Nicole Wallace Just asked Steve Schmidt "How did the whole party break bad"?

[Edwcraig]

She went on to ask how an entire political party became corrupt. Schmidt dodged the question giving a diatribe about the evil Trump. I suspect they both believe that Trump had hijacked the pure, pristine, conservative Republican Party that they worked for for years as highly paid operatives.

Really Nicole. Really Steve.

Donald Trump is a Republican. Republicans are Trump. Trump is the manifestation of the ultimate leader of the modern day Republican Party. Founded on the philosophy of Ronald Reagan that "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem" and before that the Southern racists who abandon the Southern Democratic Party in opposition to the Civil and Voting Rights Act to form the "modern" day Republican Party.

Really Nicole. Really Steve. You did not see this coming. Republicans embracing the overthrow of our government and white supremacist's taking over. Too many good pay checks and fun parties paid for by the oligarchs and foreign enemies set on destroying our Democracy.

Really Nicole. Really Steve.

[Laelth]

1. Well described.

If these two are looking for absolution, they need a priest. They’re not getting absolution from me for the damage that they have caused.

-Laelth

[napi21]

2. Trump gave them the OK to openly verbalize all their hatered & biases that they'vwe had supressed

for years.

[tanyev]

3. Stuart Stevens book It Was All A Lie was a satisfying read

about the culpability of the GOP for several decades now.

[klook]

25. I've come to appreciate Stevens above all the other Never-Trumpers.

He is frank and honest about the fact that he was part of a corrupt scheme. He doesn't long for a return to the "glory" of Ronald Reagan or the "kinder, gentler" presidency of G.H.W. Bush like some of the others.

[AleksS]

4. The minute the republican party said

to the southern democrats leaving the party because of their racism:

"Come on over! They're not racist enough for ya? Well, you're welcome here!" was the minute the party proved itself devoid of morals, character, and goodness.

If you want to be good guys, then when a racist says to you: "Are you gonna support my racism?" you say NO.

[erronis]

22. Perfect synopsis of the transformation. Southern democrat racists joining the repuglicons.

[cilla4progress]

51. THIS

I think this was the birth of the "modern" R party ... sick, tainted, corrupt, racist, craven.

[Grasswire2]

5. Does she believe the Bush administrations were without corruption? Without self-dealing?

She was part of what we hated during those years.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

6. They probably believed, as we did

That the Deplorables were a much smaller segment of the part than they actually are.

[melman]

7. I don't know if they actually *believe* it

but that is sure as hell the message they - and all so-called "Never Trumpers" - are trying to sell.

That's the whole point of the Lincoln Project...well, that and stuffing their pockets.

That message needs to be rejected and it's really too bad MSNBC provides such a comfortable home for it.

[LanternWaste]

9. So you keep alleging.

One day, you may even provide us with objective analysis to support it as such.

"really too bad" indeed.

[melman]

13. Alleging what?

[melman]

56. Hey, look at this

Link to tweet

That sure looks like the Lincoln Project pretending Reagan was wonderful.

[George II]

61. How does that "pretend" that Reagan was wonderful? And if so, if "pretending" that Reagan....

....was wonderful, doesn't that mean they think he wasn't wonderful?

[melman]

63. Okay, so they *believe * Reagan was wonderful

You totally got me there.

[George II]

64. It doesn't even say that. It says that Lincoln and Reagan would have despised trump....

People from the far left, through the left, through the center, through the right, through the far right despise trump.

It's a non-partisan hatred for trump. Don't you despise trump?

[theaocp]

14. Cheers, melman.

Tis the season for stuffing.

[George II]

42. They're not "stuffing their pockets". You can find the details of The Lincoln Project's........

...expenditures here:

https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00725820/

Have at it!

[melman]

47. I've already seen it

They are stuffing their pockets.

[George II]

48. How? Are Steve Schmidt or Nicole Wallace on their list of expenditures?

[tblue37]

8. They gave us Palin. I'm glad they're with us now, but they tried to get her elected VP!

Last edited Wed Nov 18, 2020, 10:16 PM - Edit history (1)

[procon]

11. And before her, they hauled out Reagan who could

at least read the scripts he was given.

