the Capitol was secured, he cast his vote to certify the election results. It was his first real act as a federal lawmaker—one he believed was perfunctory. Except that it wasn’t. The majority of his fellow House Republicans refused to certify the results, launching an assault on the legitimacy of American democracy.
Then there was the issue of the election results being challenged and an utter lack of leadership by party leaders:
And then he got to Washington. Freshman orientation was a blur of propaganda and innuendo and state-sanctioned conspiracy mongering. Meijer watched, from a hotel lounge, as the president’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell held a deranged press conference at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee. New members listened to powerful lawmakers leveling accusations that had no apparent basis in fact. They compared the crazed voicemails they were getting from friends and family members and swapped stories of the intimidation they were subjected to by voters demanding that they overturn the presidential-election result.
That entire day—the vote, as much as the attack—had caught Meijer unprepared. His party’s leadership had provided no guidance to its members, leaving everyone to navigate a squall of rumor and disinformation in one-man lifeboats.
Sadly, after seeing just how unhinged many of the Jan. 6 rioters were, some House members voted not to certify the election results because they feared for their family’s safety:
On the House floor, moments before the vote, Meijer approached a member who appeared on the verge of a breakdown. He asked his new colleague if he was okay. The member responded that he was not; that no matter his belief in the legitimacy of the election, he could no longer vote to certify the results, because he feared for his family’s safety. “Remember, this wasn’t a hypothetical. You were casting that vote after seeing with your own two eyes what some of these people are capable of,” Meijer says. “If they’re willing to come after you inside the U.S. Capitol, what will they do when you’re at home with your kids?”
Naively, Meijer had high hopes for the GOP after the tumultuous events rocked his party. He believed that the Republican Party could be reformed, but in short time he found himself censured by two several county-level Republican Parties in Michigan. Today, he is no longer so naive, but rather weary and unsure of what the future of the Republican Party is (especially if, as Meijer believes he will, Trump becomes the GOP nominee in 2024). Any Republican facing retaliation for being compelled by their oath to the Constitution to do what is right and does it is nothing less than an indictment against the Republican Party:
The stress of the past nine months had ground down the others in the group—which, he argued, is exactly what Trump and his cronies wanted. “What that faction is banking on is exhaustion,” Meijer said. “They want life in the shoes of the 10 of us to be miserable.” The question he and his friends now ask of themselves isn’t just “Can I win reelection?” Instead, he said, “It’s ‘Am I going to have to talk for the next few years about Italian military satellites and bamboo ballots and whatever [MyPillow CEO] Mike Lindell says?’ ”
In the days after January 6, Meijer believed he was part of a mission to rescue the Republican Party from itself. Now he laughs at his own naïveté. Ten people isn’t a popular movement. And in truth, only two of them—Cheney and Kinzinger—have shown the stomach for the sort of sustained offensive that would be required to rehabilitate the GOP. The other eight, having glanced over their shoulders and seen no reinforcements on the way, chose varying degrees of retreat.
“I don’t blame them. They did their tour in Vietnam; why would they want to go back?” Kinzinger told me in mid-October. “The responsibility for fixing the party isn’t on the 10 of us; it’s on the 180 who didn’t do anything. It’s kind of like Flight 93: If only a few people fight back, that plane hits the Capitol. But because everyone fought back, it didn’t.”
…
Most of his colleagues, Meijer believes, want to be with him. They pat him on the back and whisper encouragement into his ear. They say they’re rooting for his side. But they don’t think his side can win. So they do nothing, convincing themselves that the problem will take care of itself while guaranteeing that it will only get worse.
In his upcoming bid for re-election, Meijer will be facing Trump-backed candidate John Gibbs. He is a former HUD official. About Meijer, Trump said in a statement (while misspelling his name):
Meyer has been a terrible representative of the Republican Party and beyond.
I guess if he’s talking about today’s ReTrumplican Party, the former president is correct. Wear that badge of honor with pride, Rep. Meijer.
Read the whole thing.
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (174549) — 12/9/2021 @ 9:55 amalso from the interview:
Meijer knew that some Republicans had sincere concerns about election integrity; he himself feared that Democratic officials had taken advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and exceeded their authority to enroll absentee voters.
i guess it’s heroic to cave
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:12 amAt some point those who oppose Trump now will be seen as the soul of the Party. Kind of like Willy Brandt in Germany of the 60s.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:28 amMost of his colleagues, Meijer believes, want to be with him. They pat him on the back and whisper encouragement into his ear. They say they’re rooting for his side. But they don’t think his side can win. So they do nothing, convincing themselves that the problem will take care of itself while guaranteeing that it will only get worse.
