Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-WA) comes across as a very nice, caring, bright woman. I know because she used to be my representative. She represents Eastern WA, a rather evenly split (because WA doesn’t gerrymander) district, populated by an increasingly progressive Spokane area (pop 400,000) filled with young people in tech with their bikes, but the rural areas still have plenty of those infamous NW white Aryan Nation-type presence, especially north of the city.
I used to write her frequently, as a contemporary (same age), parent of young children (same as me, though I have one), and dual Canadian citizen, I would challenge her, that surely, surely, she doesn’t actually believe half the stuff put out by the Republicans that comes out of her mouth, she is too “good” and wise to believe it. She would hem and haw and find a way to largely avoid answering my question.
Well, Cathy McMoRo (as she’s known locally) survived a primary by about 200 votes against a Democratic challenger last Tuesday. Washington has open primaries, the top 2 vote getters go to the general in November, meaning the two will square off again. So, Rep. McMoRo proved as vulnerable as can be just two days ago.
And then came yesterday. we learned that some time ago, Rep. McMorris Rodgers believed bringing in known-liar, Trump transition team member (conflict) and recused House member, Devin Nunes in for support in a high end dinner would help her out. One very smart person bought a ticket to record what Nunes said behind closed doors, presumably “among family.” One of the kooks that inhabit that area of the woods asked Nunes about impeaching Rosenstein. Nunes wasn’t opposed to the idea (of course he’s not, he dreams of the idea) and implied that the House could do it, today, but that would send it to the Senate to act upon, which would delay Kavanaugh’s proceedings, and they sure don’t want a delay in that matter. Having that 5th Justice who doesn’t believe in investigating [Republican] Presidents can’t get on the bench fast enough. McMorris-Rodgers agreed.
The importance of the story is two-fold. In a district that has elected McMorris-Rodgers 4 times without any significant challenge, she is now essentially tied. And, it says that even the supposedly sane top House leadership (Cathy is the Fourth highest ranking Republican, in no small part because it helps to have ONE WOMAN on stage with all those White men) really has no problem impeaching Rosenstein, while leaving the Russian agent in the Oval Office.
As if it need be said, there is no basis for impeaching Rosenstein other than the single most cynical, tyrannical excuses, to open the door to firing Mueller. Once again we see the entire Republican party complicit in covering-up for Trump simply because he’s a Republican. Remember, these are the people that investigated Benghazi over and over, as well as several other scandals, under their “duty to oversee the White House as a constitutional check.” Obama didn’t have conflicts with Russia, or his own properties. Obama didn’t take kids from parents at the border. Obama did everything right with ebola, Trump did nothing to help Puerto Rico. Obama didn’t have campaign officials meeting with Russians, Obama didn’t even release the news that Russia was meddling …yet endless investigations plagued his presidency. The Hosehas onnnnnne
Not now. Now, it is party over country without exception – or with exceptions a person can count on one hand.
This is what tyranny looks like.
If they are willing to fire a prosecutor to save the quite possibly guilty president, what gives us any faith that they’d have any interest in protecting the nation from having the entire election rigged? Yet another squeaker just barely came out the Repub way in WA, similar to Ohio, similar to Trump, on the very day that Sen. Nelson says the Russians are “in” Florida’s election computer system. Are Republicans going to do a damn thing to protect OUR vote? Hell no.
History will be appropriately vicious to this party, to these people. There is nothing wrong or “anti-American” about being conservative. There is everything wrong with putting one’s party, which now includes Putin, over fellow citizens as a whole, a nation. The cabinet has been corrupt at record levels, people around the president going down to criminal charges, the president flaunting conflicts of interest to enrich himself, won’t protect all Americans, Russian money flooding into the RNC through the NRA, and now each Republican fighting to protect Trump, lest the Democrats gain an advantage.
Yet they claim to be patriots. They claim to be the only real Americans. They demand “their” country back (which one, the U.S. or Russia? Seems like both). They cheat, stack the courts, gerrymander using computers more powerful than NORAD’s. They plan out litigation strategy at Koch retreats to get SCOTUS rulings favoring Corps, limiting the vote of Dems. They steal SCOTUS seats. They change the rules on SCOTUS approval from 60 to 50 votes needed.
A reckoning better be coming or we’ve lost this nation. We sure feel like a blue wave will crash over the nation in November. But, remember, the Russians are already in Florida. No Republican cares, so long as Dems are kept out of office, it is “good” – even if we lose the country in the process. They are ALL complicit now.
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