[tblue37]

15. I don't think either was involved in the 1980 Republican campaign. In fact, Nicolle would have

been just 8 years old in 1980, and Steve would have been just 10.

But Steve is the person who chose Sarah Palin for the VP slot on the 2008 GOP ticket, and Nicolle is the person who was responsible for getting her ready for the debates and for otherwise handling her during the campaign.

Sure, Nicolle says she didn't vote that year because of Palin, but we were stuck with having Palin shoved in front of us for years afterward.

[cilla4progress]

52. And Barack attributes this cravenness, coarseness

to Palin. That she - I believe his words in his memoir are - "unleashed the dark spirits."

I agree. I'll never forget coming down off that incredible high of his nomination to her VOMITING all over it.

That's how it felt to me. Stunning. WTF was wrong with McCain and those others. How blind can you be????

Seems like it's just about power and winning with that group. No morals. No values other than raw power for its own sake.

[JHB]

10. Sure, Nicole and Steve. No one could possibly have taken the Speaker of the House...

...calling Democrats "the enemy of normal Americans" with no pushback from his own party (including both of you) as a warning sign they were heading toward going straight over a cliff.

[kskiska]

12. It began with Reagan.

He let the holy rollers into the party.

[Gore1FL]

28. I'd argue it began with Nixon's Southern Strategy. nt

[CTyankee]

44. Of course it did! I've lived through all this as a voting adult.

[katmondoo]

41. I have said for many Reagan opened the Pandora box that lead to many racist, anti women. religion

based on Evangelical ideas and on and on. I hated him.

[Greybnk48]

66. AND Reagan made racism acceptable again with dog whistles.

He started it for sure. Remember his bit about the welfare queen that he repeated scores of times during his first campaign. The Chicago welfare queen who wore a fur coat, drives a cadillac, and buys t-bone steaks with food stamps. The implication was she was black and a single parent several times over.

Oddly, welfare recipients have historically been overwhelmingly white single women. I'm not sure where it is in today's Republican hell-hole economy. My guess is most people need assistance in today's America.

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/josh-levin-the-queen-book-review/

[Mr.Bill]

16. I don't know about anyone else here,

but the US Government has not printed enough money to pay me to groom an imbecile like Sarah Palin to be one heartbeat away from the presidency of my country. And yet that's what they did.

[MiniMe]

17. tRump was a Democrat until he realized that he could scam the repukes

[OnDoutside]

19. Trump was and is an empty vessel, who took on the characteristics of

what the other party wanted to hear.

[flibbitygiblets]

68. Yep and yep. He's on tape saying pretty much exactly that.

Back when he was a "Democrat" he said if he ran for office, he'd run as a Republican. Anyone with half a brain can read between those lines.

[OnDoutside]

18. Meh, I've heard plenty from both of them in interviews to say your

post is, at best, highly selective. I would recommend the podcast interview John Heilemann did with Wallace two weeks ago, and interviews Al Franken did with Schmidt and separately with Stuart Stevens, for a balanced view.

[George II]

26. It seems that some feel people are irredeemable. I don't agree with that.

[cilla4progress]

54. Fill us

in?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

20. Which is precisely why I have no use for these people. Sure, I'll take their

vote and whatever resources they wanna spend to torpedo their own death cult. But they can keep their ideas otherwise.

[Gilbert Moore]

21. Steve Schmidt

Let's not forget before his stellar work at Lincoln Project, Steve got hired on to work with the former CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz. Another multi millionaire who wanted to be President. Ol' Steve had no problem sticking Schultz bucks into his pockets encouraging a 3rd party candidate who could / would have drained Dem votes and handed Trumpellini the roses.

Steve Schmidt: Thumbs down !

[George II]

23. Apparently Wallace and Schmidt did see it coming, they were unable to do anything about it.....

That's one of the main reasons that they left the republican party.

