The GOP members of Congress have a third choice that has, so far, gone unmentioned. They could do the right thing, uphold their sworn oath of office.
6
Mitch McConnell: "I think the Russians need to know that there are a lot of us who fully understand what happened in 2016 and it really better not happen again.”
What the Russians understand is that, despite fully understanding what happened in 2016, the Republicans have, unfathomably, done nothing to ensure that it does not happen again. Surely, the reason is that they're happy with the outcome.
They must believe that receiving help from a hostile state is a small price to pay for consolidating their iron grip on power over every branch of government--including, as we now know, the Congress, some of whose Republican members also got a campaign boost from Russia.
What the Republicans can't win at the ballot box, they achieve through gerrymandering, voter suppression, and treachery.
12
Dems need the spine that Republicans use irresponsibly against the American People.
Why doesn't Chuck Schumer EVER look into the camera when he speaks on the Senate floor? He needs to LOOK AT US! He's not a leader. He's just replaced Carl Levin as Head Shoemaker, glasses perched on nose. We can't use a little shoe hammer to stop the Republicans and Trump. We need a SLEDGEHAMMER!
5
An enemy has undermined our last election and the president refuses to acknowledge that this is not an on-going threat to our democracy and to fight it with ever fiber of his being. He swore an oath that he would protect this country —- and he is not.
This is treason. Trump is a traitor.
The Congress, the media, the courts must now step in and with one voice act to remove this dangerous threat to our national security. He is colluding and cooperating with the enemy.There is no other course of action.
3
Now Trump says the Russians are no longer interfering with the US, directly contradicting his own intelligence chief. Statements change minute by minute, rant by rant, Deplorable. Mendacious. Proof of his unfitness for office.
3
Mr Ryan is so sweet! As if he was the President! Yet, he is not and such easy words like: „Russia has commited a crime! We stand by our Nato partners! We are partners of the EU.“ Unfortunately the parantheses will stay fictional. IMPEACH!
1
Perhaps after the November elections the only Republican House members will be the Freedom Caucus. Then they can revel in their right-wing "purity" and watch from the sidelines as Trump is impeached.
4
Imagine Roosevelt:
"I don't see why the Japanese would have attacked Pearl Harbor. It could have been anybody. Maybe it was Australians in disguise. I asked Tito directly and he said he didn't do it; I believe him. Besides, we brought this on ourselves."
10
I just LOVE this! I always fail to leave out sarcasm the way you managed here so well
1
Tojo, not Tito.
The Republicans are already walking back their temporary madness after Trump still doesn't believe what his intelligence experts tell him. What a bunch of craven cowards. They THINK they have an advantage, however temporary and they are going to exploit it to undo any good done for the PEOPLE and give all they can to the corporations that OWN us.
3
Why are those who KNOW and UNDERSTAND cyberwar and its potential not speaking up? Is the media failing us again? America - not either party - will be brought down unless election interference as well as infrastructure and finance cybersecurity not robust.
Physical warfare in sophisticated countries is a thing of the past. It is cyberwarfare that will bend the will of a country in future.
7
AS a patriotic American, after I observed the treasonous actions of the press, FBI and DOJ top level officials, the fake accusations about Russian collusion, the continuous lying of former intelligence officials, and the Mueller "investigation" which now indicts Russian Military officer in a huge waste of money who will never see any consequences for actions which took place under Obama, I would have to say that I have very little faith in the deep state and US press corps( including the NYT) to say anything truthful. Obama and his " I can be more flexible " line to Putin, his statements that Romney was wrong when he said Russia was a danger, that stupid red button, all were ignored by the press including the NYT who did not hold him accountable at all for anything.. Obama was the liar in chief but it didn't matter to the NYT. This entire episode is just another example of Trump Derangement Syndrome and the effort since day 1 of Trump's presidency to stage a coup against an elected president. This is very dangerous, because should they be successful , the results will be horrific as half the country is not going to accept this treason.
2
You seem to be a bot.
3
As a patriotic American, after i observed the treasonous actions of the President in Helsinki, the demonstrably true accusations of collusion with Russia, the important opinions of experienced intelligence operatives and managers, and the Mueller investigation results in indictments, guilty pleas, and cooperation agreements as a stay-out-of-jail card by GOP and Republican movers and shakers in the Trump orbit, I would have to say I have very little faith in this administration or President, both of which seem to be incapable of telling the truth. And I do agree that our current president is a sterling example of Derangement. His continued flirtation with sending the US back 100 years by seeking to undermine long-standing and mutually beneficial trade and security relationships, and his crass behavior in virtually every situation where diplomacy and respect should be encouraged only further alienates those who do no wish to become a third-rate power with limited social and economic opportunities.
4
@James - Fascinating. It's been proven that Trump lies an average of six times EVERY DAY.
I'm curious to know why you choose to parrot talking points that take about 30 seconds to disprove.
2
Remember when the United States was a (predominantly) two-party country?
Remember when the news was more than "Trump did this," "Republicans did that," "Here's what Trump's followers think," "Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Susan Collins, and others among a selected Republican few pontificated on this and that"?
Remember when news coverage more nearly approximated equal time for both parties--and where the Democratic party is concerned, gave voice, not just to its problems and dilemmas, not simply to its shop-worn leadership, but to worthwhile representatives who had something valuable to say.
The hegemonic beat rolls on.
1
The Russians couldn't have gotten so far without American help. We need a list of those traitors for every American to read. We need to know who is working for the other side against our country. I think Mueller will give us that list at the end of this very dangerous period in US history we are living through. The republicans in congress who are threatening Mueller are traitors.
9
Apparently Trump made a lot of agreements with Putin privately that he had no right to do—concilliatory agreements that even the Pentagon knows nothing of, nor Congress, and least of all the American public.
How did this happen? Why were these two left alone for two hours.Why do only Russians speak of these agreements while our Congress presumably remains ignorant or silent?
When is the translator going to be interrogated?
Why was Trump allowed to betray our country?
8
The American people should become aware that Vladimir Putin maneuvers people; Russia is an authoritarian Communist country that insists on entrapping America and are using President Trump as the bait.
2
Trump didn't backtrack. He temporarily placated the national media by holding that embarrassing charade of a news conference yesterday, and today he is tweeting to his supporters that, essentially, he meant exactly everything he said in the Putin press conference. So why is he getting mileage out of this phony "I misspoke" line?
He is an absolute disgrace to this nation, and must be removed from office.
10
As long as the Russians rig the upcoming elections to favor the Republicans to win, the Republicans will not do anything to change things. That's explains McConnell's and the rest behavior.
The liberals and rightous Republicans can just talk, but little action will come of all that talk, in my opinion.
3
At this particular moment, we don't need to consider more sanctions against Russia. They haven't done anything new justifying further action. Rather, what's needed are sanctions on Mr. Trump!
6
"Napoleon is always right."
Well, the is, to me, just more proof that the republicans in Congress are working hard to live up to their name as the "Collusion Caucus" Through their actions over the last two years they have silently stood by as our democratic institutions have been under attack, and as 75 years of Republican Party orthodoxy has been thrown in the trash. Why? For power. They have abandoned our allies, allowed a feckless, racist, women hating, unintelligent, uninformed, callous, flim flam man, take over their party for nothing but power. They have NO moral standing. They have NO moral leaders. They have destroyed all sense of right and wrong. The members of the House Freedom Caucus, are most likely, the worst of the bunch, selling out the American people as they support the worst office holder ever elected in American History. I want to vomit just being forced to observe this deplorable farce every single day. DISGUSTING!
4
I believe Putin is rethinking his positioning on trump. He's got a loser on his hands and its turning out to be a little more than what he was expecting.
5
Was I watching the same performance????
You report he “walked back” his comments. He did no such thing!
He said: “Could be other people also. A lot of people out there.”
Very poor reporting
9
I wish you would change the language in the reporting on this. Democrats are not just "hammering away" at Trump. That implies gamesmanship and theater. We are past that.
I have to believe they are actually trying to do something about serious problems we have - vulnerable elections systems and a compromised president who does not care about our national interests.
If Democrats are just using this for political leverage and likewise don't care about the nature of the problems, we are in very bad shape indeed.
2
The president said nothing in the press conference that he hasn't already said numerous times in his multiple public appearances, in his two hours of hate speeches, or in his tweets.
If the Republicans thought that he would be any different in front of his favorite dictator, whom he has often openly admired, they are abject fools.
The fact this president has any support from the GOP demonstrates their fealty to their own pocketbooks and warped ideology over the Constitution and the American People.
What will Congressional Republicans do when their president again publicly praises his favorite dictator and again requests him to hack into US Government computers, or asks for foreign assistance in swaying the next election in their favor?
Will the mealy-mouthed GOP propose some shambolic minimal response or will they finally come to realize they've been backing their very own American Dictator and support the American intelligence services and Mueller's investigation?
The only way out of this morass is to vote blue. They've all got to go.
6
What IS being done to protect our elections in November? Is it appropriate that Federal funds be given to bolster state election safety (provide paper back up systems to states that don’t have it, add more poll watchers, etc). NYT, can you please report more on this subject?
5
In a less unhinged milieu, Stephen Cohen last night would have put an end to the post-Helsinki madness.
Appearing on Tucker Carlson, the professor emeritus of Russian studies at Princeton and NYU told us that what Trump said at Helsinki was “heretical and profoundly true”— both Russia & America caused the worsening of geopolitical relations.
Cohen explained that the Russia policies of the 3 prior presidents, Clinton, Bush, and Obama, were wrong, that Trump’s analysis is right, and that Trump must be given the opportunity to correct America’s flawed policy because the alternative is war.
He said further that given the alternative, like all prior presidents Trump had to meet with the head of state, but that never before had he witnessed what followed this summit: “pornography masquerading as news analysis and commentary.”
Prof. Cohen ended by saying, “I didn’t vote for him, but bravo to Trump!”
3
@Marian - Wow there's a shocker, pro Trump news on Fox.
1
There can be little question: in their quest for the power to inflict their views on the majority of Americans, these people won’t give a second thought to abolishing American democracy and handing the keys to Russia is it gets them what they want. They simply are only loyal to their religion and not at all to our democracy.
The article's most frightening statement: '“I call that a successful summit,” said Representative Andy Harris, Republican of Maryland, “and I disregard and discount anything that involves the mainstream media press.”'
The mainstream media are those professional news outlets outlets that have been striving for decades to inform the public. They have not been organizations whose intent has been to influence public opinion. They have not been organizations like Fox News and Commentary that explicitly attempt to persuade the public by overtly blurring the lines between editorializing and reporting. Selective presentation of facts, blatant use of "whataboutisms" and relativism, repetitive presentation of misinformation, consistently employing unflattering verbal caricature, all are propaganda techniques.
So what is frightening? We have a representative of congress stating his preference for propaganda over informative news? Vladimir Putin and Joseph Goebbels would be proud! I am horrified!
4
How is trump still in office ?
He treats people as if we are stupid. But why not ? His 'I mis-spoke' lie is no more blatant than thousands of lies he has told before and which many people believed without question.
3
Damage? This is just one more in a long line of similar behavior - Trump has been trashing the law enforcement and intelligence agencies for some time; Trump has been salivating over Putin for some time; Trump has been saying stupid things and sometimes walking it back, other times doubling down, since before the election; Trump has been acting like a 13 year old, if that, for some time; Trump has been trashing half the country, as well as the rest of the world, since before the election; his policies and policy statements have been assinine and his ignorance obvious and proudly waved since before the election. His base has not been turned off by any of this; why would they be now?
2
"Many Republicans found themselves wrestling with an unwelcome dilemma two years in the making: They could publicly undermine the president and risk upsetting the loyal Trump voters they need to win elections, or ... "
2 years in the making? No, it has been decades, since Reagan, even more with Gingrich, and even more since 2008 as the GOP and their pundits and lobbyists catered to and encouraged the ignorance that is now coming back to haunt them. Probably most senators (not sure about the house) know that the world outside matters a lot to U.S. welfare, in terms of our economy and security, but as evidenced by many of the comments here from Trumpos, Trump supporters don't care, don't understand that they should care. What they care about are mostly non-issues, but the fear has been stoked: illegal immigration was rising until the great recession, but has been flat since then - one result is unpicked produce which has increased produce prices; gun restrictions eased under Obama, but these guys act as if their guns were being taken away; they believe that Obama got rid of their coal jobs in his 'war on coal' when coal jobs have been declining since the 1960s from automation even as coal production kept rising; they want cheap energy (=gasoline), yet drive inefficient vehicles inefficiently and forego public transport, both of which increase demand and raise prices. Fear and stupidity rule.
4
Let's boil it down:
GOP= Groupies of Putin
NRA= Nest of Russian Agents
Trump Org = Wholly-owned subsidiary of Putin, Inc.
Republicans are a lost cause. The only hope is a combined effort of voters at the polls in November and the Mueller probe.
4
Congressional republicans made a Faustian bargain: we'll let tolerate your racism, mysogyny, narcissism, mendacity, incivility and other fine "family values" as long as we get tax cuts and judges that we like. Yet any contract with the devil always contains one inevasible clause. Paul, Mitch, & Co, it's time to pay up. Kiss your souls good bye.
6
“Many Republicans found themselves wrestling with an unwelcome dilemma two years in the making: They could publicly undermine the president and risk upsetting the loyal Trump voters they need to win elections, or they could stifle their own long-held beliefs that Russia is a dangerous actor set on destabilizing the United States.”
Appalling that anyone can’t figure out which choice is the right one. Republicans continue to sell off pieces of their soul. They still haven’t figured out that the Devil doesn’t stop with a half-victory.
Enjoy your tax cut and your new Supreme Court justice. If you keep aiding and abetting this treasonous President, you may not have a country anymore.
The sniveling cowardly 'president' hasn't got the guts to stand by his own disgusting treasonous words. It was a quick trip from Helsinki to Russia..He should have made it..They would have welcomed him there. He should have been too embarrassed to return to this country...the one he betrayed. His Republican cohorts are so concerned for their own necks that they won't dare rile their ignorant constituents and call the traitor for what he is. What a cesspool he and they have created.
3
Of course trump & repulicans aren't going to DO anything. Putin just provided them the plan to swing the Nov election their way - they need all the help they can get and selling out it's citizens is just small potatoes.
Also, Putin needs the win to accomplish his goals. So he gets spineless Republicans conspiring with him and then uses that fact as blackmail.
3
Republicans are as weak and subservient to Trump and special interests as Trump is weak and subservient to Putin and the criminals that have passed on money and votes to him. They share his obvious disdain for American values and democracy and are damaging America daily. Expect nothing from them but rationalizations.
1
This the last chance for the Grand Old Party, Putin and Kim Jong Un have shown the world how to deal with a fake president
The fact that these "freedom caucus" Republicans would blame the reporters for asking the tough questions that need to be asked is astoundingly horrifying. This just proves that elements of the Republican party and their followers would welcome an autocracy and Trump as their dictator. Please vote Dem in 2018!