By 2028, all Republicans will have been secretly working for the Resistance.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:30 ami guess it’s heroic to cave
But nowhere near as heroic as going from “land mine to land mine” on feet full of bone spurs during the Vietnam draft. https://people.com/politics/trump-boasted-of-avoiding-stds-while-dating-vaginas-are-landmines-it-was-my-personal-vietnam/
nk (1d9030) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:31 amOT: Questions no on asks: Biden is delivering the fastest economic recovery in history. Why hasn’t anyone noticed?
Probably because it has nothing to do with Biden.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:32 amThe ones who caved are the ones who went along with the orange fraud. And f*** them if they did it because they’re afraid. That’s the worst reason of all. If they’re too scared to do their duty, they should resign.
nk (1d9030) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:39 am@4 not one is named, including the colleague he claimed had a breakdown
bullschiff
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:51 am@6 name one
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 10:52 amBest way to get past Trump?
Stop giving him free negative publicity. Trump always counter punches negative publicity and the counter punch is always covered.
Stop writing about him.
This guy reminds me of Kinzinger who voted 99% with Trump.
steveg (e81d76) — 12/9/2021 @ 11:02 amThat means they agreed on Trumps policies, but got hung up on personality.
So why feed Trump the personality? Stop talking about him and his power withers
@9 won’t work
they’d have to talk about demented joe
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 11:05 amFourteen Republican Senators defy Trump on the debt ceiling: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, John Thune of South Dakota, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Rob Portman of Ohio.
This vote suspended the filibuster for the actual debt ceiling vote.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 12/9/2021 @ 11:28 amGiven that he has nearly destroyed the Republican Party, is consumed by self-interest and continues to push lie after lie about the election results, is actively targeting those who refused to bow the knee, and is likely going to run again in 2024 which presents the possibility of him entering the White House, we need to talk about him. It would be incredibly naive and foolish to sit back and let him ransack the country and dismiss the rule of law. There is no getting past Trump when Trump himself won’t stop manipulating, lying, and pressuring Republicans to yield to his every misguided and selfish want all because his feelings are hurt and he can’t move past a legitimate election loss.
PS: I don’t have to stop writing about him. If he had quietly faded away, I wouldn’t write about him. But as it is, he continues to insert himself into the public eye and may yet again be in a position to adversely impact democracy and the rule of law. So, if you don’t like posts that either directly or indirectly concern him, feel free to skip them. Personally, I think it’s foolish to pretend that all is well when it clealry isn’t.
Dana (174549) — 12/9/2021 @ 11:33 amI agree that this is fiction.
Additionally his phone appears to be a treasure trove of violent texts that the Jan 6 committee doesn’t seem to care about. What great evidence they have ignored!
When he voted for the Jan 6 committee he notes that someone texted him that “there will be blood on Congress’s hands.”
https://meijer.house.gov/media/press-releases/meijer-vote-favor-bill-establish-january-6-commission-speaks-house-floor
But he forgets that doozy during his current gripes?
The departure of this guy really isn’t a loss to any political party. Lying liars are a dime a dozen.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 11:33 amDid they defy any other American citizen besides Trump?
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 11:35 amBy 2028, all Republicans will have been secretly working for the Resistance.
Reminiscent of the old joke that GIs stationed in post-War Germany used to tell: “Apparently we either spent four years fighting against nobody or we killed every single Nazi, because all of the Germans that I have met go to great pains to tell me that they were never members or supporters of the party.”
JVW (ee64e4) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:08 pm#8
Kevin McCarthy
Appalled (1a17de) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:10 pm@16 show your work
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:11 pmBefore we go too far into the debate about the veracity of Rep. Meijer’s and the article author’s version of events, I think it is entirely possible to believe that the Trumpists in the party have made life very difficult for people like Rep. Meijer over the past eleven months and at the same time believe that a freshman Congressman and a writer for The Atlantic are probably gilding the lily more than a little bit in his retelling of the abject peril that GOP renegades face. I have a lot of respect for Peter Meijer for his principled vote, but I want to push back on this just a little bit:
Uh, Congressman, I know I am probably in the minority regarding this, but election to political office should never been seen as the beginning of a “career.” I would want to think that he would be satisfied with the idea that he did what was right and if it costs him his seat then that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I am sick and tired of young politicians who are continually trying to figure out how they position themselves for advancement to the next level; I’ve dealt with one as my state assemblyman, state senator, and now Congressman for the past 17 years.
