Sen. Tina Smith: 'Today, the Senate was insane... Republican colleagues: What are you afraid of?'"

[bigtree]

Senator Tina Smith @SenTinaSmith 13h
Today, the Senate was insane. It was so detached from reality. We voted on judges and nearly confirmed an appointee who believes in the gold standard. Meanwhile, a pandemic is raging, and we are doing nothing about it. (1/2)

Link to tweet

Senator Tina Smith @SenTinaSmith 18m
Dear Republican colleagues: What are you afraid of? He can’t fire you. Make today the day you start using the words President-elect Biden.

[beachbumbob]

1. its all about leaving President Joe Biden the worse possible situation on every level

and McConnel will spend next 2 years in doing all he can in hopes of GOP retaking Congress as the blame will be focused on Biden and democrats by M$M outlets from jan 20, 2021 and beyond

[marble falls]

2. Just like W did to Barack Obama. Biden's been through this and he will pull through.

[IronLionZion]

4. In 2008, Dems won the House and Senate bigly

So Obama had a friendly congress and a less hostile Supreme Court. The Supreme Court and federal courts are packed with Trump's wingnuts now so it's more challenging.

I agree that Biden has the experience to get us through this.

[scarletwoman]

13. Sorry, that's incorrect.

Dems had a 60-vote filibuster proof majority in the Senate for only 4 months, from September 24, 2009 until February 4, 2010.

See: https://www.beaconjournal.com/article/20120909/NEWS/309099447

On January 20th, 2009, 57 Senate seats were held by Democrats with 2 Independents (Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman) caucusing with the Democrats...which gave Democrats 59 mostly-reliable Democratic votes in the Senate, one shy of filibuster-proof “total control.” Republicans held 41 seats.

The 59 number in January, 2009 included Ted Kennedy and Al Franken. Kennedy had a seizure during an Obama inaugural luncheon and never returned to vote in the Senate.....and Al Franken was not officially seated until July 7th, 2009 (hotly contested recount demanded by Norm Coleman.)

The real Democratic Senate seat number in January, 2009 was 55 Democrats plus 2 Independents equaling 57 Senate seats.



Then in April, 2009, Republican Senator Arlen Specter became a Democrat. Kennedy was still at home, dying, and Al Franken was still not seated. Score in April, 2009....Democratic votes 58.

In May, 2009, Robert Byrd got sick and did not return to the Senate until July 21, 2009. Even though Franken was finally seated July 7, 2009 and Byrd returned on July 21.....Democrats still only had 59 votes in the Senate because Kennedy never returned, dying on August 25, 2009.

Kennedy’s empty seat was temporarily filled by Paul Kirk but not until September 24, 2009.

The swearing in of Kirk finally gave Democrats 60 votes (at least potentially) in the Senate. “Total control” of Congress by Democrats lasted all of 4 months. From September 24, 2009 through February 4, 2010...at which point Scott Brown, a Republican, was sworn in to replace Kennedy’s Massachusetts seat.

The truth....then....is this: Democrats had “total control” of the House of Representatives from 2009-2011, 2 full years. Democrats, and therefore, Obama, had “total control” of the Senate from September 24, 2009 until February 4, 2010. A grand total of 4 months.

[sandensea]

29. +1

And ever since then, the Senate has been at the mercy of - or the outright plaything of - Mitch the Chao-drug-money-enriched Bitch.

May he rot.

[beachbumbob]

6. zero chance if GOP controls the senate which is likely to be the case, realistically

this aint 2008 and is MUCH worse

[LaMouffette]

3. You are right. And even if Joe and Kamala succeed in rescuing America from this dumpster fire

—or rather, "Trumpster fire"—McConnell, the rest of the Republicans, FoxNews, and rightwing social media will continue whipping up Trump's cult followers into a fury by perpetuating the notion that the Democrats stole the election. Again, with the aim of taking back Congress in 2022. We cannot let them get away with that.

I think we Dems need to hire a marketing agency to help with rebranding our image. We are the heroes, rescuing America—again—just like we did in 2008 when Obama came in and brought the economy back from the brink. It's time that we got that message out there through a massive marketing campaign of TV and social media ads.

[Turin_C3PO]

7. Yes.

I believe one of the reasons we lost some of these races is because our messaging isn't as effective as GOP propaganda.

[LaMouffette]

33. Yup. Trump and the Republicans have mastered the Big Lie.

We need to fight back with the Big Truth: say the TRUTH over and over and over again until people believe it. Throw in some indisputable evidence for good measure.

[True Blue American]

31. Donny Deustch!:)

[Wounded Bear]

5. Yep! Trash the place and then ride the brakes to slow down any recovery...

blame it all on Dems going forward.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[beachbumbob]

8. yep, to be expected.

[zentrum]

27. They want to collapse the country

...…just prior to his inauguration. Pile on accusations of illegitimacy and they've
achieved their goal.

Dear God—I hope Ossoff wins and Franklin comes back.

[Rebl2]

28. That is

what I have been thinking

[Sherman A1]

34. Precisely

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Proving once again, that no organization can police itself.