What exactly are you driving at with this OP?

[TryLogic]

24. They (Republicans) gave us...

They gave us Trump. They protected Trump. They have defended and excused Trump.
They approved all of Trump’s cabinet of crooks.
They gave us Moscow Mitch "I’m the grim reaper" McConnell.
They gave us Louie "you lied" Gohmert.
They gave us Brett Kavanaugh.
They gave us Samuel “money is free speech” Alito.
They include Rush Limbaugh.
They include Sean Hannity.
They include FOX News.
They gave us the Tea Party Republicans who refused any kind of common sense compromise
regarding immigration.
They gave us certain governors who urge that grandparents be sacrificed to help the economy.
They gave us Dick Cheney, George W Bush, their group of war mongers, and the invasion of Iraq.
They gave us the Great Recession of 2008-2009.
They have given us world class liars.
They have given us the dumbest most self serving politicians in congress.
They started the attack on worker's unions beginning with an actor president named Ronald
“government is the problem” Reagan
Heck, they gave our ancestors President Hoover who helped facilitate the Great Depression of
the 1930s.
Republicans are the plague!

[Leith]

30. Don't forget Newt Gingrich, Henry Hyde, & their cohorts

While Ronnie Ray-gun was a smiley face on a turd pile, I learned to dislike rethugs. I learned that they were horrendously awful and dangerous when Senate rethugs in the 1990s committed their most obvious hypocrisies. They made Larry Flynt look downright noble when he printed that magazine. It takes a special kind of monster to be that bad and they've metastasized into every governmental office in the country.

[4Q2u2]

33. They gave us

The moral majority
Crack
Leverage buy outs destroying companies
Stealing of pensions
TWO banking scandals

[dajoki]

27. That's why I don't trust...

the Lincoln project or the never trumpers, they are just trying to rehabilitate the repub party. It can't be done, they caused this mess and must be held accountable for their actions. They have been on this path for over half a century and must be relegated to the dustbin of history.

[Xipe Totec]

29. Trump was just the prick that lanced the boil that the Republican party had become. nt

[SleeplessinSoCal]

31. I've been thinking about Gov Don Siegalman a lot lately.

An Alabama Democratic governor that was so dangerous to their plans of a complete takeover of the government, that Karl Rove thought putting him prison for doing what Republicans do on a regular basis was a priority to the White House. How do they get away with that?

I recall the 2004 win was a signal from the GOcP that we as a country wanted a one party government. And that was only accomplished with some highly paid smears of John Kerry's military service and dubious actions in Ohio's election.

Democrats need to defend DEMOCRACY with a loud voice and expose the cynical negative ads as the only way to a win. Our Rep. was defeated by a very corrupt, wannabe McConnell, Michelle Steel. She would not debate, but she put out fake ballot boxes and put up dozens of signs lying about Harley Ronda. It worked.

And we need to reach out to BLM and get them to understand how destructive "Defund the Police" was to the election.

Sorry I'm all over the place, but we are in very interesting times.

[4Q2u2]

36. They shamelessly destroyed Max Clelland

A disabled Vet for that hoi poloi Saxby Chambliss

[lunatica]

32. Trump is just the big fat cherry on top of the rancid sleezecake

Republican Party. He is drunken on his own self love in the raging orgy that is the Republican Party. He is Satan’s joke of sending the most incompetent, repulsive, self aggrandizing, corrupt individual to use fools to destroy the country.

[hibbing]

34. Strong content n/t

[BobTheSubgenius]

35. I guess a tiger can't change his stripes.

I had some hope for Steve, but this belief is disheartening, in that regard.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

37. Oh you mean the guy who thought Sarah Fucking Palin was a grand idea can't figure out...

... how we got here?

Lincoln Project indeed.

[orwell]

38. Stuart Stevens has a much more realistic take...

...he basically thinks that the two wings of the Republican party, the reasonable principled conservatism of Eisenhower and the toxic conservatism of McCarthy have always cohabitated within the party. Unfortunately, the venal McCarthy wing has slowly taken power.