4
It is timely that President Trump is walking back on his stated and performed support of Vladimir Putin offered in Helsinki on Monday. Similarly, he later gave support to Theresa May--after first rebuking her leadership for its soft stance on Brexit in his interview with The Sun. However, given that the EU Remainers just lost their edge in UK parliamentary voting yesterday--reinforcing a hard Brexit--Trump's refashioning of his remarks on Putin may be too little too late. He has already proven destructive to the European Union.
At the very least, all of congress should require the translator used during the Trump/Putin meeting to be questioned about what was said in that meeting. Trump represents us, the American people, and claims (by Russia) to have made some good deals during that private conversation. Why shouldn't we know what they are?
2
“So I just think it was important for our friends and allies to hear from us.” Mr. McConnell - just how much longer do you think the rest of the world is going to think of the United States as its "friend and ally?" With every day that passes, the time grows shorter.
1
This will be like dealing with mass shootings. There will be the equivalent of "thoughts and prayers" and it will quietly go away.
But let's be clear. It will go away because McConnell and Ryan refuse to bring bills to the floor for votes. It will not be because of lack of purpose by Democrats. Those leaders are extremely powerful in being able to refuse to bring bills for a vote even if they would pass with a bipartisan vote.
A government dominated by one party is free to ignore every entreaty of Democrats and the majority of Americans because their voter base will support them with total disregard for whatever they do.
A balance is needed; it isn't there.
4
@dpaqcluck, only these two evil little boys retain the veto power that was supposed to equalize the grotesque malapportionment of the Senate.
1
In terms of "containing the damage" to the GOP, I wonder how this debacle is affecting the political calculation of the key six senators who will determine Kavanaugh's fate for SCOTUS.
Has Trump sustained enough political damage that these folks will feel emboldened to reject Kavanaugh? Will this tip the balance? Will this incident, along with the depraved treatment of immigrant families, give these fence-sitters enough pause that the nomination hearings can be delayed? The timing couldn't be better.
3
@Cousy, it all depends on what they believe God will do about staving off theocracy at the last possible moment.
Where are the Democrats?
Where is the vocal party leadership. Where is the anger, the dismay? Where is loud discourse on why and how this administration is sabotaging the country?
Poorly-attended press conferences on the steps of the Capitol with poorly-covered speeches and whispered attempts to put forth some sort of compensatory legislation do nothing.
Good grief. Republicans even control the clean-up narrative.
3
@Really - Where is the press? I don't see many interviews with Democrats or coverage of Democratic candidates.
The Google trends search for treason shows it highest than anytime records have been kept since 2004.
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=treason
Since that time the trend has been around the number 25, peaking to 50 for brief moments only 4 times, and when Trump entered the general election it hovered around 50 and peaked to 75 until Trump's latest gaff where the trend shot up to 100, the highest number on the scale, and has not yet peaked.
The positive thing in all this is that Trump is inspiring folks to get a civics lesson in treason by looking up the word. I can attest that Trump has inspired in me a great education on all matters of the political economy.
1
The Republicans are waiting for the Koch network to tell them what to do. One of the Koch brothers or another network member will soon be having dinner with Pence to drop off instructions on how the Republican Congress should proceed, just as they did on health care.
2
@dlb, the Koch boys fully support the US and Russia divvying up the next two trillion barrels of petroleum production.
1
They will offer Thoughts and Prayers at the demise of Democracy.
Any person in Congress who does not work to take action is aiding and abetting and should suffer the jail time associated with that crime.
5
Congress should not waste its time passing meaningless resolutions supporting NATO and the EU or supporting sanctions on Russia. Even if they pass sanctions, they have to depend on the Executive Branch to implement them, and Trump has already proved that he won't. What Congress should be doing is beginning impeachment proceedings against Trump, because he is clearly a foreign agent. And a foreign agent should not be allowed to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
1
I'm not interested in punishing the president; I believe we need to protect ourselves from his actions.
WITH ALL THE FLURRY In the houses of Congress to clean up the cataclysmic horrors that Trump has wrought, they overlook the fact that Trump has a brain disease that affects his ability to perform his official duties to the extent that he is incapable of fulfilling his official duties due to dementia. All the political maneuvering will amount to a hill of beans if Trump's urgent need for extensive neurological, neuropsychological and brain scan studies must be demanded immediately in order to gain an insight into whether Trump's brain is diseased. Brain scans readily reveal such problems. Neuropsychological testing fills in the details of precisely what tasks a person with brain disease exhibits. It seems that Trump has severe deficits in the language, memory and executive functions of the brain. He is disoriented in the three spheres of reality testing to time, place and person. Trump confused 9/11 and 7/11. 7/11 is a time, a place and also a person (being a corporation). He is incapable of understanding what is said to him beyond recognizing individual words and phrases, but cannot construct context or narrative in his mind. The quality of the his 140 character tweets is at the level of a middle school student of below average potential. Yesterday, he had difficulty reading a single complete sentence from his statement about supporting US intelligence. He seems to have severe deficits in his visual working memory. The 25th Amendment MUST be invoked immediately!!!
4
We,be all seen this character before.
In Thomas the Tank Engine:
The Schemer.
Also,
In Leave it to Beaver:
Eddie Haskell.
In Harry Potter:
Voldemort.
1
GOP will not follow through. Their craven desire for re-election by their right-wing constituents will prevail in the end. Don't believe McConnell and Ryan--they are lying, playing their standard games.
3
@H Kirk Hammond, take it from Senator Kennedy, everything they say is irrelevant and not even worth listening to. What they do is all that matters, and by then there is nothing that can be done about it.
No amount of explanations or excuses can undo the immeasurable damage that President Trump has done to our country. Any Republican who has mildly rebuked or outright supported Mr. Trump after Helsinki should be shown the door. The President's comments threw not just the US intelligence community under the bus but the entire country as well.
2
Trump's base cares about illegal immigration. They care about that first and are blind to other issues until they feel something is done about immigration.
So, what is Trump's strategy? Trump stokes the Democrats by separating families. Family separation is backward and mean, but it's done more to get liberals outraged, which works in Trump's favor. When liberals are outraged, Trump's base only sees disproportionate outrage and an obsession with liberal's concern of non-Americans over Americans. They also see an intentional destruction of their culture by urbanites, which they find jarring because they feel they have little control. Trump and outraged liberals give them a sense of control. The liberals are playing Trump's game on immigration, and the country will fight itself, which apparently Trump wants as a distraction from him.
Some advice to the Democratic party on how to handle conflicts, especially those that seem intractable. Be practical on immigration--remain practical. Talk about what should be done. Outrage is understandable, but it will work against you. In conflicts where one party is outraged, the conflict becomes about the outraged person/people and not the topic at hand. Stay on topic, and it will take the steam out of Trump on immigration. That's step number 1...I can't say that enough.
Next, focus mightily on Russia, the real existential threat.
For my sake, my family's sake, and for the country, good luck.
1
An honest book about the Republicans would detail their venality and could easily be titled "Profiles in Cowardice." Republicans can scramble all they want, but Trump is a problem of their own making. Why is anyone surprised that Trump betrayed the country in a press conference in order to curry favor Vladimir Putin? The real question is, what took him so long? Trump has said these very same things since before he even entered office, he just said them again while toadying up to his greatest benefactor, a Russian assassin and an autocrat.
Expect the Republicans to keep doing what they have been doing all along, betraying the republic for the sake of power. Many Republicans may find themselves in a "dilemma two years in the making" but they are the reason this is happening in the first place. Elected Republicans should be scared of their rabid base. However, as Republicans have delegitimized the very idea of good government for decades while at the same time hand feeding the Republican base a diet of hatred and resentment, they shouldn't be surprised that the mob they've created wants to devour them is they try to alter their diet. Republicans don't care about protecting the county, only about not "upsetting the loyal Trump voters they need to win elections." Expect them to "stifle" whatever beliefs they have that "Russia is a dangerous actor set on destabilizing the United States" and sell the country out.
I watched a video of the Trump/Putin press conference, including their prepared remarks and their answers to questions put to them by the press. During his prepared remarks Trump made very clear that he believed relations between the US and Russia had been bad for a long time had been made much better by virtue of this summit, that is, his meeting with Putin. His now controversial answer to the press question about Russian interference in the 2016 election is there for all to see and hear. His tone of voice and body language, particularly after his comments that the two countries are buddies now, belies the claim that he misspoke. He very visibly meant exactly what he said. Trump cannot ever admit that he intentionally did something wrong. The leadership has asked him to admit his mistake so Trump has taken, for him, the easy way out. He was telling the truth as he saw it then, he is lying now. I wish the Republican Party leadership had the guts to subpoena him to appear before a Congressional committee. But they won't. They are too afraid of losing their power. The bunch of them should go to prison.
2
Who's responsible for Trump? Obviously, those who voted for him.
A pledge to be taken by all voters:
"In future elections, I hereby pledge to take honesty, integrity, morality, truthfulness and decency into account over political policy preferences in selecting a candidate for any elected office. Further, I will reject bullying, innuendos and other negative campaigning techniques."
2
@jebeck, There's just no hope for fools who will vote for a six times bankrupt who claims to be a billionaire without proof that he cheerfully pays his fair share of support for the military industrial complex.
2
@Steve Bolger
As I remember Mr Trump said he hired the best to assist him in paying the least amount of taxes as that is good business.
The much touted tax cuts expire for folk in a few years but are a permanent gift to businesses. Most folk receive a minor amount of money from the tax revisions but the estate taxes for the wealthy are almost gone and business made out like bandits.
"...because the president in 15 minutes can foul up six months or a year of good will.” Sen. Corker.
An ill-disciplined and ill-informed DJT can foul up anything in less than 15 words not 15 minutes. The President's explanation the Helsinki press conference errors were poor elocution is nonsense and the Freedom Caucus rationalization the situation is the result of a reporter asking the wrong question is equally lame and orthogonal to DJT's explanation to boot. The tell-it-like-it-is, New York business man wilted in Helsinki and crumbled before an onslaught of criticism at home. The US President's words and administration's actions in trade, treaties and geo-politics are the result of repeated, nearly continuous, errors in judgment by the President, his cabinet and his co-dependant Republican caucus.
McConnell told reporters. “In the meantime, I think the Russians need to know that there are a lot of us who fully understand what happened in 2016 and it really better not happen again.”
Seriously? Is that all he's got? What a spineless response from the majority leader
3
The president, by inference, no longer believes that the Mueller investigation is a witch hunt, so neither should Congressional Republicans. We're looking at you Jim Jordan, Bob Goodlatte, Matt Gaetz, Louis Gohmert, Steve King, etc.
1
"They scramble to contain the damage."
One clear lesson should be taken from Trump's remarks in Helsinki and the Republican Party's response: we may at last divest ourselves of the notion that the Grand Old Party is a party representing the people of the United States.
Their silence and complicity in a (possibly) treasonous presidency--one that puts the economic interests of the oligarchs above the fundamental interests of the nation as a whole (a stolen election!)--makes plain the fact that the Republican Party serves only the world's plutocrats and no longer has any but a cynical interest in the rest of us.
Do I exaggerate? Read carefully the spin put on Trump's remarks by the party's most vociferous defenders on Capitol HIll and in the Propaganda Department at Fox News. Imagine for one second that Obama had made the comments Trump made after a meeting with Putin.
Let's hope the electorate wakes up and votes the Republicans out of office. But then the GOP will find yet another way to steal the vote ...
Here is the most alarming statement in the entire article: “House Republicans are.....bringing to the floor an appropriations package that eliminates funding for states to protect their election systems,”
What possible reason could Republicans have for eliminating that funding? I think the answer is pretty obvious.
1
This would be an opportune time for this game changer (I think it was published about 5 head spinning news cycles too early.) What are the odds of this happening? Slim to none. There aren't any Republicans who aren't dying or aren't running for re-election with the backbone to do the right thing. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/opinion/collins-murkowski-change-part...
Did anyone hear about detained immigrant children being given frozen sandwiches? Sleeping on concrete? Drinking dirty water?
No? If not, Trump has yet again distracted us from other problems. Not that this latest wasn't and isn't a HUGE deal, but it fills the airways and print space, diminishing our ability to see or have the energy for all else.
2
It is no mystery why the president and the Republican congress don't act strongly to punish Russia for interfering in our past elections and taking steps to prevent future intrusion. They were the beneficiaries of the interference and stand to benefit again in the future if Russia continues its illegal meddling in our elections. The simple fact remains that they're not going to bite the hand that feeds them.
See: RevolutionOfReason.com
1
It is time (way past time) for the GOP leadership to take a look into whether Trump is beholden to Putin, because it sure appears that he has something after that disgraceful Helsinki press conference. Standing up for Putin, one of the USA's toughest foes, is downright disgusting. Choosing Putin's "word" over the whole of our INTEL agencies is at best a betrayal of America and at worst treasonous. The man child is not fit for office and Congress ever so anxious to investigate Dems should investigate why Trump is so full of praise for this foe of American values. Yesterday is not soon enough!
Trump thought he was invulnerable. That he could wowie-zowie everyone...until he discovered in mid-lie that he couldn't. Now his fate is beyond his control. The only really important question remaining?
Will the American voter finally slap his/her forehead, turn pale, and beg for a second chance?
This time, think with a clear head: is "sticking-it-to-'em" [the " 'em" being Liberals] more important than considering just how important this election is? more than 2 million Americans died up until now protect our great, historic Democracy.
Now, EARN IT!
At this point I thint we can just abandon the myth that Republicans are patriotic.
4
There is only one nation celebrating what happened on Trump's European trip: Russia.
1
Trump is a Russian operative. Or he wants desperately to be one. The Republican Congress is most likely compromised, too, likely done with Russian money flowing into the NRA. How else can you explain the deafening silence each time Trump assaults America and/or The Constitution? If Russia could hack the DNC, why couldn’t they hack the RNC? Or launder money through the NRA by donating to all Republican candidates? That would also explain the unwavering support for the NRA in deference to the safety of our children at school and citizens everywhere. It’s beginning to look like the Republicans have sold their collective souls and made a deal with the devil to stay in power. If conservatives and “the base” can’t win democratically, they will abandon democracy. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And we all know who the devil is.
5
Any Republican who comes out and says they take Donald Trump at his word regarding that phony walk back yesterday, are as much a disgrace to this country as Donald Trump showed himself to be standing next to his mentor, Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump has turned our Presidency into an office of the weakling and coward, and in NO WAY projects strength.
It will soon be clear that Republicans who receive large financial help from the NRA for their elections, funded by secret Butina/Russian money, are in the pockets of Putin and therefore have lost their will to do anything constructive for America. This is easy to see. They are all conspirators and ALL should be charged under RICO.
1
There are two devastations taking place:
1) Trump throwing our country under the bus to keep Putin happy,
because.....?
2) McConnell and the Republican congress throwing our country under the bus to keep Trump happy, because.....?
They don't even bother with the facade of patriotism anymore.
1
Mr. Trump would have been better prepared had he practiced caddying on the golf course in Scotland prior to the summit. Putin would probably ignore any advice on club selection, but maybe help carrying the clubs??