[MineralMan]

10. Thanks, Tina! We were right to re-elect you to the Senate.

[BeyondGeography]

11. They're afraid of their voters

Since before Trump and soon-to-be after. No sympathy for the Pubs, but the wingnut noise machine is trouble for them too. Any signs of normalcy and/or cooperation are punishable by political death.

[CottonBear]

15. My GOP Congressman has never come to the biggest city (Blue) in his district

because our city is blue and progressive. Not only has he never held a meeting with constituents here, he doesn’t have an office here. This city is the economic, educational, medical, industrial and business hub of a 12 county area.

[BeyondGeography]

21. Being seen breaking bread with radical heathens

He probably sees the ghost of Eric Cantor every time he thinks about it.

[BlueNProud]

17. 2/3s of the country wants massive stimulus and focus on covid

[BeyondGeography]

18. That can happen

without showing “fealty” to Biden and a lack of respect to Il Douchay, for which they would be pounded mercilessly by wingnut media and maybe even personally targeted by Trumpy himself in 2022. That shot at DeWine was a warning flare to the whole party and you see the results.

[BlueNProud]

19. I think Sen Smith is wrong

this isn't about fealty to Dump. Belive me Moscow Mitch has moved on from him.

This is justvwho they are. They don't care about the health and financial well being of the country. Scarborough said it well this morning. They do not care.

[bigtree]

22. I think she personally knows republican Senators who complain privately

...but won't lift a finger in public to contradict Trump.

[riversedge]

12. k and R

[Ferrets are Cool]

14. Party over Country

[NoRoadUntravelled]

20. Republicans have had their day. The sun is setting on their party and they're

having hissy fits thinking they can change the inevitable. It's over. They'll figure it out eventually.

[efhmc]

24. I wish it were true but there are still million of them around and they still have lots of power.

Just ask those of us who live in Texas and Florida.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

32. Time and Democrat's persistence in expanding our voter base + policies that benefit more than just

the elite will go a long way to improve things. Not to mention an education system based on science rather than religious fantasy, critical thinking skills rather than alternative facts and inclusiveness rather than division.
It won't happen over night but we didn't get where we are overnight either.
We'll can start making strides with a plan that looks at the long game. Where do we want to be when the preschoolers of today are old enough to vote? What do we want America to look like?

[efhmc]

23. They are afraid of DJT's base of bigoted misogynistic, homophobic "people".

[Hermit-The-Prog]

36. I think they just despise democracy and the government that results from it.

[BobTheSubgenius]

25. Is Drumpfism really a force that cannot be stopped?

Is it so pervasive, deeply-rooted and powerful that an official as high as a US Senator is afraid of what...someone? who? Drumpf and his rhetoric seem obvious...might do in retaliation for independent thinking? For doing what is obviously the right thing, the best thing for America and Americans?

What the hell is it? A flailing madman is going to verbally spank you in public - however gibbering and ridiculous the diatribe will be - and...then what?

The only thing that makes any sense is that a pretty large percentage of GOP politicians are so invested that they see no other way forward, however fast a time-limited denoument will come knocking? And then their influence, whether subtle or overt, pulls undecideds and newcomers into the fold?

Can they not see that it's a death spiral? It baffles me.

[NCjack]

26. The Repug Senators are removed by death. And, I remember none dying.

Mitch McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984. If there were 3 term limits on the Senate, He would have departed on or before 2002. Sen. Lindsey Graham was elected in 2002, and would have been slapped in the ass by the Senate door in 2020.

Those Senators have killed over 250,000 of us because of their fear of Trumpism voters. I have had enough. I think it is time to put term limits on the Senate.

The usual argument against term limits is that it also takes out excellent DEM Senators. To which, I point out that has not been enough to moderate the behavior of a rogue president.

Since Repugs dislike DEM Senators as much as DEMs dislike the Repug Senators, and the public overall has a low opinion of Congress, the time may be ripe to term limit them.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

30. They still fear being primaried by the base that tRump can whip up in 2021, 22, 23, ....

[Hermit-The-Prog]

35. Republican death cult -- if they're not actively destroying something, they do nothing

[pansypoo53219]

37. they are afraid of the trump/fux gnewz monsters who vote for them. their base

[BigmanPigman]

38. Mitch is crazier than a bedbug, even a tRump spa bedbug (the craziest kind).

Mitch and Graham need to each eat a huge bite of Putin's extra special fruitcake for the holidays. Bu-bye Linseygal and Queen Mitch! Have a speedy trip to Hell, take your bermuda shorts with ya.

[rpannier]

39. That's kind of easy

That he or one of his sons or ivanaka/jared will move to their state and run against them for the senate in the republican primary

[bdamomma]

40. Your so called

friends across the aisle are TRAITORS and COWARDS.

[Blue Owl]

41. Outright insanity the way the GOP leadership is ignoring the pandemic

Criminal insanity.

[Beartracks]

42. Republicans want to kneecap Biden then start bitching about EVERYthing on January 21.

[turbinetree]

43. Just think South Carolina, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina, Alaska

re-elected enablers and one from Alaska had aa hissy fit when a senator from Ohio asked him to put on mask and another one (South Carolina) decided to inject himself in a state (Georgia) to throw ballots out...............

[Joinfortmill]

44. They took $$ from Putin