When you combine that with a party that lies like it is the truth and is completely devoid of reality as far as facts are concerned, you get the malevolence of Don the Con Drumpf. Now it is too late to put the genie back in the bottle.

What you are witnessing is the destruction of one of the two dominant parties. In it's death throes it is thrashing about, willing to foment a coup against the newly elected government. As Mr. Stevens would say, the circle of deception and avoidance of reality is fundamentally destroying the party. The oncoming demographic wave will finish it off for a generation. He recently said that the rest of the nation will slowly follow the California model where the Con party has been reduced to irrelevancy.

He admits to being part of the deception and has since renounced the party he was instrumental in building. It was the party's choice of the uniquely odious Donald Trump that tipped him over the edge.

The opening words to his book are "Blame me." It is about time that other "Never Trumpers" look in the mirror and say the same thing.

President Biden is right. This is a battle for the soul of the nation. Unfortunately for us during this grave health and economic crisis, one side already sold their soul to the devil...

[cilla4progress]

50. My fondest hope is that the R party cleaves

and becomes decapitated and forever weakened and disempowered by this internecine division.

Do you subscribe to this? Does Stevens?

Thanks!

[orwell]

55. Stevens thinks the party is effectively finished...

...at least for a generation. I don't think he sees them splitting and it's hard for me to see as well. they are too "command and control" authoritarian in nature to split.

He thinks it is far more likely that as Democrats rise in power that two wings will develop - a left wing, the AOC wing and center wing - the Biden/Pelosi wing. He thinks the energy is on the left so they will likely end up taking control the same way the far right took control of the Cons. That's when he thinks a center right party may form out of the ashes of the Republican party.

Who knows. The more conditionals you have in predictions the less likely your forecasts are correct.

We do know that the last gasps of the RepubliCons will be both desperate and dangerous. You are seeing the beginnings of that now.

[zentrum]

39. Completely agree with you. Thnx.

[Pepsidog]

40. Really good post

[Yavin4]

43. The base of the Republican party got tired of dog whistles and wanted a bullhorn.

The winks and the nods just weren't good enough any more. Especially after a Black man was president for 8 years.

[Azathoth]

45. It's very simple. You can only pump Rush Limbaugh into people 24/7 for so long

until you fracture society beyond repair.

Three decades of radicalization by conservative entertainment has moved the entire Republican Party into an Aryan Nations compound.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

46. Simple. Embrace trump or not get reelected. Huge chunk of voters.

[cilla4progress]

49. Hear, hear!

I mean - I enjoy them; I think they are both geniuses in their way.

But I wouldn't trust them not to return to their old trix, if a R came along they felt they could serve.

[Warpy]

53. Nixon brought in the bigots and the mobsters

Reagan brought in the faith healers and other religious con men.

Anyone who is surprised by what this toxic stew of a party has produced is not just a fool, he's a willing participant.

[Roy Rolling]

57. I get it

They were once Republicans. In your view, they should be forever made to wear a Scarlett letter and made to wear that shame.

I haven’t considered whether to agree or disagree. But one thing that’s apparent, what good will that do? Is demonizing them high on the list of priorities of the Democratic Party?

If hating Republicans is the best idea we have, Democrats are gonna look a lot like Republicans in the future. We’re the party of ideas and enlightened solutions, not just anti-Republican.

[tavernier]

58. I was once a republican, many many years ago.

I have total respect for a convert because it takes a curious and open mind, and a sense of duty to country beyond tribalism.

[randr]

59. Trump chose to be Republican for the same reason

he chose to be Christian. He knew he would have to wear the label in order to rule those he found to be susceptible to false gods and authoritarian control.
Reps and Evangelicals were ripe for the picking.

[TNNurse]

60. They did not notice the Tea Party?

Were they not paying attention???

You cannot put all the blame on Trump.

[Marcuse]

62. This is how the whole Republican Party broke bad:

You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”[link:https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/|

[JHB]

65. Area Republicans are stunned...