Sorry, I guess I’m a bit on the grumpy side today.
JVW (ee64e4) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:20 pmMeijer votes with Biden 28.9% of the time:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/house/
You sure it is just the Trump crazies that might not think this clown is a good representative of conservatism?
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:21 pmKevin McCarthy on January 13:
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/13/mccarthy-trump-responsibility-capitol-riot-458975
The current version of McCarthy:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/18/politics/kevin-mccarthy-opposes-1-6-commission/index.html
Appalled (1a17de) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:26 pm#17
It’s now your turn to prove otherwise…
Appalled (1a17de) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:27 pm@20 from your jan13 link: McCarthy’s public comments, which echo what he told his caucus earlier this week, came as he denounced the effort to impeach Trump for the second time.
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:33 pm@21 prove what?
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:34 pmT
Appalled (1a17de) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:36 pmIn McCarthy’s case, he’s gone from favoring Trump’s censure to kissing the ring at Mar A Lago and opposing any investigation of anything.
Appalled (1a17de) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:38 pm@25 he was always against an investigation
again, show your work
this was supposed to be easy
JF (e1156d) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:40 pmFourteen Republican Senators defy Trump on the debt ceiling: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, John Thune of South Dakota, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Rob Portman of Ohio
Getting better. Yet still would not have been enough to convict Trump in February.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:41 pmAfter Trump is put away for tax evasion, mail fraud, bank fraud and treason, will he still have the same support from JF?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:42 pmReminiscent of the old joke
“Informed by” more exactly.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:43 pmYou sure it is just the Trump crazies that might not think this clown is a good representative of conservatism?
Shall we see which camp voted to overthrow the government? And would you have voted to certify the election, or not?
☐ Citizen
☐ Insurrectionist
Choose.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:48 pmSo you are in favor of Republicans tying themselves to a Democrat spending problem?
BuDuh (d1963a) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:49 pmI have no clue what your question is, Kevin. It is either too clever or too knuckleheaded for me to sort out.
BuDuh (d1963a) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:51 pmPfft, JF. McCarthy wanted to censure Trump in January. Now he boot licks and scowls at mean ol Liz C.
The onset of cowardice was remarkably quick with ol’ Kevin. It only took two weeks from “censure him” to kissing the ring.
I think you’d be glad your guy has the GOP leadership so scared. If you don’t like their principles. Never fear. They have others. (ht G. Marx)
Appalled (1a17de) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:53 pmAlberta is one of the better writers and clearer thinkers out there. This part caught my attention.
For impeachment. I’d really like to know who that “senior White House official” is. It sounds like he had a front row seat to Trump’s unhingedness.
Paul Montagu (5de684) — 12/9/2021 @ 1:15 pmNow he laughs at his own naïveté. Ten people isn’t a popular movement. And in truth, only two of them—Cheney and Kinzinger—have shown the stomach for the sort of sustained offensive that would be required to rehabilitate the GOP.
Memo to Meijer:
1. It is being rehabilitated- by voters- much to the dismay of Daughter Darth Neocon and Quitter Kinzinger.
2. Politics ain’t beanbag.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 12/9/2021 @ 1:18 pm2.
I can name 147, although there could be a smattering of true believers in there.
Paul Montagu (5de684) — 12/9/2021 @ 1:45 pm@28 i wonder which bandwagon you’ll jump on next, Kevin M
JF (716a38) — 12/9/2021 @ 1:51 pmUntil I see the indictment and the booking photo, I don’t believe Trump will be under arrest for a dang thing. Lots of people have had plenty of opportunity to get him, and lots of people have plenty of motive to get him. And still he skates.
Appalled (1a17de) — 12/9/2021 @ 2:09 pmIf a democrat voted to impeach biden you don’t think the same thing would happen. Look what tulsi gabbard went thru for merely voting present on trumps impeachment. @38 how would you get a fair and impartial jury in is trial? Most jurors would be removed for cause. That includes grand juries.
asset (e5e763) — 12/9/2021 @ 2:29 pmUntil I see the indictment and the booking photo, I don’t believe Trump will be under arrest for a dang thing. Lots of people have had plenty of opportunity to get him, and lots of people have plenty of motive to get him. And still he skates.
Yep. Over the decades, better people than the current gamers have tried to tag and bag him.
Catch him if you can, but the United States will never put a POTUS in the pokie.