And if Trump is guilty of treason, shouldn’t the Republicans who were the accomplices also be guilty of treason?
4
It is truly a sad day (among the many sad days we have had) when the alledged president takes orders from the Russian dictator to destroy our United States and defends his position. It is equally sad that the republicans don't have the courage or commitment to stand-up to this puppet, condemn him for his actions and implement steps to eradicate this national threat to our Country.
Republicans will do the same thing they always do: nothing.
This is nothing new. The plain truth for all to see is that Trump is a wholly owned vassal of the Kremlin, and unfit for the office he backed into via the electoral college which should have been tossed on the trash pile centuries ago. Trump is in hock to somebody for something, doesn´t matter whom or what. He is not a smart man. He is used to smash mouth talking but that does not work on the world stage. His debut in Europe was still born.
1
Hey GOP...trump is your Frankenstein.
I think those of higher intelligence can see where this is going.
1
Republicans may now have to face the possibility that the real leader of their party is Vladimir Putin. Why else would Trump be so servile?
2
Why has Mcconnell sat on his hands this year and just ignored the President’s nefarious acts and even defended this traitor when he could. It is obvious that Mcconnell is a feeble leader or himself a colluder with Russia. Which is it?
Why hasn’t Mcconnell demanded that the translator for Putin at the Helsinki meeting be interrogated? This should be a MUST. Americans have every right to know what really transpired. This whole deal is just another Republican coverup in a secretive administration that is supposed to represent we the American people not He that shameful
fool of a President.
2
Republicans would never ever subpoena the translator. If the nation finds out what was said behind closed doors it will show how ugly this man really is and where his loyalties belong. He has no love for America or the Americans.
1
After last act of mass treachery we allowed the traitors go unpunished and that has culminated in the current Republican voter base.
This time around, a massive prosecution is called for so that we are not left with Russian forces on American soil.
1
The house Freedom Caucus defines freedom as the right for Russia to imbed itself in your information stream, obfuscate the truth, and steal your vote. Some freedom! Deplorable.
1
Go ahead, spineless Republican Congress, stick with him if you wish. Perhaps by November, the Mueller report will be published and the voters will do your job.
1
The GOP is more of a mess than trump. The one word they love is "sanctions." It would appear that sanctions mean nothing to Putin. He prefers to run our country himself. How long will sanctions last once he fully takes over the trump puppet? The GOP wants to backdoor relationships with NATO and our European allies. Why is that? Because the president is un-moored and insane making policy up out of his, er, whatever. The GOP must get some medication for their collective anemia. If you're out talking behind the president's back about trade, NATO, etc. then something is VERY WRONG with the president. It is incumbent upon you, Congress, to take him on and bring him down. Quit talking out of both sides of your mouth and laying down publicly before trump while sort of undermining him in the background. STAND UP for this country.
“In the meantime, I think the Russians need to know that there are a lot of us who fully understand what happened in 2016 and it really better not happen again.”
YEAH! That'll strike fear in Putin's heart! "It really better not happen again"! GO MITCH!
1
If this outrage does not move the GOP to censure a treasonous president, nothing will.
Looks like nothing will.
2
Clearly this is more evidence something is very wrong, alarmingly wrong, with President Trump. His cognitive impairment has been on display for all to see since the beginning of the campaign, and his cognition continues to decline before our very eyes. It takes neither a rocket scientist nor a neuro-psychiatrist to arrive at the same conclusion.
Shame on our spineless cowardly Republicans for turning a blind eye to Trump as he wreaks havoc at home and on the world stage.
2
Congress won’t act. They are terrified for some reason beyond my critical thinking. I don’t like conspiracies or theories. But we, as people, should demand with the disclosure of why GOP lawmakers were in Russia to thaw the relationship prior to the president’s arrival. Obviously, they are really dumb to celebrate the 4th there. But that was just the cherry on the cake. It is time to learn more about why Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.), Steve Daines (Mont.), John Thune (S.D.), John Kennedy (La.), Jerry Moran (Kan.) and John Hoeven (N.D.), and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), spent Time in Moscow.
2
This article talks about Republicans “scrambling,” yet only offers quotes from the same 4 long time never-Trump Republicans (Corker, Flake & Co.) There are 50 Reublican Senators - not 4 - and many Republican congressmen who see this liberal partisan hit job on the President for exactly what it is. If liberals cared about Russian hacking, they would have said so when it happened - under Obama, who knew all about it and did nothing.
The Russians are taking over the government and the Congressional Republicans are responsible for providing weak resistance and plausible cover. The news media has been largely paid off and at least 30% of the population is effectively brainwashed.
How's that for a Twilight Zone episode? Call it "Comrade President".
If McConnell so loves America why does he say so little about American welfare? Instead he has covered for Trump all the way and is a dishonorable disloyal cad. Time to investigate him too.
2
Yadda, yadda, yadda. Let’s see how those GOP senators vote on a Supreme Court nominee who thinks presidents shouldn’t be bothered by pesky criminal investigations and indictments because they have important issues to deal with. For Trump that means: not reading daily intelligence briefings, watching Hannity and Fox & Friends, tweeting and going to bed with a double cheeseburger at 6:30 pm.
2
Koch brothers owned republicans and the other operatives they have installed in OUR government cannot contain this
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
WE THE PEOPLE - working together - will STOP THEM.
We have five living Past Presidents who were elected with little interference by the International Mafia who are trying to destroy OUR government right now. Presidents Obama, Bush Jr, Clinton, Bush Sr and Carter MUST step in and rescue OUR United States of America right now.
They can put The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren inside and outside OUR government under citizens' arrest for treason, lock them up and together manage OUR government until WE THE PEOPLE elect new Socially Conscious representatives and Mr. Mueller completes his investigations. NOW is the time.
Meantime, there a nationwide "Confront Corruption - Demand Democracy" vigil will be held tonight at 8 pm ET.
WE must participate to show our contempt for The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren. You can find a vigil near you at the link below. Step Up, Good People. Save the America most of us want.
https://www.confrontcorruption.org/
2
Trumpo’s GOP sycophants in the Congress are talking the talk but won’t walk the walk in terms of increased sanctions on Russia, a bill protecting Mueller, or a censure of their Ringmaster.
Now is the time for patriotism but apparently most in the GOP are willing to let Trumpo be a “useful idiot” of Putin in exchange for a tax bill and a couple SCOTUS picks.
“And Nero fiddled while Rome burned...”
2
McConnell is a toothless tiger. How about pulling you nose out of trumps behind Mitch and living up to the oath sworn to uphold the constitution? What a disgrace.
4
Pick up the phone!
Call your Republican Senator in D.C.
Don't just whine here in the friendly confines of the New York Times.
Pick up the phone NOW!
4
Paul Ryan says that he supports additional sanctions on Russia for its meddling, but it is our enabler in chief that has allowed this to happen and become such an issue. Russia and Trump are so intertwined that if you take action against Russia you must also curb our traitorous president. Trump often appears inexperienced and immature, but his bumbling statements and acts can not be excused because of his inexperience or immaturity if this is the cause of his dementia.
I believe Trump's actions are traitorous, but he puts up such a smoke screen it is almost impossible to see his motives. But stupidity will never excuse traitorous actions.
4
Problem is that the message to the Kremlin came out load & clear...there is no walking this one back. The Republicans have shown so far that they are not willing to place country over party. They are showing that they are weak every time they make excuses for this man.
4
I disagree with Mitch McConnell. I think the world has heard quite enough from the Republicans in Congress. They make the Keystone Kops look dignified by comparison. My modest proposal is that they be required to wear short pants and a t-shirt that reads "I'm with stoopid" and gather in a parking lot outside the capitol buildings where they can caucus and cast their votes. When they've paid their debt to society, they can be let back into the building.
3
Trump is a criminal. A manipulative traitor who is flaming religious fervor and fear into rage. To Russia, he is a tool. To the Republican party, he is a tool. As a human being, he is an aberration with no conscience and no morals.
I've reached the conclusion that humanity's prime motivators are greed and anger, and that the two feed off each other. Both come in many forms, and can be subtle or overt. Both are selfish and both can be rationalized. Both bring like-minded people together. Both are exciting. And you can reason with neither.
Unless there is a major distraction — a war on American soil that threatens us all — this country will become more and more like a mob.
4
“If I have to stop this car, kids, I swear you’ll regret it.”
Oooh, the Russians must be quaking in their boots. Old man McConnell wagged his finger. Sooo scary. They attack, we hide!
Mueller never said no collusion.
He said there was not not no collusion. Actually, he never said anything but I doubt he’d commit such a vicious crime against vocabulary.
4
Trump will destroy us. Even the despicable "christian" fanaticism of Pence is to be preferred. From that, we can recover.
2
"“The dam has broken. What we’ve got to figure out is how do we deal with it, because the president in 15 minutes can foul up six months or a year of good will.” Year? What year? Did I join rip Van Winkle? Good will? What good will? And the "how to figure out how to deal" is easy, but the Republicans are too ignorant and self-absorbed to get it: Impeach this poor excuse for a human being, let alone the president of the United States.
4
Do old, bleached-out men and women have backbones or malleable cartilage spines? Neither. Gelatinous ... actually. The prez has completely twisted them ... but we know that they needed little twisting of their already amoral and unethical ways to become the real danger to this country that they are.
1
OK left -- let me get this straight:
1) Russia isn't our enemy if Obama says it isn't
2) But if Russia can be used against Trump, it's the biggest threat to our country since, well, since...
3) We want open borders so anyone can live here (and vote)
4) But them pesky Russkies aren't allowed to have a preference for who wins the presidency.
5) Obama and every president in recent history has pushed NATO members to pull more of their weight
6) Trump calls them on the carpet and he's the biggest threat to our way of life since...
7) Our intel services have been repeatedly wrong on a number of issues. The domino theory (remember that). WMDs. And virtually everything historically regarding Russia.
8) But they couldn't be possibly wrong re the hacking.
9) If a Russian hacked the DNC, it had to be because Putin ordered it.
10) If a Russian hacked the DNC, it had to be because Trump showed them where the server was.
Blah Blah Blah.
Obama colluded with Russia.
If you recall, at a nuclear disarmament summit in Seoul in March 2012, President Obama was caught on a hot mic talking to Russian President (at the time) Dimitri Medvedev. "This is my last election," Obama said. "After my election I have more flexibility." "I understand," Medvedev is recorded replying. "I will transmit this information to Vladimir."
He is a danger to our country. He cannot be trusted with anything sensitive. He boldface lying itself disqualifies him any office.
Paul Ryan once again lost his spine. Chuck them all out.
7
Republicans ought to be focused on containing the threat from Russia.
1
Trump is so blatantly bad and destructive, and dangerous for the US and the rest of the world in almost every respect (the list is long and growing, and needs no repetition here) that it’s impossible to overlook. Why he behaves this way is an interesting question, but that’s irrelevant at the moment: he is the way he is, and that’s enough. I refuse to accept that his erstwhile supporters and his advisors, even the most conservative Republicans, are mostly stupid. Still, it seems that some misguided sense of partisan politics continues. How long will it be before both parties can finally sit down together, to protect our country from further harm? The mid-terms are coming, and that may result in a sea change, but Congress has to act sooner, to at least curtail the risk Trump currently poses. Impeachment is a possibility, but I’m afraid of the consequences, at least as it looks now, but something must be done, quickly and definitively. It’s no longer “before it’s too late”, because it’s already too late.
1
There are no Republicans, only the leadership of the Slave States of the Confederacy.
The Republican party disappeared over the years as the Conservative Democrats of the Old South switched to the Republicans and carried on as Culture Warriors, fighting in every statehouse and school board to over come local liberal politicians and successively taking on the house and senate, and then the presidency.
They are Confederates, folks, not Republicans.
3
The more I think about this, the only conclusion I can draw is that Putin does have something. My guess? A video so salacious, so disturbing, perhaps even so criminal, that even for someone as shameless as Trump, he'd do anything to prevent its release. And that's truly a dangerous situation.
5
@Kevin
More likely Putin has a financial hold on Trump. Should Putin call in Trump's debts, Trump would be finished.
Trump is a bully who met a bigger bully and caved with a whimper. That's what bullies do. That's what happened in Helsinki with Putin, and the rest is theater.
The Democrats will pounce on what he said but fail to make it stick. The Republicans are satisfied with what he has done, and will do nothing. The two wild cards are the mid term elections, and Mueller's findings.
3
There is another group of Americans who Trump has betrayed this week: his rabid supporters.
From the very beginning he said appreciated supporters who weren't too intelligent.
It is clear that he relied on their gullibility.
Now, with this ridiculous display of "correcting" one word, it is clear that he thinks his supporters are actually so stupid they would fall for a lie a third-grader would pull off. Sad.
6
Is it possible that Republicans in control won’t check this President because Putin has compromising information on ALL of them?
2
Its curious to me that everyone believes that the Russians only hacked Clinton and the DNC. Wouldn’t it have been wise to also hack trump and the republicans. Just in case....
WOW! the "freedom carcass" statements were stunning. They have placed loyalty to a man above loyalty to constitution, country, and their oath of office. They are a check- not a rubber stamp- to executive power. Even if the president did not say the stupid things he said, there were no grand achievements, political, economic, social, NOTHING! It was a photo op and a chance for rump to snuggle with his idol.
Nothing will come of this, just another moral barrier steam rolled by this wrecking machine. Its always the same GOP politicians outraged, but they are outliers. The leadership and main stream will soft peddle their frustration and kill any legislation in committee. The extreme Zombies will sing the praises of this clown.
Remember how they crowed when Obama bowed to a Saudi royal? Virtually and impeachable offense by their standards. they are a disgusting lot. This country needs two things:
The truth. My confidence in Muller is strong, this investigation is text book perfect.
Votes. Americans need to vote for people who believe in constitutional powers. they don't need to be democrats but they better have a track record that shows they will stand up to the clown king.
3
Now Republicans would have us believe that standing next to a war criminal and embracing his dictatorship will become a normal? When the spin factory gets done with it, yep. Why wouldn't they when there's a buck to be had?
2
It's clear.
Impeach Trump before he kills us all.
Whomever finds their spine and moves to legally remove this fool from office will go down in history with Lincoln, Washington and every other hero, great or small, responsible for the survival of our democracy.
5
I am befuddled. I think Mike Pence is a liberals nightmare, but what can the Repubs not achieve in the policies they want with him at the helm instead of the deranged Trump. What power does Trump wield that is not obvious? My only conclusion is cowardice and misplaced self interest. It is time to enact the 25th amendment.
The way Americans can contain the damage of an "unfit to serve" occupant in the Oval Office is to VOTE VOTE VOTE November 2018 in the midterm elections to move the House of Representatives to a majority of Democrats.
After the debacle of his European trip, and betraying the United States right in front Putin on a live broadcast feed - that was not "fake news" -whose government obstructed the 2016 elections but in whom the Betrayer-in-Chief hailed as "truthful" over numerous United States reports to the contrary - it is essential to remove this abhorrent Oval Office occupant as soon as legislatively possible.
