No offense to Rep. Adam Schiff but Democrats need to stop counting on modern Republicans

[TeamPooka]

to ever do the right thing.
Writing op-eds about how the GOP needs to step up is a waste of time.

I don't know if you noticed Rep Schiff but they have been bad faith actors for years.

Ever since the GOP refused to give Obama ANY help to save the country after Republicans wrecked the economy in '08.

Ever since Mitch Fucking McConnell literally stole a SCOTUS seat, against the rules of the US Constitution, just because he could.

Ever since they didn't say anything when trump defended Nazi's.

Ever since they just let the government shutdown for 35 days when they could've kept it open, even if Trump didn't like it.

The 2018 elections let us know the big secret in US politics: We don't need them to win.

We just need to keep registering new voters and GOTV, and getting our message out to the citizenry.
Expanding the electorate will crush and destroy the GOP.
That's the only thing we should focus on: crushing and destroying these Quislings before they destroy our country.

[Wellstone ruled]

1. This letter is a attempt to shame the Rethugs

as to their personal allegiance ,is it Party or is it Country.

[TeamPooka]

2. Asking a question everyone already knows the answer too. They chose party over country long ago

[11 Bravo]

7. Yeah, that ship has sailed.

[lagomorph777]

4. An attempt to clarify to the American public, exactly what the Russiapublicans are up to.

Russiapublicans are technically incapable of shame.

[TeamPooka]

6. yes, the GOP has no shame. They learned that from trump.

[wryter2000]

16. They learned it long before Trump

They've been doing it at least going back to Obama's 8 years. It probably really got started under Newt Gingrich.

[Wellstone ruled]

18. This will be a Reelection talking point.

Schiff just nailed the banner to the wall,If you are not for Country,then you are a traitor.

[dameatball]

3. I doubt he is "counting on them." More like laying the framework for what he intends to pursue and

offering an opportunity to anyone who may be faltering. Adam Schiff is anything but naïve.

[TeamPooka]

8. I know it's good PR and messaging but we should not expect any results from it.

Quite frankly I wouldn't even trust any Republican who tried to change right now either.
I would keep a close eye on them too for rat fucking tricks.

[PatSeg]

24. Exactly

The letter was more to the public than to republicans. Schiff works with these idiots, he knows they aren't going to change.

[Brawndo]

5. Agreed! We neither need nor want them

It's often forgotten just how badly outnumbered they really are. GOTV and new voters are the key.

[unblock]

9. sometimes in politics (and in literature) you say something to one person when your real audience is

someone else.

in this case, i don't think schiff has any illusions about republicans, they're certainly not going to just hear what he says and say, hey, you're right, we'll do what you want.

schiff knows full well republicans are extremely unlikely to change in the slightest, certainly not based on a plea from him.


but he does know that if the rest of america can see democrats demanding reasonable and sensible and ethical and legal behavior from republicans and republicans as usual just dismiss us, then that may change things.

not because republicans hear him, but because the rest of america does.

[TeamPooka]

10. just like my post ;)

[unblock]

13. ...

[dameatball]

11. Correct. I have nothing else to add.

[solara]

12. Do you honestly believe Rep. Schiff is "counting" on the Repubs

to do the right thing?? He is not that ingenuous. No doubt he is just going on record. He knows exactly who he is up against..and if any of them grow a spine and actually stand up, then all the better. But I doubt very seriously Schiff is as naive as he may seem. He knows these people on far deeper levels than you or I can imagine.

[Hekate]

14. So Dems should refrain from calling them out in public & shaming them?

For one thing, if Schiff or any other Dem can move even a few of them is all to the good.

For another thing, Repub criminality simply needs to be called out, period. Repub response is not the issue.

[FakeNoose]

15. He's reaching out to those Americans who aren't brainwashed

Believe it or not, there are a lot of Americans who don't live this stuff 24/7/365. There are people who voted for Trump last time, but maybe (or probably) won't do it again. I'm sure Adam Schiff has met enough MAGAts to know not to waste his time on them. But there many Americans out there - even in the flyover states - who are worth the time and effort.

If he can reach any new or open-minded voters by his Letters to the Editor, then I say more power to him. We should all be as diligent and resourceful as Re. Adam Schiff!

[TeamPooka]

19. He is specifically calling for action from Republican office holders in

the pages of Washington Post
that is the specific content of his editorial.
That's about as DC focused as a message can get.

[brooklynite]

17. You make a huge mistake here

The 2018 elections let us know the big secret in US politics: We don't need them to win.

No it didn't; it let us know that picking up the seats we needed to take the House came primarily from the competitive suburbs, where independents and moderate Republicans supported us. And they didn't support us because we were running Democratic Socialists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes; we won with moderate candidates like Max Rose and Anthony Brindisi.

[TeamPooka]

20. actually Trump won because just enough Democrats voted for him or didn't vote.

we got them back in 2018
It was a Blue Wave, not a Some Red in there too Wave.

[brooklynite]

21. So, you're saying we should run more moderate candidates?

Since Democrats will vote for them and Moderate Republicans will as well?

Works for me.

[TeamPooka]

22. Don't put words in my mouth. That's rude. I have not classified the wide variety of candidates that

won last year at all anywhere.
I am talking about the electorate, not the candidates.

[Rizen]

23. I 100% agree.

Trying to work with Republicans is a complete waste of time.

[GulfCoast66]

25. Good god! Give the man the credit he deserves.

That letter was not to republicans. He knows the score where they are concerned.

That letter was to the public.

No Democratic office holder, including Speaker Pelosi, has been more stalwart and true than Schiff.

I predict he will be one of the most remembered good guys when this is all over.

Too bad he seems to have no Presidential aspirations.

[shanny]

26. I don't think he is counting on anything.

I just think he is calling them out, for the record. Like the vote on the phony Emergency! Puts them on the spot.

[no_hypocrisy]

27. I'd say it started with Gingrich becoming SOTH.

When he went after Clinton, everyone excused him b/c a BJ was involved and he had a moniker of "Slick Willy". (References from Rush Limbaugh and Bob Grant, RW radio hosts)

Next Democrat was Obama. Republicans went after him on Inauguration Day. And it was supposed it was because he was biracial. (Well, "black" to them; they're not up for fine details.)

The next Democrat was HRC. And the Republicans spared nothing to go after her. They practically had a dossier on her going back to her husband's administration. And it was supposed these attacks were predicated on her because she was a woman.

Let me tell that all the assumptions were wrong. Yes, the distracting elements of white trash/race/gender had *something* to do with their attacks. (In logic, it would be appeal to the masses, to the emotions.) But it was always because they were Democrats. While many were hinting that once a white male with appeal and no baggage (e.g., loyal to his wife, perhaps even grandkids) was nominated, the Democrats would be flying again without worries from the Republicans. Bipartisonship would reign. No, no, no, no. It was always (at least since Tip O'Neill) to make sure Democrats never had extended control of Congress (both Houses) with the addition of one in the WH.

We've had this situation for more than a generation. Now that Big Money controls the verbiage of the bills drafted and voted on, now that there may be just a handful of members in Congress who remember how to comfort together to compromise bills in the spirit of bipartisonship, now that there's a history of bad faith between the parties, it can be said what we have is a competition of two governments. And Republicans aren't going to "play nice" for a long time -- at least without leadership that demands it.