… and Nixon smiled.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 12/9/2021 @ 2:29 pmOT: OTOH, another showbiz type might just do time: Smollett jury reaches verdict.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 12/9/2021 @ 2:31 pmAfter Trump is put away for tax evasion, mail fraud, bank fraud and treason, will he still have the same support from JF?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 12:42 pm
I believe there are several butthurt Trump cultists here who would maintain the same level of support.
That’s the thing about cults. Once one believes in the cult, nothing will dissuade.
norcal (21e823) — 12/9/2021 @ 5:23 pmBidenistas complain about cults.
LOL
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:06 pm“I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue …”
Radegunda (824335) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:10 pmThe horror.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:12 pmYou guys have so much memorized about Trump, it is fascinating.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:13 pmIf a democrat voted to impeach biden you don’t think the same thing would happen. Look what tulsi gabbard went thru for merely voting present on trumps impeachment.
Heck, Tulsi was called a “Russian asset” by the Wicked Witch of the Swamp herself and is basically in the same state of political exile that Kinzinger, Cheney, and Gonzales now inhabit.
Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:21 pmThe LOL is that you think there’s a cult of Biden, with people depicting him as a superhero or a demigod, and saying that if you go against Biden you’re going against God, and boasting about their loyalty to him as a campaign strategy, etc.
The Democratic Party has plenty of faults, but it hasn’t put personal loyalty to Biden at its core. Obama had more of a personality cult around him, but it was nowhere near as fanatical or as quasi-religious as the cult of Trump.
Radegunda (824335) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:22 pmIt’s The Vinnie Barbarino Method Of Pro-Trump Trolling, Radegunda.
nk (1d9030) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:25 pmJF is better at it, BTW. “Who?” “What?” “Where?” Take notes, BuDuh!
nk (1d9030) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:27 pmTrump has caused the sadz again.
Right in the middle of a cheering session for a guy that votes with Biden quite a bit.
Tough day.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:29 pmThe line about shooting someone on Fifth Avenue is widely known and has been repeated by many people. Memorizing it requires no effort — just a little bit of paying attention to the world around.
What’s really fascinating is the way some people are so intent on denying what it tells us about the mentality of their hero — and about their own weird devotion to him.
Radegunda (824335) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:29 pmHahahahaha!
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:30 pmMostly by Bidenistas.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:31 pmHere’s the funny thing: isn’t he the guy who has alleged that I’m obsessed with Trump? But he keeps popping up and trying to swat down any unflattering things said about him.
When Republicans drop their veritably religious fixation on Trump as the Great Savior of America, and when he and his acolytes drop their plotting to steal the next election, the rest of us will stop talking about him.
Radegunda (824335) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:35 pmYou will never stop talking about him. LOL
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:36 pmMy bet is that you keep complaining after I split for the night.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:37 pmThat is truly absurd. Apparently in your mental world, anyone who doesn’t absolutely revere Donald Trump must belong to some other cult and worship another politician with unconditional zeal.
Radegunda (824335) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:38 pm“Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God! … “We were once proud of your accomplishments! Instead, you go against your Christian principles and join ‘the Devil’s army’ …”
That’s from a letter that 11 family members wrote to Adam Kinzinger, who has a lot more Christian virtue that Donald Trump does, besides being ten times the man that Trump is.
I’ve seen plenty more examples of the weird notion that one must support Trump to be on the side of God.
There’s also Trump’s bizarre claim that Biden “Hurt the Bible. Hurt God. He’s against God.”
Radegunda (824335) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:51 pmBidenistas complain about cults.
LOL
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/9/2021 @ 6:06 pm
Holy Mother of Binary Thinking!
I neither voted for nor support Biden.
norcal (d9c78c) — 12/9/2021 @ 7:11 pm“LOL” is probably the most original and informative thing BuDuh has ever uttered here. But, hey! Each according to his ability, right?
nk (1d9030) — 12/9/2021 @ 7:20 pmI try to cut these cult members some slack, nk, (the insidious thing about cults is that people don’t realize they’re in them), but sometimes they make it difficult.
norcal (d9c78c) — 12/9/2021 @ 7:32 pm@28 i wonder which bandwagon you’ll jump on next, Kevin M
Well, it wasn’t the “let’s hang the congressmen” bandwagon. I saw that live and the moment they entered the building, I thought that Trump was done. Sadly, no.
As for you, we know what bandwagon you’re on.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 8:22 pmThat’s the thing about cults. Once one believes in the cult, nothing will dissuade.