Impeachment proceedings emanate from the House of Representatives so please vote - our democracy depends on it.
2
I'm just a dumb rural Mainer, but it seems easy to me: This President has been compromised by something he's done, and Russia is holding the cards on it. He is an 'asset' of Russia, sitting in the Oval Office. Stunning.
Republican or Democrat doesn't matter. Don't get reelected if you say something, doesn't matter. Trump will be mad at you? Doesn't matter. If you are a patriot, if you love America and Democratic values, CENSURE this President NOW. Sen. Collins and Sen. King are you listening to your constituents? Have a Margaret Chase Smith moment and DO SOMETHING NOW. We're fed up out in rural Maine and YOU can stand up and do something about it.
9
What to contain?
If you're a true American - either republican or democrats or independent- you will go after president & remaining GOP supporter as a traitors - who have sold their soul to Devil and continue to hurt America.
Anyone who even thinks to manage or deflect are part of that traitor wagon.
There is nothing to think or analyze - it's about America - our America.
2
All the sycophantic baloney spewing from the masters of the great sausage factory on the Hill (McConnell, Ryan, Corker, Flake et al) belie the unassailable truth as evidenced by this:
"As promised, Democrats forced a procedural vote that would have condemned Mr. Trump’s remarks in Helsinki and affirmed the findings of American intelligence agencies that Mr. Putin ordered an influence campaign meant to tip the scales in 2016.
The vote failed along party lines."
Q.E.D.
1
The rhetoric from the Left is dangerous to our democacy. Media glorifies Brennan who once voted for a Communist. Comey who was caught in his web of lies. Clinton who pretended not to understand she had thousands of files deleted. Bill who took a hammer to her hard drive. Bill who met in secret with Lynch. The DNC caught giving debate questions to Clinton and caught cheating Bernie. Obama who tapped cell phones of world leaders and interferred with elections in Isreal and Russia. Obama who told Romney Russia was not a threat. Obama caught telling Putin he would be more flexible after the election. Senior people in the Intel community who were caught talking about stopping Trump and having an insurance policy. This is just a partial list. Time to think carefully about what is happening here. Why the deep state wants Trump out. Time to join the Walk Away movement.
Miken, what is the "Walk Away" movement? Never heard of it, and I am very curious.
1
Speaking on behalf of Literally The Rest Of The Entire Planet (comprising America's oldest friends and deepest foes alike), I think we would absolutely *love* to see Trump walk away.
Also speaking as an outsider thousands of miles away, I won't take a deep dive into all your swirling deep state conspiracies.
(I'm not wearing my tin foil hat, after all, look unfortunate with my Dad Bod in Speedos, and my hair would get awfully frizzy.)
1
@Tom Goslin I think it's something like all of us liberals must leave our intelligence behind and follow their Dear Leader. As if!
"It really better not happen again." That's the best Mitch McConnell can do?? He sounds like a mom scolding her naughty four-year old in the supermarket.
5
@Don White, and when it does happen again, it will be another fait accompli. McConnell is the wormiest creep and liar in Washington.
1
And I recall the days, not all that long ago, when Republicans regularly used phrases like “better dead than red,” “the evil empire” and “commie pinko” in routine reference to Russians. Now they find common cause with them, and even side with them over and above their very own countrymen and democratic institutions. What happened?
2
"The vote failed along party lines." See, America can fall just like every other "Empire.'
1
McConnell needed to speak long ago. Instead he went along with the Russian/US palship as long it suited his suspicious politic. Exactly how much is he involved in the 2016 election fraud? Is he as big a traitor as Trump? His ongoing silence till now suggests he too was happy to collude with Russia till
things went awry?
2
Regardless of what does or doesn’t happen here in response to Trumps perfidies Putin’s goal of destabilizing American democracy and fracturing the western alliance continues unabated. Trump doesn’t need to be a traitor or compromised to serve the needs and goals of those seeking chaos. He merely needs to be himself, a shallow narcissistic carnival barker who has had good fortune to be born into wealth and have people to clean up after him all his life. Now its the Republican leadership turn, Trump is the bull in the china shop and the damages will be considerable.
3
The GOP wishes they could brush this off and move on.
But here at home and around the globe no one can unsee and unhear Trump’s act of treason. The “walkback” was a joke and no one of any reasonable intelligence is buying it.
The videos of Trump blaming America and siding with the Kremlin will be played endlessly during the midterm campaigns.
Good luck to the GOP, the leader of their party is an incompetent disgrace.
3
There really is no way to undo this one. Backtracking makes a weak president appear weaker. Man up trump, man up and take one on the chin for the good of the American people who are increasingly becoming fed up with your tomfoolery. The damage is done. Election day is on the way.
While some may think the world sees America being made great again, the world is laughing at America being made into a joke.
1
Imagine if this were Clinton instead! She would have been jailed by now! These Republicans care nothing about the American people, truth, or morality, and yet they are in charge of the country. I am fuming!
5
Every single registered Republican whether elected or appointed into office owes every single US citizen an apology for enabling, an explanation for to be judged by, and a promise to stop--once and forever-- enabling this POTUS in it's unhinged and psychotic actions. I can't even print his name or office anymore.
2
" “If there’s anything treasonous that’s gone on,” said Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, “it’s that operation right now to sow distrust in our duly elected president of the United States.”"
Apparently, after nearly 2 years, the Republicans still have not gotten around to reading the Constitution. That's where the official definition of "treason" is, and disrespect for idiotic behavior in the President is not in it.
6
Trump’s base will never abandon him. Not even blows to their own livelihood occasioned by his stupid tariffs will move them. Why do expect them to care for people killed in Ukraine (and people ARE being killed in Ukraine) or for the collapse of the international treaties? Most of them live in the world of the Alex Jones New World Order, chem-trails and the coming Rapture. No rational argument will ever move them and even after Trump is gone, this group of people will be a ticking bomb within the US. But there are others, independents or conservatives, who despise Russia, are in favor of free trade, and most of all, abhor weakness. How many of them voted for Trump because a woman could not be “tough” enough? Well, what do you call Trump’s performance with Putin? Any accurate description would not be fit to print in a family newspaper. But unless the Democrats hammer home the shamefulness of this spectacle, they will have lost this golden opportunity to cut Trump down to size. The mob adores a brutal leader but like a pack of wolves, turns against a weakling.
1
McConnell is also to blame. He quashed the statement that would have gone out in 2016. Shame on him. And all Republicans who would worry more about their brainwashed base than our democracy.
4
So long Harrison and Davidson. So long far right. Your days of "power" are numbered. You don't have a leg to stand on. And voters can't wait.
1
The GOP Congress won’t lift a finger to protect our country from Russian aggression. We the people need to lift our fingers and vote Democratic In November.
5
I really don't know what this does for the Democrats and the midterms.
Many voters do not care about Russian meddling because they either have to worry about their everyday challenges or really don't know how it impacts the country.
In normal times, I would think Trump's behavior and the way he is doing is his job would be a significant factor in November. I really don't know now.
Also, will independents punish the Republicans for trading Trump's behavior for getting the other policy implementations they want? Will the voters make them "pay the piper"?
The Democrats need to present a coherent strategy on the national security of this country and other policy issues.
However, this is more about electability in order to stop the slide into the abyss. Our party needs to stop worrying so much about policy and more about who can win in what district.
Policy positions don't mean anything unless the party wins back a branch of government.
2
@Mgk. The Democrats need to present a coherent strategy on the national security of this country and other policy issues.
Oh, a strategy such as condemning Russia for interfering in Americas electoral process, demanding extradition of Russian agents who implemented this attack and imposing painful sanctions on the offender?
How about reaffirming our solidarity with NATO and the EU?
1
@lhurney
All good points and I agree...however, are there enough people paying attention?
The scandals, the Russia probe, the outright hatred of immigrants all are reasons to turn out the Republicans....but are there enough who will bother to vote?
By allowing Trump to destroy the country just because they want a conservative agenda without any support from the rest of the nation, the GOP is complicit in the crimes being committed. Meanwhile, our Allies are being humiliated and alienated, while our enemy primarily Russia is being praised. Our future rests with the successful conclusion to Mr. Mueller's investigation.
1
When will the Mueller investigation final report be released? Knowing the results, Congress would have a better idea of how to proceed, respond to our allies, and protect our democracy from hackers, manipulators, and spies.
1
The Republicans may be in damage control mode, but we know they won't do much.
This is really about the Democrats. They have the ball; it's theirs to drop.
1
They don't need to do damage control; they need to take immediate and significant action against Trump. Words mean nothing. What are they going to DO?
4
Playing to the basest of the base: “I call that a successful summit,” said Representative Andy Harris, Republican of Maryland, “and I disregard and discount anything that involves the mainstream media press.” Trump still has an incredibly unwavering posse willing to dismiss what we see and hear. Any reporting or analysis not airing on Fox News (analysis and Fox News are antithetical, I know) is "fake," and the truth is whatever POTUS says it is today. Troubling, for sure.
1
The Republicans need to do their job of checks and balances. Firmly!
Trump is unwilling to purely deal with the fact that Russians have been intent on sabotage of our election systems. It didn't just happen in 2016. We know it is ongoing. The President is the only one who tries to deny this.
Trump is failing at his number one duty to keep us safe from enemy nations. He refuses to say this was an actual " attack" in 21st Century cyberwar methods. He is terming it mere "meddling when the enemy is spying, breach our security and attacking on our electoral equipment and information.
It is NOT meddling. It is actual warfare. It is inexcusable that the Commander in Chief wants to deny this and wants to befriend our biggest foe.
Most Americans are NOT happy with Trump making adversaries of allies--from U.K., to Europeans, to Canadians. ( It is a sad day when America cannot get along with Canadians of all people!)
Republicans have NOTHING to lose in finally doing their job, speaking out strongly, and holding the executive branch to the line--requiring the Chief Executive to do his job.
Incidentally, it is appalling that when Trump's White House staff prepared a 100 page briefing about Putin for Trump to study, he refused to do so.
A President who will not read intelligence briefings, nor critical staff briefings in preparation for meeting our worst foe is failing.
Likewise, it is a failure to exclude the Secretary of State from a meeting with Putin.
4
When is a president not a president? The moment he sides with a foreign foe. Trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube, trying to get the ketchup back in the bottle. Gentlemen , wake up its all out there. It's past the band-aid remedy. The patient is terminal. We know this man. We know his true feelings and motives. They will never be in our "best" interests. Give it up. Get to work. Denouncing strongly his speech loud and clear. And for our sakes, for the sake of our country, start making him accountable for his words and actions.
1
To me the attacks against Republican's basic loyalty to the country makes sense. They fear Trump's base but beyond that I wonder if some of them aren't hoping for Russian cyber-help for their party in the mid-terms. It is astonishing how broken the country has become.
3
Trump bowed in obsequious fealty to Putin. Are we shocked?
And how does this differ from Trump's easy assent to everything that The Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society, Stephen Miller and Republican Congress put on his desk to sign - regardless of its impact on the American people or the common good?
1
"thoughts and prayers" again. That's all the Republicans are good for in life or death situations that call for action (with the 30,000+ gun deaths in the U.S. every year, they are the cause through their inaction). Here their actions show the opposite of protect the security of U.S. elections; they have just canceled the mandatory reporting of who the big donors are to the elections. This would allow foreigners to continue to secretly finance elections, as well as domestic Russian fellow travelers in the fossil fuel industries (emissions from burning oil and coal are doing in the planet--we need major government initiatives to switch to renewables, which are actually cheaper). Oil and coal finance the Republicans, just as oil revenues almost solely finance Putin. Republican actions indicate they intend to accept Russian influence, whether it be through Trump, who is their puppet, or through further undermining voter trust through social media, RT/Fox, or propaganda efforts of the NRA to sow discord (and sell more guns like assault rifles whose purpose is to kill people).
2
Just as the Soviet Union went through a period of de-Stalinization, the Republican party needs to undergo a period of de-Trumpification.
Although unlikely, let's hope that continued pressure will mark the beginning of the end of the Trump cult of personality.
1
Republicans Scramble to Contain Trump’s Damage, but Path is Unclear:
Wrong. The path is crystal clear. Republicans refuse to travel the correct path. We do not rid ourselves of Trump until we rid ourselves of Republicans. Vote.
1
What scares me is what Trump promised Putin in his closed door meeting and what Putin promised in return. Will we turn into an arm of Russia -- isolated from allies, no more free press, protests violently squelched, and personal freedom narrowed? The Republican leadership talks about "moving forward" which makes me think they're also compromised. There's no easy way out of this. So frightening.
2
It should be clear that absent both legislation and calling Mr Trump before a Congressional inquiry, both Mr. McConnell and Mr. Ryan are co-conspirators in this affair. When the truth comes out (if ever), we can only hope that they will be punished accordingly.
3
Does the definition of "scrambling" include such things as "ignore" "endorse" "run and hide" I hope Americans do not have a short memory and will remember this come November.
2
The tepid criticism the republicans offer here falls into the same category as "thoughts and prayers" after a mass shooting. Their words are cheap and meaningless until they take action.
After they offer their thoughts and prayers in response to a shooting, we're told it's too soon to discuss solutions.
Guess it's too soon to discuss solutions for trump's ongoing vicious destruction of our national ideals, our moral standing, and our international relationships (and the list goes on).
1
Now is the time, now is the time, NOW IS THE TIME for the Democrats to take back the label "patriot".
The Republicans stole the term, wrapped themselves in the flag, dragging out Lee Greenwood, at every possible event, to sing "Proud to be an American".
Well, it's time to take it back. Remember FDR, "proud liberal"? Take that back, too. Liberal should not be a dirty word.
Stand up, Democrats. Wrap yourselves in the flag. Shout out that we are patriots. The time is now.
2
"Republicans Scramble to Contain Trump's Damage", yadda, yadda, yadda. How many times in the last year and one-half have we seen a similar headline? Did they draw up articles of impeachment? If it was Obama doing 1/10th of what Trump has done thus far in his presidency, impeachment would have been the least of the consequences. There is zero accountability from the Republican congressmen, true patriots that they are. Devin Nunes, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and Jim Jordan might as well have carried Putin off the dais at Helsinki, in triumph, like a football coach who won the Superbowl, that is how complicit they are in the corruption.
1
Republicans seem to have launched a two pronged attack; some join in with Trumps methodology; lying, while others opt for reassurance of who America's enemies really are. Not one Republican holds Trumps foot to the fire.
1
To late. This paper has been filled with pleas for Republicans to do something about D. Trump and they have done almost nothing. Now it is too late to regain their reputation. And it mostly falls on the congressional leaders.
Interesting line in this article,The rank and file republicans are casting about for something,anything to do...there is something they can do ,start impechment proceedings,get ride of this embarressment of a president,they will keep their base happy pence will finish the term he cannot be worse then trump
1
It seems like there is no one that can influence the POTUS except Putin. While Dan Coats is trying to sound the alarms our Congress especially the GOP members are incredibly nonchalant while the fabric our country is on fire. I guess Melania, Ivanka, Eric, Don Jr and Jared are too afraid of the POTUS to try to influence him.
