The Political Junkie Thread

[Phredd3]

Mitt Romney calls it wraps.

Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he will not run for reelection in 2024, creating a wide-open contest in a state that heavily favors Republicans and is expected to attract a crowded field.

Romney, a former presidential candidate and governor of Massachusetts, made the announcement in a video statement. The 76-year-old said the country is ready for new leadership.

He is the sixth incumbent senator to announce plans to retire after the end of the term in 2025, joining Republican Mike Braun of Indiana and Democrats Tom Carper of Delaware, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Dianne Feinstein of California and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/utah-gop-sen ... 17614.html

I have mixed feelings about him. Yes, he is better than the MAGA folks. And he has taken some anti-Trump stands. But not nearly enough. He won his last election in 2018 when Trump was sitting president, and Romney likely knew it was his last term. He had nothing to lose. If he was a real Patriot, he would have more vocally stood up to Trump. I'm guessing I will prefer him to whoever replaces him, but he is far from a saint.

I read somewhere that he has a book coming out and apparently it quotes a lot of Republicans badmouthing Trump. So that should be fun.

Utah is odd. It is very heavily influenced by the Mormon Church, and the church has it's own conservative brand. MAGAts certainly have a presence in Utah, but they aren't dominant, at least they haven't been so far. That will be an interesting election to track. It's certainly not a pickup option for Democrats, but it could be a good test of how deep Trumpism really runs.

[Phredd3]

Meanwhile, there's Texas. Why dig in about a student's hair? Well, in this case, I think we know why.

Texas sudent suspended for locs hairstyle days after Crown Act takes effect.

The above link it to WaPo, so the link may be paywalled. If so, you can find a similar article on CNN here.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Mitt Romney calls it wraps.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/utah-gop-sen ... 17614.html

I have mixed feelings about him. Yes, he is better than the MAGA folks. And he has taken some anti-Trump stands. But not nearly enough. He won his last election in 2018 when Trump was sitting president, and Romney likely knew it was his last term. He had nothing to lose. If he was a real Patriot, he would have more vocally stood up to Trump. I'm guessing I will prefer him to whoever replaces him, but he is far from a saint.

I read somewhere that he has a book coming out and apparently it quotes a lot of Republicans badmouthing Trump. So that should be fun.

Utah is odd. It is very heavily influenced by the Mormon Church, and the church has it's own conservative brand. MAGAts certainly have a presence in Utah, but they aren't dominant, at least they haven't been so far. That will be an interesting election to track. It's certainly not a pickup option for Democrats, but it could be a good test of how deep Trumpism really runs.

Yes. They are solidly Republican, but as you noted, the Mormon church has spoken out against Trump's shenanigans so going full-on pro-Trump is not always the best strategy there. It is a very unique state politically. I have a good dad friend who is from there and very tapped into the political scene (his family is prominent Utah Mormon Republicans but he has chosen his own path while remaining close to his family) so it is fascinating to get his perspectives.

[OPK]

I have mixed feelings about him. Yes, he is better than the MAGA folks. And he has taken some anti-Trump stands. But not nearly enough. He won his last election in 2018 when Trump was sitting president, and Romney likely knew it was his last term. He had nothing to lose. If he was a real Patriot, he would have more vocally stood up to Trump. I'm guessing I will prefer him to whoever replaces him, but he is far from a saint.

I read somewhere that he has a book coming out and apparently it quotes a lot of Republicans badmouthing Trump. So that should be fun.

Utah is odd. It is very heavily influenced by the Mormon Church, and the church has it's own conservative brand. MAGAts certainly have a presence in Utah, but they aren't dominant, at least they haven't been so far. That will be an interesting election to track. It's certainly not a pickup option for Democrats, but it could be a good test of how deep Trumpism really runs.

Yes. They are solidly Republican, but as you noted, the Mormon church has spoken out against Trump's shenanigans so going full-on pro-Trump is not always the best strategy there. It is a very unique state politically. I have a good dad friend who is from there and very tapped into the political scene (his family is prominent Utah Mormon Republicans but he has chosen his own path while remaining close to his family) so it is fascinating to get his perspectives.

Nevada also has a very high % of Mormon voters.

[CameronBornAndBred]

McCarthy tells Gaetz and his buddies to bring it on.

During a closed-door meeting with his conference, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday dared Republican hard-liners to try to oust him as speaker, according to multiple sources in the room.

A defiant McCarthy said he's not afraid of a motion to vacate, sources said, telling his colleagues: "Move the f------ motion."