Did you know that after the “heaven’s Gate” cult killed themselves to board the spaceship that was following comet Hale-Bopp (or whatever they thought they were doing) 3 members who had missed the ship killed themselves in the following months, apparently attempting to hitch their ride.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 8:25 pmThe LOL is that you think there’s a cult of Biden, with people depicting him as a superhero or a demigod
Well, not Biden, exactly, but since you bring it up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVFdAJRVm94
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/9/2021 @ 8:28 pm@64 I wasn’t sure of the exact number, but I did know about that.
I guess “Do” and “Ti” were very charismatic. 😛
By the way, heavensgate.com still has a flashing red alert about Hale-Bopp.
norcal (d9c78c) — 12/9/2021 @ 8:34 pm“Hurt the Bible. Hurt God. He’s against God.”
The “Hulk Smash” school of rhetoric.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/10/2021 @ 12:00 amVote Republican because they suk less.
mg (8cbc69) — 12/10/2021 @ 12:23 amI’ll pass.
Republicans don’t believe in God. They believe in never passing a budget. Lazy and stupid – vote Republican.
mg (8cbc69) — 12/10/2021 @ 12:28 amI really like Pete Meijer.
Smart, well educated, severed in the US army with a deployment to Iraq.
Public career has shown support for traditional conservative values and free speech. It was his speech but a publicly unpopular stance.
I’m not aware of any history of him being dishonest and his career so far is worthy of respect. I believe what he said is honest.
Time123 (914b8b) — 12/10/2021 @ 4:58 amNailed it.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/10/2021 @ 5:26 amCongratulations for having guessed that it’s not about you.
nk (1d9030) — 12/10/2021 @ 5:41 amhahahaha buduh is still mad people think Trump sucks?
Really?
It’s OK, buduh. I used to think Rick Perry was a good leader and Ted Cruz was principled. It’s OK to be fooled by these losers. Biden is an idiot too. They are all idiots and slimeballs. Trump’s just the one that trashed the entire democracy concept and handed over a series of foreign policy wins that we’ll be paying for for generations, but it’s not like Biden’s going to do make it better.
If you spend all your time defending a politician, get a girlfriend or maybe a labrador. They aren’t worth it, man.
Dustin (150498) — 12/10/2021 @ 5:48 amSo what. Your feelings that we’re “complaining” happen to be our valid criticisms of an unhinged clown who continues to not only lead a major political party but has a stranglehold on it. You should probably deal with it. I also remember this.
The lesson here is that GBCW comments are unsmart, short-sighted and immature.
Paul Montagu (5de684) — 12/10/2021 @ 6:25 amWhat’s GBCW?
Time123 (8cc1ce) — 12/10/2021 @ 6:51 amFor someone who stalks my comments, which is almost flattering, it takes a bit of dishonesty to exclude JVW’s warm remarks after I wrote those words.
I am welcome around here by the right people. And that makes you hysterical. This is why you troll for my responses.
I probably should block you like I did with nk some time ago.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/10/2021 @ 7:20 amAnd…
Blocked.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/10/2021 @ 7:21 amWhat’s GBCW?
Good Bye Cruel World!
nk (1d9030) — 12/10/2021 @ 7:24 amI miss the old BuDuh. He had interesting things to say.
Time123 (914b8b) — 12/10/2021 @ 7:42 amYou didn’t find the problem I noted with Kevin’s pro Dem spending comment interesting, Time?
It is also rich with irony on a thread that devolved into lectures on being do dedicated to something that it blinds you.
The Pavlovian responses to Trump cause people to blindly support someone who votes with Biden almost one third of the time and it makes them cheer McConnell going back on his promise to not facilitate out of control Dems.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/10/2021 @ 7:49 amI think it’s how superficial the comments have become. Feels like in the past you’d have some more insightful criticism of Meijer. Is there any particular vote of his you find objectionable?
Time123 (914b8b) — 12/10/2021 @ 8:36 amSo what. I don’t speak for JVW and he doesn’t for me. I didn’t know your GBCW had an expiration date. Talk about dishonesty, especially your lie about “hysterical”.
Paul Montagu (5de684) — 12/10/2021 @ 9:04 amI’m actually gratified to be co-blocked with nk.
Paul Montagu (5de684) — 12/10/2021 @ 9:12 amMake sure to read Patterico’s new post up this morning which makes the case for precisely why we need to talk about Trump and to be aware of the potential disaster we face in 2024. Obviously, his supporters here will just use it to bait with (because that’s all they seem interested in), but to the more serious-minded, it is clearly a red flag warning. To not talk about him, to not be fully aware of what is going on behind the scenes in Trump’s camp, and understand the strategies he is employing while looking at 2024 is to be once again, caught off guard.