1
There is no way to get out of this. We need to register and vote these people out of office, starting in November! Those who have allowed this to happen must go!!
2
Why is Chuck Schumer's response so incredibly weak? Trump's walk back wasn't just late, it was pathetically insincere. He spat at the very idea of telling the truth or being held accountable for what one says. Sanctions on Russia are not the proper response to that. A demand for condemnation of that despicable and childish walk back is required. A demand for Republicans to acknowledge the threat Russia poses to our elections and immediate emergency legislation to secure our voting system is what is called for.
1
By not condemning, censuring and perhaps impeaching the president for the Helsinki debacle, the GOP in Congress have enabled the president to become dictator.
We've no idea what was said or agreed to behind closed doors by two men who are known liars. Worse, Congress and the Intelligence Agencies and the State Department have no idea what was decided.
If Trump's breaking of his oath of office in Helsinki is not grounds for impeachment, this country is in the hands of a man who is incapable and unfit for protecting and defending us. He has pledged his allegiance to Putin.
1
The Republicans are saying, "Nothing to see here, let's just move along."
Never has there ever been such a shameful demonstration of placing what is best for the party ahead of what is best for the USA.
6
McConnell is delusional, if he thinks his comments yesterday will provide any assurance to our NATO allies or the rest of the free world.
What most Americans and the rest of the world see is that Trump does whatever he wants and the GOP-controlled Congress ignores the damage other than a few mild, verbal expressions of displeasure.
McConnell is living in a fantasy world, if he doesn't recognize that no intelligent person sees the Republicans in the Senate as 'checks and balances' on Trump.
McConnell has yet to take any action to control Trump and he has yet to take any action to protect Mueller's investigation.
Let's not forget that, when Obama confronted the Gang of Eight with intelligence reports on Russian interference, it was McConnell, who refused to agree to a meaningful public statement.
Ryan is equally delusional if he thinks the House would ever agree to more sanctions against Russia or take any other meaningful action regarding Trump-Putin. Asof today, several of Ryan's committees are engaged inappropriate behavior.
History will record, at best, that McConnell and Ryan were the primary Trump enablers. If McConnell and Ryan allow the Mueller investigation to be stopped, they will have become traitors.
It must be exhausting these days to be a liberal and walk around in a constant state of rage, hate and anguish.
Keeping a fire going when there is no fuel is very difficult.
1
It would be easier, and more pragmatic in the long-run, for the Republicans to abandon Trump. Then, there would only be one rat left on the ship (of state).
1
It's Wed AM. MSNBC just interviewed two Trump voters/supporters. They are fine with last week, still insist "...He is a businessman, an entrepreneur, he supports blue-collar American...there's all this backlash..I totally support him". And Trump is sure the upper levels of the intelligence community are also totally okay with everything he said in Helsinki.
We need to develop a gentle program to un-brainwash some willing Trump voters who are wondering why they are mysteriously nauseated everyday. It is because DJT lied to us all. His campaign slogan was actually Make Russia Great Again. The very stable genius does not know what intelligence mean, not a single one of its meanings. He is cunning, devious, selfish but is also of average intelligence, poorly educated, cannot speak or read English well. Most importantly to every American, all that he does is for the purpose of protecting and enriching himself.
2
My Congressman, Dave Brat, in the Virginia 7th, has tested out the Red Square Republican strategy; Blame Obama.
Yes he says Obama knew about the hacking and didn't do anything about it, conveniently leaving out the fact that McConnell wouldn't let that information be released.
But he's now running against Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA Agent who knows the intelligence/defense world.
3
Mr. McConnell told reporters. “In the meantime, I think the Russians need to know that there are a lot of us who fully understand what happened in 2016 and it really better not happen again.”
*******
The Russians stole the election for the Republicans. How are the Republicans going to mitigate that?
6
"After Republicans pleaded privately with the White House for Mr. Trump to clean up his remarks, the president walked back his comments, asserting that he had misspoken a day earlier in Helsinki, Finland."
Trump only tried to make it look like he was walking back ONE comment, and he failed to do that.
He can't mean that he "accepts" our intelligence agencies' "conclusion" if he continues to lie -- in the SAME sentence -- that Russia failed completely in their mission ("no impact at all") and that the extent of Russia's attack on our democracy is still questionable by downplaing their involvement by immediately muddying that "conclusion" by saying, "could be other people also -- a lot of people out there."
And if he supported the intelligence agencies he wouldn't have tweeted on the way to Helsinki that he blames all our problems with Russia on other Americans.
Trump has long loved Russia (he made a play to be ambassador to Russia in the 80s) and he keeps trying for his Russian reset, kissing Putin's behind, and living out the disturbing Charlottesville white supremacists' chant, "Russia is our friend!"
And while it looks like his so-called administration and Congress are punishing Putin for his attacks on us despite Trump's subservience, the sanctions are pointless since Trump refuses to enforce them.
Please, please, please, NYT -- wake up and stop letting Trump bamboozle you.
You have to call Trump's lies what they are -- lies -- and not what Trump pretends they are.
4
Over the last 20 years we have moved the border of Russian controlled territory from the suburbs of Hamburg practically to the suburbs of St. Petersburg. We've taken every single Soviet client state in Europe except Moldova plus (so far) 3 actual Soviet Republics (the Baltics). And now we're taking Ukraine, the heartland (and bread basket) of Slavic culture.
Of course they're resentful. And of course they'd like to turn things back.
But for all their warheads and tanks and jets what have they been able to do (other than keep backing up)? They've hacked the DNC and a few state election commissions.
Big deal.
We, the Chinese, the Israelis, and probably even the Irish do that (and worse) every day of the year.
All this outraged bluster is going to take us back to having tanks parked along the NATO/Warsaw Pact border. Except now the Warsaw Pact is gone and the border is 500 miles closer to the Russian heartland, and will be proportionately more volatile.
The Cold War has been over for 30 years. Please quit trying to restart it.
2
Blah blah blah.
For years trump has been against his European allies and for Russia.
After the debacle with The U.K., EU and NATO. And Trump living up to all the worst predictions from before the meeting. The GOP is getting cold feet.
It’s too little too late.
Trump is not setting back relationships with the EU by 6-12 months. He is potentially settling them back by decades
I
2
It's too bad that when listening to Senator Schumer, it's somewhat more exciting watching paint dry or seeing grass grow.
3
@Doremus Jessup
And yet, all the progressives of New York love the guy. (how many terms in office?)
whatever!
@Doremus Jessup
Its too bad that citizens think that governing should be entertaining rather than informative. But then,
when the nation has the Republicans acting as the
Keystone Cops and Fox News delivering the show
every day its unreasonable to expect anything more
civic minded.
To the Democratic leadership: Republicans have to be called out by name and loudly. Risk your friendships for the sake of the country. Hold a press conference. Make a commercial. Propose a march. To everyone else: It's time for concerned citizens to boycott any company that advertises on Fox. It's time to relentlessly call your Congress person and those that aren't yours if you have something to say. Call your friends in red states. Do something every day.
Republicans are the problem. Trump is the symptom, but it's time to turn your attention away from him and to those who enable him. Stop Kavanaugh. Don't let up on Ryan and McConnell. They get away with unbelievable hypocrisies. Stop making nice. Stop criticizing Maxine Waters and join her!
6
Where' s the outrage? Throughout a history of red-baiting, the GOP took down Hollywood actors and writers just for being in the company of suspected 'commies.' More recently, they vilified the Dixie Chicks for a simple uncomplimentary remark about Bush.
Yet, when their own guy in Washington elevates the stature of a hostile dictator and publicly renounces our own government, they simply shift into damage control mode.
12
@Misterbianco, Ronald Reagan got a lot of action on his office casting couch out of that as President of the Screen Actor's Guild.
The reason so many Republican legislators are groveling before Trump is simple. Russian money was funneled thru the NRA to many, if not all, of their campaigns (and/or their pockets). Follow the money!
9
Mcconnell"s rebuke is too little too late and wasn't even believable. What has Been in his role in trump's treason?
4
@CdRS Remember that McConnell refused to stand with Obama to make a bipartisan statement about the Russian interference BEFORE the election. That is where McConnell was complicit. Right there was an egregious choice to put politics before country. History will record it as such.
The GOP has made its deal with the Devil, and only now they discover the price was too high.
2
Barely two days later and it's all over as Americans turn their minuscule attention spans to the next shiny thing. Ethics is now measured not by lifetimes but by hours. America is a ship adrift with a rotten captain and derelict crewmen.
6
@Ed L. The US has been swamped by the fake morality of fools who project their own narcissism onto the whole universe.
"Many Republicans found themselves wrestling with an unwelcome dilemma two years in the making: They could publicly undermine the president and risk upsetting the loyal Trump voters they need to win elections, or they could stifle their own long-held beliefs that Russia is a dangerous actor set on destabilizing the United States."
Well. I guess I can understand that. When you are a weathervane to dark money and popular opinion, you wait to see which direction the wind is blowing.
While you are waiting, dear GOP, please note:. There is no such thing as damage control or containment when the subject is treason. Any way you slice it, your party will now be associated, TWICE, with criminal Presidents. I may not be a pollster, but I think this is pretty much not the brand you seek. You are creating an entire generation of people who won't so much be Democrats as they will simply be anti-Republican.
......and just a minor note on behalf of your soul: Best not to be a weathervane. Best to be a person of conviction, courage and morals. When your inner compass is set to "do good" and driven by the golden rule, true moral clarity becomes the guide. As much as you people like to drape yourselves with the Christian flag, your embracement of liars and cheaters with a side helping of guns, corruption, bigotry, and classism, make you a very unappealing dish.
I suspect in coming elections, people will pass.
I know I will for the rest of my natural life. As will my kids.
9
Republicans, wake up and smell the coffee. The Helsinki "Summit" is the equivalent of the Watergate Tapes. Your party supported Nixon until the tapes proved that there was a criminal conspiracy with him at the top. Then and only then did they go to him and tell him he was finished. Trump's failure to defend this country from Putin's blatant aggression is criminal and violates his oath of office.
Now is the time for Trump to be told to resign or face the worst. And we have yet to hear what revelations Mueller has up his sleeve.
Trump's campaign slogan was Make American Great Again. Millions of his followers cheered him on and believed the lie that he was selling. His base is made up of people who consider themselves American patriots. They honestly thought that Trump would restore America to world prominence and prosperity. Trump touted his business acumen and the strengths of his negotiating skills as a way to set the US straight after years of neglect.
If his base can look at his actions in Helsinki and Europe and think that this buffoon is the great American that he says he is, than we are in bigger trouble than we thought. It is time for ALL Americans to take a stand against this treasonous snake and get him out of Washington.
Republicans need to grow a spine and do something before the Red Party becomes a party of Reds. History will not look kindly at their failure to act as the patriots they are supposed to be. Neither will the electorate in November.
4
Republican politicians are delusional. Mitch McConnell says that he and his party have reaffirmed to the EU that the Senate Republican majority considers Europe to be an ally? Really, what about those seven republican senators and one congress woman who traveled to Russia a short while ago to debase themselves and the country? Whom should we believe? The president and his ardent supporters? Or a majority leader who does whatever it takes to advance the goals of his party, no matter how unethical or even unconstitutional it is? Who doesn't have the guts or morals to step in to stop this president?
And now this president who commits treason, and his republican supporters refuse to either admit it, or just tsk tsk him like a child that made a minor boo boo. Really? Democrats tried to force a procedural vote to condemn the president's actions in Helsinki, and affirmed the findings of the intelligence community that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections. And it failed because republicans voted against it? Really? Where is your credibility, republicans?
In case you have not noticed it, the EU has been moving quickly. It just signed a YUGE free trade agreement with Japan. This trade agreement covers 1/3 of the world's economy. Guess what? Nobody even considered asking the US to participate.
Polls have shown that most Germans want the US military out of their country. NOW. They actually consider trump's America to be more dangerous than Russia.
8
I live 25 years in Sweden and I can say first hand that at least 8 out of 10 people I met felt the same way. That America is more of an obstacle to world peace than Russia is.
1
Republicans always try to correct the President when he makes a mistakes and he corrects it. That is what happened with his family separation policy and Russian meddling statement. In the latest incident it is not the Republicans who got damaged, but the Democrats, fake news and some of the intelligence people who called the President a traitor and treasonous. They have done irreparable damage to their credibility.
1
Maybe these dishonorable Republicans will FINALLY see it fit to protect Rosenstein and Mueller from being fired by the very man they are investigating?
6
And no one, NO ONE, will budge in the Republican party.
5
If Trump were anyone else in government (or the private sector), he would have been indicted by now on felony charges, misdemeanors at the least, and subsequently censured and/or deprived of certain or all executive privileges pending further investigation.
That Trump remains unscathed is an utter Miscarriage of Justice, and a serious indication that the U.S. Constitution must be amended to allow the president, while in office, to be prosecuted for wrongdoing to the same [full] extent of the law as we common citizens.
This lying, cheating, bullying, fascist president has already damaged the U.S. to the degree that it will take decades to repair our political infrastructure, global reputation, and citizen psyches.
Meanwhile, we decent, law-abiding, tax-paying citizens sit around in static, confounded that Trump is tainting our quality of life right before our eyes -- and getting away with it.
5
I have no qualms saying this, this is all this Congress does, make excuses, blame, deflect, defend Trump. Our tax dollars are paying these Congressman to rescue this President from his narcissism. They have done absolutely nothing for the average American citizen, nothing. It’s all about Trump and saving him from his lies, his mistakes.
9
@Karen, they consider themselves elected to reduce the federal government to courts, jails, and brandishing weapons at the rest of the world.
@Karen, they're just making excuses for themselves being the dumbest rubes on Planet Earth for voting for Trump when he refused to demonstrate that he is indeed a billionaire who faithfully supports the military-industrial complex by paying taxes with good cheer.
"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go." Hamlet Act III, Scene 3
Shakespeare knew that actions count. Let’s see some actions, Republicans or your words mean nothing.
3
"Scrambling" in the context of the GOP's reactions to Trump needs to be taken very much in context. The realization that Trump's base now dominates the GOP, and will directly weigh upon every GOP congressional candidate in 2018, 2020 and beyone, will temper the GOP's appetite to censure Trump. We've seen them tiptoe right up to the line, as they are now doing, but I'm doubtful they'll go beyond that. Cowards all.
2
Any member of the Republican Party that all of the sudden changed their opinion of President Trump's siding with Putin and his selling out American interests based on that phony, hostage statement Trump was forced to read to try and do damage control, such as Marco Rubio, should re-sign and leave the government.
President Trump is a total embarrassment to every member of the Military, Federal Government and anyone who has served in any capacity or gave their lives for this country.