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/mccarthy-dare ... 34554.html

Interestingly, Gaetz wasn't at the meeting.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Bob's having a bad day.

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and his wife have been charged with bribery offenses in connection with their relationship with three New Jersey businessmen, federal prosecutors said on Friday.
...
Prosecutors are seeking to have Menendez forfeit assets including his New Jersey home, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz, and about $566,000 in cash, gold bars, and funds from a bank account.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/sen-bob-menen ... 41541.html

[CameronBornAndBred]

Two items of note out today. First is that the House inquiry into impeaching Biden kicked off in spectacular fashion, with the witnesses essentially telling the panel "We don't know why we're here, we haven't found anything worth impeaching anyone for".

Item two is that Kari Flake has made it official that she'll be rolling out a campaign for the Arizona Senate seat. This of course while she's still fighting in court to claim that she's the state's governor.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I assume he will stay silent (and likely doesn't even know who she is), but it would be on brand for Trump to say something nasty about Feinstein.

I am hoping this NY real estate case moves quickly and takes a lot of his money. I didn't realize it had the potential to have a pretty big impact. I would rather he end up in jail for one of the other ones, but I will take it.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Truly lousy timing for Senator Menendez to be facing calls for his resignation. Even if only temporary, two vacant Democrat seats in the Senate is meaningful.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Truly lousy timing for Senator Menendez to be facing calls for his resignation. Even if only temporary, two vacant Democrat seats in the Senate is meaningful.

Excellent point. Newsom had to see this coming so hopefully has someone ready to go. Unfortunately there is a ton of politics involved, in terms of teeing someone up for the election to fill the seat, which part of California, gender, ethnicity, etc. He is going to piss someone off. I am fine with him but don't like Newsom as much as a lot of other Dems do - I would rather he not run for president - I don't think he would play well in a lot of the battleground states.

Menendez won't quit. He has been dealing with this for years and won't go away. He is up for election in a year and probably has the chutzpah to actually run but hopefully will lose in the primary. Andy Kim put his name in as a Dem and seems like a good candidate, and others might also jump in. Hopefully none of the current Dem house members who run will enable a Republican to win their seat.

[OPK]

Pretty sure Newsom said some time ago that he would appoint a caretaker and NOT one of the people vying for the seat.

[Phredd3]

Pretty sure Newsom said some time ago that he would appoint a caretaker and NOT one of the people vying for the seat.

And I honestly wonder if that's a great idea for a Democratic Governor in a state with jungle primaries and three viable Democratic Senate candidates.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Lock him up.
Lock him up.

If anyone else was saying things about a judge like he is, they would be in jail. I don't really care what his idiot MAGA followers say. If they don't like it, they can create their own country with their own laws. Sam Bankman-Fried is in a nearby jail in Brooklyn, and Jeffrey Epstein was in a jail very close to where Trump's case is - let Trump rot in one of those.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The GOP House is gonna sell out of popcorn.

[ArkieDukie]

Lock him up.
Lock him up.

If anyone else was saying things about a judge like he is, they would be in jail. I don't really care what his idiot MAGA followers say. If they don't like it, they can create their own country with their own laws. Sam Bankman-Fried is in a nearby jail in Brooklyn, and Jeffrey Epstein was in a jail very close to where Trump's case is - let Trump rot in one of those.

Agreed. It’s mind-boggling. His supporters, most of whom are law-and-order types, think his behavior is justified because Trump is being persecuted for political reasons. He should be locked up, but he’d send the bat signal to the lunatic fringe if that happens. I shudder to think of what they’d do.

[ArkieDukie]

The GOP House is gonna sell out of popcorn.

Yes. Sign me up.

How hard would you laugh if McCarthy survives and Gaetz gets expelled?

[OPK]

The GOP House is gonna sell out of popcorn.

Yes. Sign me up.

How hard would you laugh if McCarthy survives and Gaetz gets expelled?

How hard would you laugh if McCarthy loses the gavel, and THEN Gaetz gets expelled?

[ArkieDukie]

The GOP House is gonna sell out of popcorn.

Yes. Sign me up.

How hard would you laugh if McCarthy survives and Gaetz gets expelled?

How hard would you laugh if McCarthy loses the gavel, and THEN Gaetz gets expelled?

That also works for me.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Bye, McC

[OPK]

Yes. Sign me up.

How hard would you laugh if McCarthy survives and Gaetz gets expelled?

How hard would you laugh if McCarthy loses the gavel, and THEN Gaetz gets expelled?

That also works for me.

Halfway home!