Dana (174549) — 12/10/2021 @ 9:29 amWell said, Dana.
I’m tired of Trump, but yes, the notion we’re somehow in the wrong to be discussing him is stupid, defensive, a little too clever (effort to protect him).
Buduh, relax man.
Ohhhh gotcha. Can’t trust someone who supports a democrat right?
But didn’t Trump tell you Hillary Clinton was the best secretary of state in American history?
I know I’m dragging that one out of the dusty attic, but you can’t trust him.
Dustin (150498) — 12/10/2021 @ 1:28 pm“Well, I know her [Hillary] and she’d make a good president or good vice president.”
Paul Montagu (5de684) — 12/10/2021 @ 1:44 pm–Donald J. Trump, Stalwart Republican, 2008
I agree, Dustin. It does get irrational sometimes, and I fall into that same trap.
I guess what caught my attention about this particular story is how it compares to some of the Cheney conversations here. One in particular was when it was pointed out that Cheney voted with Trump so much that Trump should at least consider her bonafides in that regard. But that point was troublesome because if a model conservative votes with Trump, then Trump must have been appropriate with regards to policy.
Now you have a representative that favors Biden much more than Cheney, or most other GOP congresspeople, do. But he is upset at Trump, so his bonafides don’t matter so much as long as he has the correct tribal calling card.
I want to be clear that I don’t care if anyone wants to talk about Trump. But if they want to be hypocrites, then I also don’t mind pointing that out. It isn’t a defense of Trump so much as a mocking of people who twist themselves into knots to try to stay consistent.
You, Dustin, are not one of those people IMO. We have had our ups and downs, but I respect your clearheaded comments whether I agree with them or not.
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/10/2021 @ 2:03 pm@88, Meijer is a well educated Army Veteran with a history of publicly supporting conservative positions. He’s got a middling conservative voting record relative to other house republicans. He’s worth listening to. Cheney is an extremely conservative Republican with a lifetime of history of supporting conservative positions and a very conservative voting record. She’s also worth listening to.
Does that clear up the contradictions you were seeing?
Time123 (cf7351) — 12/10/2021 @ 3:23 pm?
BuDuh (4a7846) — 12/10/2021 @ 3:30 pmBy all means we could do better than Meijer on policy. Frankly that’s one of the two main reasons Trump was viable in the first place. The left (media, democrat leadership, etc) blew off many Americans to the point of great frustration over immigration injustice, American pride, our law and order, but at the same time, the right was useless, run by RINOs who invented Obamacare.
As Romney or Murkowski or a whole bunch of Republicans ran more as a blocker from conservatism than anything else, that opened the door to a populist. I think trump was a dumb outcome. he wasn’t effective at lasting improvement on anything I care about. but that’s not my point.
It’s great to appreciate the GOP who refused to block certification of the election. That’s a big deal. IT’s not an immunization from policy issues. Unfortunately the grim truth is very few leaders are left. We are in decline. I don’t know how much of that was engineered by our enemies, but they are taking advantage either way.
We should all remember that the GOP had a lot of chances to keep that contract with america, to get spending under control, to curb growing intrusions into our lives. Some of their failure is because of 9/11, and maybe the GOP should have been eager to roll that back.
But Trump remains viable for a reason. Biden does too, amazingly.
The rot is deep. Media is ridiculous, like a flashy used car dealer ad. Education is a joke, constantly rolling back standards and distracting from its purpose. Our military is a mess, though it is full of combat veterans and powerful, it is led by idiots.
Who isn’t jaded by politics at this point?
Dustin (0ee127) — 12/10/2021 @ 9:39 pmMake sure to read Patterico’s new post up this morning which makes the case for precisely why we need to talk about Trump and to be aware of the potential disaster we face in 2024.
But wait. If the danger is that Trump will falsely claim victory and attempt a coup, why doesn’t that argue for voting for him so he wins fairly? Is making sure he loses, perhaps narrowly, the way to avoid disaster? And what makes you think that AOC would be less destructive?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/11/2021 @ 12:32 amI do plan on voting for someone else in the primary. Pat cannot even do that.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 12/11/2021 @ 12:33 amEveryone of my conservative friends have a budget. The republicans have no plans on proposing a balanced budget. They just want you to keep paying taxes. Is funding the non read legislation constitutional?
mg (8cbc69) — 12/11/2021 @ 4:17 amTrolling for a answer from a republican.