5
Have we become a nation of republicans and democrats or are we Americans? Our Congress is a shambles because politicians have forgotten who they work for. It has become more important to get re-elected than to do what is right for the American people. Never in the history of this nation have we seen a bigger display of worthless scallywags wearing American flags on their lapels. Decision making used to require morals and reaching across the isle. No one gets everything they want because that means that some get nothing. Allowing a president to make a fool of himself in front of the whole world while going unchecked is the disaster created by 2 years of gleaning republicans who have lost their souls and dignity.
4
What is happening now is a precursor to the future. Trump loves fascist dictators. He is constantly trying to expand his bounds. Whether you believe it or not, there is a nefarious motive; the motive is: Trump has no desire to ever retire from the presidency and leave office to the “next” president unless it is TRUMP. He has stated that FDR had four terms why cannot he. Unless Republicans start to seize control America is in trouble. EU is turning to other partners like China. They do not trust us anymore. Congress best start to wake up and rectify situation before damage becomes deep and irreparable.
3
Forget “friends and allies” - we Americans want to hear why that appropriations bill ignores the need to upgrade and secure our voting systems. Two years now, and we still have 5 states with no paper trail to verify voting totals. Five states that diminish my vote, diminish the voices of my representatives.
Since Republicans seem comfortable with a president who believes Putin over Dan Coats, they could at least do some preventative work on our next election, rather than considering sanctions IF Russia interferes again. Again?
What- did President Bush promise “they’ll hear from us” after a second attack??
A new, national security law, all states must have a paper ballot trail to recount. No one elected from a state without that trail will be seated, since both Houses may set their own rules.
And all that NRA money, religious organizational money....from articles today and previously, maybe these patriotic Republicans could “walk back” the new IRS ruling, allowing a wholesale dark money web into nonprofits.
Forget hearings on what happened in Europe- try looking at what, for money, you’ve done to this country. Get money out of our politics, elections. That’s the real treason.
5
@Jo Williams, The claim that the law protects equally with 50 states competing to undermine each other is the emptiest pretense in the USA.
Why was Trump allowed a meeting ALONE with Putin in the first place. Is America a dictatorship now? The American people deserve to know what Trump has gotten us into.
4
You think Obama never met ALONE with Putin?
As usual, all talk & no action by Republicans. They offered soundbites criticizing trump's statements while in Russia. They attempted to reassure our European allies. But when push came to shove, they voted, en masse, to defeat a formal statement condemning trump.
4
@Davis Bliss, listen to Senator Kennedy and you will hear that all their talk is utterly irrelevant to what they do.
Everyone might want to remember the traitor McConnell, who would not let Obama proceed with a bipartisan investigation into this exact issue. Now he's contrite. Uh huh. He is worse than Trump - because he knows exactly what's at stake.
I hope the man is a pariah in his retirement. He deserves our contempt, not to mention a prison sentence.
10
Dear Mitch McConnell,
You broke it, you own it. Welcome to the world you have made.
13
Intensifying sanctions against Russian thugs is well and good. But in all the discussion, the Republicans are leaving out the fact that we still have in place an ignorant, incompetent president who, at best, is an unwitting dupe of a foreign power or, at worst, is a conscious asset to them. In view of his performance at the NATO meeting, seemingly intent on destroying one of our strongest alliances, the latter is beginning to seem more likely.
4
Why is there not a motion - at the very least - to Censure this President in the US Congress for his actions, words, abuse of allies on this European trip and humiliating submission to Putin, disavowal of his own intelligence community? He is oblivious, dangerous, bordering on (if not) treasonous in words and deeds in Helsinki, racist and exhibits a false patriotism as our nation's leader. Totally disgraceful. This is a slap in the face to America and not the way to make the world "better". Senators and Congressmen/women please heed the call......
10
The members of the former GOP, now known as the Party Of Tump climbed aboard a wagon hitched to a lame donkey and nothing they do or say will erase their support of that lame stable genius.
The GOP should be more worried about a possible awakening of those who haven’t voted in the past and may now vote rather than those voters who would support a person who possibly committed treasonous actions.
No amount of spin, defense of what cannot be defended, and acting as a Trump apologist can erase the stench of the recent actions with his mentor Putin and our long time allies.
For the GOP-you need to understand you are backing a failed administration. It is time to work for the country, not Trump and not the party of Trump.
7
Let them scramble all they want. If this doesn't spell defeat for Trump's enablers in the midterms, nothing will. But their reputations are forever stained.
3
I don't know what has happened to loyalty and integrity; to honesty...to the lofty ideals and concepts that make up the fabric of this country. Our elected officials are no longer figures to be emulated but are to be ridiculed and scorned. trump is interested in one thing, well maybe two, himself and money.
Where are the Republicans? They are scrambling in fear of losing trump's "base" instead of doing their duty to our nation. That is the true disgrace...they are as weak as the president.
3
Trump is a Russian asset and most of the Republicans in Congress are complicit.
14
Trump's words and actions are so blatant, so consistent, so submissive to Putin, and so damaging to American interests that Trump's treason simply cannot be rationally denied.
Every American who continues to be a Republican is knowingly aiding and abetting the Russian occupation of the American government.
America is at war against Trump's Russian-Republicans and America is losing.
If and when democracy ever returns to America, every treasonous Republican must be identified, investigated, prosecuted, and appropriately punished for high treason.
4
Words do matter, and the words of the occupant of the Presidency matter even more. I remember the good ol' days when media and diplomats would scrutinize a President's comment and tone for days in the attempt to squeeze out underlying meaning. Now, we have this clueless, witless, unknowledgeable (and these are the most charitable adjectives I can come up with) buffoon saying he meant "wouldn't" when he'd clearly emphasized "would". This man is a clear and present danger to our country. Anyone who can review the past week's words and actions of The Occupant and not take some action is a deluded wimp.
4
Trump's staff and the Republicans in Congress have often not spoken out because they are AFRAID of Trump and his reactions.
His maniac tweetaholic behavior is not what they should fear henceforth.
The Republican officials should all fear how much his kneecaps all of our allies, and how much meek he is around Putin, whom he wants to befriend.
Patriots should speak loudly, and put a check on Trump's disastrous treatment of our best allies and our worst foe.
3
@Jean, they are afraid that the Las Vegas mass shooter is just a harbinger of what an unregulated militia with millions of assault weapons and belief in immortality for "patriots" will do when called out.
"I just think it was important for our friends and allies to hear from us.”--Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Ah, but first, the Republican-heavy Senate had to march in lockstep with the dysfunctional "president."
What the seditious "leader" of the Republican majority might have said, far more truthfully, is this: "We were elected to run our democracy off the rails. We were sent to Washington to begin an "American Carnage," as our dear leader so plainly put it some eighteen months ago on his Inauguration Day."
The party in power in Washington has been silent since he took office, its committed mission to sidetrack, ignore or kill any public outrage or Democratic concern about the Russian infiltration of the 2016 campaign and election. In the House, Devin Nunes single-handedly opened a loud, clanging crusade to clear the president of any collusion with Russia and to take an axe to the tree that is the Special Counsel's investigation of the same.
No, Senator McConnell; Congress is not interested in any European Union and our fleeing allies around the globe. You, and Republicans like Nunes, spend your time snarling and growling and hissing at the media and the Democrats when they question this foolish president's curious (treasonous?) infatuation with a hostile foreign power.
What Republicans really want is a "reset," a rich and twisted adjective to describe a kinder interpretation of the disaster that was, is, and always shall be known as the Helsinki appeasement.
2
Any politician who believes or defends Trump’s “walk back”, a/k/a lie, is either lying about their belief as to what he said or they completely lack the intelligence and judgment needed for the office they hold. No sane person would believe the ridiculous story Trump told yesterday. Either way they’re as unfit for office as he is.
8
This despicable reality show surges forward like a giant tsunami destroying everything in its path. It is sickening to see our President and GOP leadership using fake patriotism to eviscerate the First Amendment, and then using Fox News to spread that fake patriotism like manure in a field. Athletes who refuse to stand during the anthem are villains and traitors, but a president who aligns himself with a murderous autocrat who meddled in our election and then proceeds to denigrate the integrity of the intelligence and justice departments is somehow beyond reproach and a most wonderful patriot. It is clear that Trump and his acolytes want us to choose culture over citizenship. Visceral partisanship over codified laws. They are counting on enough lawmakers to say, "I'm a Republican first, and only after that, an American.” Each of our elected officials swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of this country. If they cannot uphold this oath then all of this is meaningless.
3
Keep pleading, but it will never work as Trump is certifiable. Putin played him like a musician playing a violin.
3
Trump did not walk back his traitorous Helsinki remarks.
He doubled down on them, when he added “...there may be other people”.
And he had no intention of taking back his shameful groveling to Putin.
Republicans fall into three camps now: There are the Republicans who acknowledge that Trump threw our country under the bus to make Putin happy. There are the Republicans who think Trump only misspoke. And there are the Republicans who are in Putin’s pocket.
The Republicans who think that Trump misspoke only are delusional.
5
If they only care about how to contain the traitor-in-chief, that says a lot about how they serve our country and the rule of law. Syncophants resign!
6
"At least some were dealing with a moment they helped create."
Referring to the torn up GOP, and their pudgy fingers in the dike of Hypocrisy. She's gunna blow!
For those who bit off their noses to spite their faces, these Republicans are certain to lose their races.
The House will flip as sure as Trump will lie, as sure as his political capital will curl up and die..
7
@Monkeymatters I wish I shared your confidence.
1
One wonders how many in the Republican Congress are Russian lovers. Rotten to the core all of them it seems since they say nothing on behalf of real
Real Americans.
7
Do you suppose that - just maybe - the Republican Party is beginning to realize they they sold their soul to Vladimir Putin? That supporting Trump is supporting a "controlled asset" of a foreign power that is hostile to the United States of America? That they have become part and parcel a fully fledged member of the Russian Mafia?
The evidence has been staring them in the face since Mitch and others were briefed by the Obama administration well before the election. Yet they chose to ignore it and keep it quiet in pursuit of powers they had no moral, ethical way of obtaining. The D's kept their mouths shut because their release of the information would give the R's more strident fodder for the Trump campaign.
I am certainly not a Democrat, but an independent. I vote for the person, not the party. I had to hold my nose when I voted "for" Clinton. That being said, it will be a cold day in hell before I will consider casting a ballot for a Republican, because I am an American through-and-through.
Perhaps if they were real Christians they might realize that their day of reckoning is due soon, and it will last for eternity.
12
It is fascinating. Trump's damage wasn't that he is a sick psychopath. It isn't that he is an inveterate liar. It isn't that he is a racist idolized by white supremacists. It isn't that he is an ignoramus who knows nothing of anything. Trump's damage is that he doesn't hate Russia, and hating Russia is a commandment no American politician can ever violate. Not in the 1930's, not in the 1950's, and not now.
@Richard Monckton Yes, any politician in the 1930s who supported Stalin’s famine and Great Terror; any politician in the 1950s who supported the persecution of dissidents and Jews; and any politician today who supports Putin’s war in Ukraine, murder of political opponents and muzzling of free press, should go down in flames. And your problem with this is.....?
"The hottest seats in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, choose to maintain their neutrality". Dante
15
When Trump became the republican nominee I left the republican party and became a democrat. It was the second best decision of my life. I think it's high time the Senate republicans start to "tighten the screws on Trump" before he completely destroys our country.
9
Schumer and Democrats in general have all the force of a piece of toilet paper in a hurricane. How come we heard absolutely NOTHING from them about the July 4 Republican Treason Tour in Moscow, another private meeting between Republicans and their Kremlin handlers that receiver NO coverage in the New York Times? Why? Why aren't they pressing to subpoena Maria Butina, who it seems funneled Russian cash to the NRA? Duh, that's a no brainer, but no, nothing from Democrats. Schumer, Pelosi and the rest of them seem incapable of conveying outrage or coming up with any kind of cogent phrases or slogans anyone can remember when he closes his mumbling mouth. He comes on like the bored owner of a hardware store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. My 12 year old could devise more hard hitting messaging. It's sad and pathetic. This is why people hate Democrats: they don't fight. The Folding Card Table Party always folds. You would think the time for civility and bipartisan nonsense would be over, with a traitor in the White House backed by traitors in Congress: those Republicans who took Russian money laundered through the NRA. How about Democrats taking a page out of that odious hypocrite New Gingrich's playbook when he told Republicans to always demonize Democrats as "Liberal Democrats;" Democrats should always, in every utterance, refer to Republicans as Republican Traitors. But of course that would require them to grow a spine, and that seems our of the realm of possibility.
7
This won't change a significant number of votes. But it is fun to watch.
One thing matters, and one only: minority turnout. I can't see this issue having any impact on that.
4
"Many Republicans found themselves wrestling with an unwelcome dilemma..." Dilemmas are, by definition always unwelcome, however, everybody knew Trump had no party loyalty. Republicans had not problem voting for him. They expected (contrary to decades of evidence) that Trump would help them. It was unthinkable that Trump would be the Prodigal Son of the Republican party and waste his political capital so conspicuously. Trump's attacks on American Intelligence is plagiarized from the 1960s when he was a draft dodger. This is not a dilemma for Republicans, it's payback.
4
@Max & Max, they all believe that getting contraception, abortion, and sex for non-procreative purposes banned will cause God to stop undermining the US, and 1000 years of prosperity will follow.
@Steve Bolger
Yup and that's just the start of a theocratic government in the U.S.
Such patriotism...Sheesh
It hasn't taken Putin to take full advantage of Trump. Putin and Trump made military agreements in the private conversation with not so much as an official, diplomat or stenographer as witness.
Let that settle in then say it again out lout..Trump and Putin made M I L I T A R Y agreements with no military personnel present?
The Russians are ready to enact them (pronto)and I'm certain that Putin will play back the Russian tape of the 2 hour conversation to remind Trump and the US what was said (if needed):
"The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is ready for practical implementation of the agreements reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in the sphere of international security achieved at the Helsinki summit," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a Russian military spokesman.
The GOP has allowed Trump to run amok and now our national security is at severe risk. I am worried for all of our military personnel and intelligence agents that place their lives on the line for the rest of us whilst Trump denigrates their work openly, on foreign soil. We need to know what those pledged military agreements are!
As long as Trump remains in office, the military is lead by the nominal "commander" in chief that is himself a threat to national security. The Intel chiefs have grave decisions to make indeed.
4
In addition to "sanctions... to punish Russia should it interfere in this November’s midterm elections", could we also impose sanctions on any US state whose election results cannot be independently audited?
5
McConnell should hold off confirmation hearings on Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court until this issue is settled.
11
No chance. I’m sure that many republican lawmakers are very uncomfortable with trump, but he is a useful idiot. They are simply taking advantage of the situation. Who knows when they will have this opportunity again.
1
Wait, you are expecting McConnell to stand up and do the morally right thing for our country? Country before party? Good luck...
2
After 45’s meeting with Kim Jong Un, he expressed admiration for North Korea’s “strong leader.” “When he speaks, his people stand up and pay attention. I want my people to do the same.” That’s precisely what he has in the GOP - a raft of robotic minions scurrying to do damage control, instead of refusing to bow to a man who has, in a matter of days, profoundly and irredeemably embarrassed our country and demolished its credibility on the world stage. What nation or alliance will ever again think it can rely on the word of this faux president?
Watching his stumbling performance yesterday, attempting to read from a script prepared by aides, was a pretty obvious signal that his cognitive capacity is failing - it truly seemed doubtful that he understood what he was reading. That, even more that the nonsense rationale for his shocking performance at the post-Putin-summit press conference, should be grave concern - and a bipartisan one.
5
Based on Trump (educated) supporters I know, Trump could still shoot someone on the street and they would still vote for him. If Trump makes a mistake, he simply corrects it the next day so his supporters can say, "Well people make mistakes." Then he can ignore the correction and go on as usual. Nothing for Trump has changed since the election. Those who like him and voted for him are still supporting him.
7
Mitigate the damages? The damage was done when 49% of American voters and an antiquated, obsolete Electoral College elected this aberration as POTUS. The damage was further exacerbated when the majority of the spineless GOP did nothing to support Democracy, the American people and country, ethical behavior and morality. The GOP went a complete 180 degrees to support the chaos, division, destruction, unethical conduct, lies, the berating of others and deception this President has unleashed in his short tenure. The POTUS has alienated American citizens as well as American allies while embracing autocrats, dictators, greed, big business and the destruction of our environment / country and he still finds the time and the audacity to play golf on our dime.
For me, the damage to this country has already been done and I pray it can all be reversed. It may take years, decades to undo the diabolical actions this President has committed or maybe it has just gone too far with no point of return. However, right now it starts with the GOP and Democrats and it begins with putting partisanships by the wayside and doing what’s right for the country. In November it will be the people’s turn to bring back the country to some form of normalcy.
7
Susan Collins, Jeff Flake and Bob Corker could caucus with the Democrats. That would end Republican control of the Senate and possibly save the country. They won't. They talk a lot about opposing Trump, but it is only talk to gain media attention. If they really cared about containing Trump, cared about the nation, they would act.
13
@Impedimentus It's all just empty talk they hope will serve them well once they launch their inevitable runs for the White House in 2020. It won't work.
Mr Trumps comments in Helsinki, with Vladimir Putin beside him, are the continuation of his position from before his selection as the Republican Presidential candidate. Any changes he has made to those statements are merely the result of pressure from some in the Republican party, not a change in his views.
Donald Trump sees his future with Russia, not America. He is a businessman first and American President second.
3
The Democrats (and some Republicans) appear to be incensed by Mr. Trump's news conference remarks regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election; however, the only meaningful Democratic response is to implement a concerted effort to win back the House and Senate in the 2018 election. I believe that Mr. Trump is very concerned that the upcoming election will result in a stunning rebuke to his presidency, and that he knows that if the Republican majorities are lost in the House and Senate then he will be almost totally hamstrung for the following two years. Although I don't believe that Mr. Trump's refusal to rebuke Mr. Putin's meddling is an attempt to encourage Russia to interfere in the 2018 election, the thought has crossed my mind.
1
The GOP majority congress and Trump's cabinet are willingly ignoring the well demonstrated reality about Donald J Trump; that being he is a Quisling, a leader who has articulated and demonstrated his thorough inability to live up to his Oath of Office and has done significant damage to all foundations of our country. The GOP & cabinet, by way of their negligence in not removing Trump is also demonstrating their refusal to live to their Oath of Office. All of these parties are committing treasonous acts against our country. In November, we will learn is the GOP voters will follow the advice of George Will and vote Democratic, for no other reason than to avoid the calamitous end our our nation.
2
It has long been apparent that it is largely only retiring Republicans who have the courage to criticize President Trump's continuous lies, blatant corruption and conflicts of interest, and actions that seriously undermine the national security of the United States. Consequently, the solution for the voters is clear: retire all Republicans who are running in the upcoming mid-term elections.
10
Too late and way, way too phoney. There is no messaging 'fix' the Republicans can devise for this blunder. Trump showed who and what he is beside Putin in Helsinki abasing America's institutions and security services immediately after trashing America's allies and trading partners. We all saw and heard first hand in real time. No surprise either, Trump and his family have been feeding off Russian and other dirty foreign money for decades to save their business and live large. The mystery is why any American voter would ever believe this bought thing would act against the foreign interests that have been paying his way and serve his countrymen's interests instead?
4
I disagree. The path is very clear. Republicans must either deliver the message to Trump that it's time to resign, or bring a bill of impeachment.
Why can't Republicans see this? Because they are mired in a toxic swamp of self-interest and denial.
3
Public congressional hearings, where the representatives of the American people have the chance to interrogate our government to make sure they are acting in our best interest and not theirs, is how it is supposed to work; but, the GOP only uses those for political witch hunts like Benghazi and private text messages between FBI agents.
The GOP hiding the investigation into the attacks by Russia against our nation should be considered obstruction of justice and they should all be punished.
12
While Republicans scramble to contain Trump's damage, maybe one of them--Jeff Flake, where are you?--will step forward and say, "I don't believe him, he's behaving in an anti-American way, and I will not vote with my fellow Republicans in the Senate who are unwilling to take a stand against Trump." Until then, they can all jump in the lake.
1
Milquetoast Democrats to the rescue! Sanctions, Schumer says, sanctions!
It's not like Russia is doing anything new. It's hard to see what we can do to THEM that will secure the election and end their interfere in our government. Schumer is looking in the wrong place. He should be looking at US.
Congress can pass laws limiting the president's ability to impose tariffs. It should, for the simple reason that it's congress the constitution empowers to impose taxes. Congress can prohibit the president from rescinding our membership in the WTO and Nafta without congressional approval. It should, for the same reason. Democrats should obviously favor popular control of policy, including tax and foreign policy.
Congress can require full financial disclosure from the president, not just tax returns. Congress can impose on the president the same ethics rules that apply to his staff. Democrats should obviously favor sunlight on the president's vested interests.
Congress can require the Secretary of State be present for every meeting with a head of state. Not only should the president never be alone, but every such meeting should be recorded and on the public record. Secret meetings are antithetical to democracy.
Not sanctions, Chuck. Congress. Laws. Get on it, will you?
4
"After Republicans pleaded privately with the White House for Mr. Trump to clean up his remarks..."
Pleaded?
That's not what you do with someone who is dangerous and out of control.
12
It’s time for Republicans in Congress to stop pussyfooting, put the pedal to the Russian meddle, and give Trump the wall he has been asking for by putting up a Chinese wall between Trump and anything having to do with Russia.
5
Short of a smoking gun - like a video or audio recording of Donald Trump and Putin colluding to overthrow the United States government, nothing will move the Republican Party to take a principled stand against this president.
Everything is moot until November 6th. Then and ONLY then, if the Democratic Party can take back majorities in either or both the House and the Senate will this out-of-control president be checked and held accountable for his disastrous policy decisions, and his chaotic shoot-from-the-hip style of governing.
The clock is ticking.
2
When Republicans finally get around to requiring the president to reveal his taxes, we might get a better understanding for why he’s betraying his own country: you know, the country whose laws he has pledged to “faithfully enforce.”
Maybe at the same time Republicans can require the president to publish his college transcript. It’s very hard to believe this guy has the intellectual wherewithal to earn a college degree unless he paid someone to take his tests for him.
Another question for Republicans: Do you trust this guy’s judgement when it comes to making a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court? A man-child who is incapable of exercising any impulse control whatsoever?
2
This is what happens when people refuse to accept the results of an election and set about to undermine the winner in any way possible. Did people really expect Trump to stab himself in the back and say, “you’re right, I didn’t win the election fairly”? The real problem is that we can expect more of this self-inflicted destabilization in years to come.
It is Repubs who are criticizing as well. Are they refusing to accept the results of an election?
3
The word people should be using is Quisling. The term comes from the name of the Norwegian who betrayed his country during World War II. We now have to figure out how many Republicans besides Trump are also Quislings. Rand Paul, the House Freedom Caucus, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson are high on my list.
9
If nothing else this episode will give democrats a battle cry in the up-coming elections of
"Remember Helsinki"
We have had other similar slogans like Remember the Alamo and Remember Pearl Harbor, so why not Helsinki? Keep this attack on our constitution out there with every speech and every advertisement for democrats of all levels.
7
If Trump can't represent himself properly, then how can the 62,984,824 others who voted for him trust him to represent them? And if the president is supposed to represent and protect the nation, as a whole, (even those who didn't or couldn't vote like children and unnaturalized immigrants), how can he be trusted by anyone, except himself? Clearly, he cannot be trusted to represent us because he equivocates on this and lied to everyone about his tax returns and his charity. He is being investigated and will be charged by the State of New York Attorney General for fraud. If such a person were driving you in a car, wouldn't you be just praying a trooper would pull him over and get him from behind the wheel where he can't be trusted?
3
Why does trump always sit on the edge of his chair with his hands in a thumb twiddling posture? To me, it looks like he is making a conscious effort to stretch out his fingers as much as possible.
See, not so small after all!
The trump base is not offended by his remarks or actions-any of them. The base has a lot in common with the Russians. The base sees a lot of white people in Russia led by a barbaric tyrant who is a macho macho man. In Russia, the base sees a country with a white majority. The base is largely uneducated and unaware of history or geopolitics. Reality pres wasn’t crossing a line with the Helsinki remarks, he was addressing his base.
5
Chickens have come home to roost.
Should plan on building more roosting infrastructure.
On the bright side, jobs created....
The GPO has to step up or eventually their policies will succumb to hypocrisy and denial. Extra dollars in Americans’ pockets does not provide healthcare, address climate change, reduce national debt, and change the fact that we have a dangerously incompetent if not criminal president.
2
I think that democrats and republicans have come to now organize that they have a common enemy. An enemy that is a threat to western democracy and our constitution, and that threat is Donald J. Trump.
1
Both parties are full of wimpy weak people.
Trump will continue on his path of chaos and confusion.
Things will only continue to unravel.
4
Republicans - stop worrying about the Trump supporters and start worrying about the future of this country. History will not forget or forgive what you do now.
20
'The Republicans Scramble to Contain Damage'- i.e. rearranging the deckchairs on the holed tanker...'but Path is Unclear.' Are we living on the same planet?
President Trump is either categorically unfit to remain President because he lacks capacity, or categorically unfit to remain President because he has committed treason on worldwide t.v, the Republicans must decide whether to demand he resign- or face impeachment and/or the 25th Amendment. Insulting his allies, befriending old foes, worldwide trade chaos, cageing small children: this man is a clear and present danger, and as we see things get worse, daily, the Republicans must act now, or face a worse fate in November.
10
“I think it’s important for the Europeans to know how the Senate Republican majority feels...... worked to maintain world peace,” said Senator Mitch McConnell"
Well then McConnell, do something besides paying lip service to our Allies. For starters how about passing some strong legislation placing additional sanctions on Russia. And secondly, pass legislation to protect Special Council Mueller.
Actions, not just words Republican Party.
1
We are only a few days from Trump having full support from House and Senate Republicans. The midterms are the only opportunity for accountability for Trump and his Republicans.
9
I give it four days before this gets forgotten about and it's on to the next thing with him. His base of supporters is as strong as ever, they're not going anywhere, they are fixated on this man like a Cult.
Republicans at every level of the party are terrified of upsetting the Trump base. He and Hannity have them plenty fired up with conspiracy theories and rumors, and the Republican party has too much money wrapped up in the NRA to do anything else but ignore their own underlying ties to Russia and try and continue to cover it all up and ride with Trump.
If you think THIS is bad, you will not like the end game that they have in mind for this country, if you read up on it and follow their own conspiracy theories to the end of the line where they ultimately lead. So far they have been completely unchecked, and now it looks like it's coming at us like a freight train. This latest murky Russia/NRA business is all the outgrowth of Citizens United, and now here we are. Read up on your conspiracy theories, folks, because soon they will be the recognized law of the land.
1
As post-Helsinki political jockeying kicks into high gear, I would like to offer this hypothesis for consideration by politicians and voters: Mr. Trump is mentally unbalance and incapable of discharging his duties as president. The problem may be rooted in deterioration of the brain or psychological stress or a combination. Those closest to him hide this incapacity from the public, characterizing any hint of it as a partisan smear. Until this incapacity is examined objectively, the usual bashing of Trump and the Republicans may be off the mark.
10
@William
Reagan had Alzheimer's while in office. He could still
"play the role" and he was kept out of the public eye in his worst moment and stayed in for two full terms.
3
He was simply a better actor than trump.
@Chris The list of presidents who hide various degrees of incapacity includes Kennedy, Wilson, Eisenhower, LBJ. Thanks for reminding us about Reagan.
Clearly Trump is unfit to be president. You don’t show up on the world stage and misspeak. No, you show up and defend America but then this so called “summit” was only about showing the world how important and powerful Russia is today. Putin owns Trump. Russian oligarchs lent Trump money to keep his business going. There is a reason he never released his tax returns. But more importantly Putin and his gang are gauging how long it takes for things to calm down. Maybe a week, two at most. No investigations, no calls for Trump to resign. End of current crisis! In the meantime, the damage done by Trump this month continues to produce results as more cracks appear in Western alliances. This will not end well for the US!
4
Each day of this maddening Presidency, I become angrier with the Democratic party---not now, it has no power, but, the entire party apparatus went to sleep in 2016 and what damage that sleep walking is now doing to this country. From putting out a flawed candidate, running a lack luster campaign, to ignoring the hacking of their party's campaign infrastructure---President Obama deserves some blame for this---to staying home on election day, thinking that the American public would never elect a reality TV personality. We have an chance in 2018 to shut this clown show down, but, democrats must show up--be assured, Trump's base, all 40% will be first on line in November.
1
Please, Tom. Trump thinks only of himself - not his country nor the citizens he claims to represent.
1
The Republicans seem to be giving Trump a pass. Maybe the entire Republican Party is comprised by ties with US enemies. What other explanation could there be?
8
This is all politics...and FAKE. The "damage" is a media creation attempted to hurt Trump. The problem for the media...the majority of Americans don't trust them. And like we are going to trust anything the swamp says.
3
Actually, the majority of Americans know that a strong and free press is intentionally what our First Amendment protected.
2
As Senator Schumer said, "Words are not enough." Imagine how utterly apoplectic the Republican Party would be right now if Hillary Clinton was president and had done this. They brought impeachment hearings against her husband because he lied under oath about personal infidelity. Yet when a sitting president demeans his own Justice Department and intelligence agencies on the world stage, takes the side of a known enemy of our country, and utters treasonous comments, those actions need to be "contained." Just wait for the storm to blow over.
Strong statements are meaningless. When will the Republican Party show moral courage, stand up to this president in their actions, and remember they are Americans first and foremost?
3
Too many Republicans don't care about having double standards--one set for Democrats in office, another for Republicans.
2
The GOP is unfit to control the damage that they themselves have created. It's like appointing the fox to guard the henhouse.
The Republicans can keep scrambling for trump and keep coming up short of the correct response , but come November 2018 the voters of this country will send a strong message, Enough is Enough! There will be leadership changes in Congress, and then trump will learn the meaning of checks and balances. Most of those living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave become what's know as a lame duck in there last year, well #45 will get an extra year.
1
It seems to me that the GOP is totally focused on getting back to business as usual, big- B business - -and are simply as uninterested in the clash of values between Russia under Putin and the US as they are in humanitarian concerns at home.
Trump supporters in Congress are as anxious as Putin has been to shut down inquiries into wrongdoing - but they have been attacking Mueller and Rosenstein, and more, to discredit them to block the completion of the investigation and release of a report - while Putin just has those he regards as enemies assassinated. They have all the malice but not the means, so they settle for character assassination.
I wish there was a way to tell how many of the Congressional delegation to St Petersburg - have conflicts of interest. Or if they could pass a simple exam of their knowledge of the history Russia and US Russian relations, just past WWII.
Trump's performance was outrageous in his unwavering support of Putin - and dismaying if you compare his simplistic, uninformed and repetitive language with Putin's sophisticated responses. If you are going to lie, it helps to have the incisive mind of a Putin.
Of course the two countries should be speaking to one another. That doesn't mean inviting their intelligence officers to review the work of Mueller et al, so that they can see where and how our side is gathering intelligence. They are, after all, the ones who want to control our election processes.
America Last, GOP?
6
The GOP will scramble right up to the part where they'll aggravate Trump's base and jeopardize their own reelection prospects.
I would like for someone, anyone, to explain to us why Trump is worth all of this compromise and loss of national conviction and courage.
16
@Rudy Ebert, it is all in denial of the fundamentally flawed process that elevated a village idiot to the presidency, via a foreign power manipulating its quirks, guided by talented American mathematicians.
All pretenses that the US is a one person one vote democracy stand belied.
3
When the damage done is so extensive it can't be controlled, it is time for a fresh start. Vote in your districts and mid-terms, it matters - more than ever we need to roll-back current events.
8
It's time for the GOP to ignore the attacks of the liberals and stand up for all of Trump's accomplishments. As he promised during his campaign.
He has replaced the ACA with a GREAT program at a GREAT price for EVERYONE.
He has balanced the budget.
He has cut the BEST trade deals ever. Gotten rid of all the nuclear weapons in North Korea. Has Russia on the run, while getting Putin to support his actions.
Great increases in wages for everyone.
And finally jailed Hillary.
10
Don't forget the great wall he had Mexico pay for, built, and completed during his first month in office.
8
What Trump promised behind closed doors has me more worried. And the U.S. translator should have protection because he/she is in grave danger in my opinion.
12
@poslug
today, the Don is taking the position that Montenegro should not be welcomed or defended in NATO because this tiny nation could attack Russia and start World War III. (Seriously?)
Says it is an example of why NATO does not work.
His words are almost exactly the talking points Russia has been using for some time.
...so we know at least one thing they likely talked about.......
@poslug
I've had that very same thought re the US translator. Will there be something nasty put in his tea or on the tip of some passerby's umberella?
@poslug
I'm pretty sure Trump just used one of Putin's people to translate for him . . . after all, who does Trump trust?
1
When opportunity permits, repubs go for jugular vein whilst dems when presented chance(s), inflict superficial cut.
Seems to me, at every opportunity, dems should press for Trump's tax returns - not, testimony from administration officials who will undoubtedly claim executive privilege.
What are dems thinking - or are they?
9
Democrats demand action against Russia
Here are some ideas:
1. First, issue an ultimatum that Russia has 30 days to withdraw from Crimea and cease activities in Eastern Ukraine. They must also publicly apologize for election meddling and immediately repatriate 13 military intelligence officers to face justice in the U.S.
If they don’t do this, then:
2. Immediately sanction any country that purchases anything from Russia. That includes any European country that buys oil or gas.
3. Sever all diplomatic ties with Russia
4. Increase U.S. defense spending to establish a substantial (e.g. armored division, air wing) permanent presence in the Baltics, send military forces to eastern Ukraine, dramatically expand our military activities in Syria, and establish a naval blockade around Crimea. While we can probably rely on our NATO allies, we must be prepared to go it alone, if necessary.
5. If Russia responds militarily, be prepared to quickly and massively retaliate, even with nuclear weapons in the worst case.
Russia is a mortal enemy and we must treat them as such. We must forcefully show them that we mean business.
Would these absurd and dangerous actions satisfy Democrats? Sadly, probably not.
1
@John
How about this plan:
1) Keep the Magnitsky Act in place.
2) Actually enforce the sanctions against Russia passed by congress.
3) Actually fund and drive urgently, the planning and implementation of actions to protect our elections and critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.
4) Ban Russian nationals from entering the US.
Would these reasonable responses to Putin and Russia's attacks on our elections and democracy be supported by Trump? Sadly, emphatically not.
Putin is fine, just fine.
3
Charles:
Great ideas, actually.
Magnitsky Act? Still in place.
Congressional sanctions? Trump did this in April.
Hardening our electoral infrastructure and limiting Russia's social media influence? Being implemented.
(I'm not sure about current limits to Russian travel.)
How about these?
Sell lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine? Obama refused, Trump did.
Pressure NATO allies to increase their defense expenditures? Trump did.
Argue against the Nord Stream II pipeline that will boost Russia’s coffers? Trump did.
Increase U.S. oil/gas production and encourage others (i.e. Saudi Arabia, Gulf States) in order to keep prices down? Trump did.
Trump has taken a wide range of anti-Russian actions, that speak for themselves.
1
Oh gosh, Trump would be apoplectic if we banned Russians.
For our nation's sake, re-elect no Republicans this mid-term. They're all blighted.
The vision of our founding fathers was to create a government that protected the interests if all it's citizens from the tyranny of the wealthy elites...people like Trump, Murdoch, the Kochs and Uihlein's because of exactly what they are presently doing.
The only real remedy us commoners have is the ballot box. Use it or lose it.
12
Back in the depths of the Cold War, I thought the major distinction between the US and the USSR was the number of corporations. The US has many, the USSR had only one. Corporations are automatons operated by managements to advance and immortalize the aims of managements.
3
I am an old middle school teacher. "Punishment" is not the answer for someone who doesn't understand what he has done wrong. The only answer is time out, counseling, and education. If he is responsive to it, they may solve his ignorance and acting out. If he doesn't respond, he needs to be removed and placed in some other, more appropriate condition. In my past positions, testing and special education support worked. In Trump's circumstance, I would suggest he go back to his former TV greatness. Removal from office seems to be the only good option at this point.
10
@Patrick Stevens
Trump isn't a recalcitrant school child. He's a criminal. No going back to reality TV for him. LOCK HIM UP!
Now all the rats go into hiding... mcconnell, ryan, meadows...
Where is rudy g?
Time for an interview with rudy to discuss the “witch hunt”. An investigation based on Russian interference in the 2016 election that his client (DJT) now publicly admits is a real thing!
Rudy?
Rudy?
Someone get rudy on the phone...!
11
The Republicans are acting less like a political party and more like a cult in their worship of their Dear Leader. Is there any line he can’t cross in their world?
14
@John Davenport, it really is a cult. God purportedly loves guns and wishes the US to perpetuate a domestic insurrection by an unregulated militia while walling itself off from the rest of the world.
The man is a coward and a traitor!
You ain't seen nothing yet folks! Somewhere around mid-October Trump will declare a Constitutional crisis and "postpone" the 2018 midterms. With another justice on the bench they might just rule in his favor.
But really, if Democrats get in, they should immediately launch an investigation into the Trump Organization and pass legislation that every serving president must release their last seven years of tax returns. Maybe if they find Russian money from the Bank of Putin we'll know where all this is coming from and stop it.
9
@Michael, Trump has already scheduled a military parade to celebrate a Republic election victory in November.
1
“Whoever owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving aid and comfort to them within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than 5 years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” 18 US Code 2381.
“The President, the Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on Impeachment of, and conviction for, Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors. US Constitution, Art II, Sec. 4.
And now there’s clearly ‘collusion’, in public, for all to see. If the President is guilty of treason as former DNI Brennan maintained, then VP Pence should also be impeached for his statements yesterday supporting the President’s crimes. Can you say conspiracy to commit treason against the United States?
A true Hobson’s choice for the GOP. Impeach the President and Vice President and face the base in November, or do nothing and face the rest of us. To use a favorite GOP expression: time to man-up GOP. You’re either weak accessories after the fact, or Patriots. You can’t be both.
14
@G James, all those supplicants who stay at Trump's Washington hotel feel obliged to pay the bribe to get a hearing.
Scramble to contain damage?
No, scramble like Cockroaches when the light of Truth hits them; they whine, obfuscate and, in the end, continue to be sycophants of a Russian Installed Lackey: trump.
13
Republicans should be used to ‘containing the damage’ with this man. Some of his ‘damage’
- mimiced a disabled reporter
- mocked the family of a fallen soldier
- bragged about assaulting women
- made racist comments
- refused to condemn the KKK in Charlottesville
Trump is Trump - a nasty, rotten, dumb human being who cares nothing about anyone not named Trump.
13
Trump has appeared many things over the last two years - vulgar, stupid, classless, uninformed, bigoted, etc - but one thing he has never appeared to be is weak.
The press conference with Putin is the first time he looked weak to me, even intimidated
12
@Luciano, Trump overcompensates for weakness.
1
McConnell, Ryan, and the rest of the Republican-Russian cabal offer "thoughts and prayers" to our NATO allies thrown into a purgatory constructed by Trump, who is the one person who can authorize or deny use of US military force to come to their aid under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. What those allies, now considered "foes" by Trump, have to be asking themselves is, do you feel lucky. Well do ya, EU punks? Frankly, this is the same question the American people need to be asking themselves, and the answer is a resounding NO.
Trump will reverse himself from yesterday's forced, contrived walk back of his treasonous, toadying performance on his knees with his master, Putin, and I predict today, he will revert back to his position of willful obfuscation, declaring as he did after Charlottesville, that there are fine people on both sides and Obama and Hillary are to blame for the Russian cyberattack of the 2016 election
Vote the traitor republican/russian party out in November...If Putin will allow it.
7
I would have thought it impossible for the same guy to be a useful idiot to both the Republican Party and the Russian government....but here we are.
Defeat Russian Republicans in November - it's the only language they'll understand.
14
It's unclear to me exactly how "Republicans Scramble to Contain Trump's Damage" when #Putin'sPoodle has trashed America's intelligence agencies and blamed his own country for acts of espionage by a hostile foreign power. How the hell exactly does one "contain" that?
11
We've heard from you, Mitch. Loud and clear. Your silence has been thundering. You hijacked the constitutional process by refusing to do your duty and hold hearings on Justice Garland. Even before that you vowed to obstruct every effort of America's first black President and ever since you have aided and abetted every effort of America's first treasonous President. You were effectively silent when Trump said there were "some very fine people" among the neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville. You have been willing to accept all the hatred and bigotry spewing from the White House as long as it didn't damage your tax cuts and cost votes. Now that Trump has publicly committed treason you make some puny effort to paper it over. But the fact is that Trump never would have had the power and the influence had you and your hypocritical ilk including Ryan and Pence not enabled him from the start by turning a blind eye to his evil and denying his treasonous entanglements with Russia. The G.O.P., especially in the House with Nunes and Gowdy, has repeatedly sought to derail and obstruct Mueller's inquiry into Putin's hijacking of the 2016 presidential election. You collectively own all the evil and malfeasance that Trump has visited upon us, and voters need to remember that the horrific mess we're in has been brought to us by the Republican Party, not just by Trump alone. The party of Lincoln is now the party of Putin.
24
If the Republican Party wants to contain the damage that Trump caused all they have to do is say as a whole to Trump, keep your mouth shut and your fingers off your phone, you do not speak for the American people.
However they are a bunch of cowards so they won't do that.
3
'“If there’s anything treasonous that’s gone on,” said Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, “it’s that operation right now to sow distrust in our duly elected president of the United States.”'
What bizzaro planet do the likes of Warren Davidson come from? How did these people every get elected? The statement above is so stupid, yes Warren et. al., incredibly stupid one has to wonder how they even feed themselves. Putin's Chia pet lies on a daily basis. TWP says the average is, what, 6 or 7 lies a day. Chia has been sucking up to his Russian master for years now, even before the election and the media, Democrats, intelligence agencies and the Justice Department are guilty of sowing distrust??? Little wonder GOP Congress can't get anything done that isn't completely self-serving, they're idiots at the thrall to fools. Anyone not buzzed out by that idiotic show, The Apprentice, has known since the very beginning that Putin's Chia pet was and is a severely compromised person, emotionally, morally, and intellectually.
12
And still, the predictable rats are frantically scurrying to save the sinking ship that has always been this administration. Perhaps now a few more members of the President's party are willing to see his ship as the rotted garbage scow that it has always been. Lumbering along under the flags of Putin and the white nationalists. Dumping raw sewage every inch of the way.
Trumps comments about Putin have always been the same. There is no "walking it back." The correct phrases are "aiding and abetting," and "treason."
12
I can't believe that some Republicans are still trying to saddle this debacle on their whipping boy, the media. How stupid do they actually think Americans are? Americans have eyes to see and ears to hear...that's all one needs to assess the situation the US is in and what an incompetent megalomaniac you have elected as President. In truth, it shows how blinded the Republicans have become to anything that jeopardizes their status quo. They will eventually rue the day that they played such a high stakes hand.
9
Why oh why are the Republicans so scared of Trump?
Because they might get tweeted and given a nickname?
What a bunch of cowards to not say how much Trump is sucking up to Putin, and also Kim Jong Un.
What is wrong with you people? These are murderous dictators. They are not to be admired.
And yet, Trump does.
35
@Pat, Trump is admired for getting away with anything. It is a tautology.
@Pat, Trump has established to his followers that he is God because he gets away with everything.
Weakest president and weakest Congress ever. Absurd dereliction of duty. The Republicans are honorless and dishonest, but unpatriotic and cowardly too?
13
"Republicans scrambled...setting a public hearing... examining new sanctions...and reaffirming the fraying Western alliance."
Really? That's it?
How isn't this is an egregious case of treating the symptom and ignoring the disease?
Denial is never good but with health and politics denial is catastrophic whether for an individual or the entire planet.
Anyone who acts like it's just a Trump bad hair day and it's ok to betray America if you cut taxes for GOP shareholders, is quickly running out of road.
This isn't a courtside ticket to one game. We're holding season tickets. Our all star just scored his personal best for the opposing team. He's arguing with officials that every one is wrong because it doesn't matter which basket the ball goes in because the star on the other team is really tough and strong so our guy thought they'd make a super-team and, ok, may be that's why the officials got the call wrong. Look, he said, I never didn't shoot at the right basket because it was the wrong basket never to shoot at. What's the big deal? No collusion. Or maybe a contusion?
Sometimes the emperor does strut about in his baggy new b-day suit so Trump asks what's the big deal? Believe your own eyes or the lying media?
The message Trump sent in his mea culpa as he swallowed every word was wait for tomorrow when he doubles down and jumps in with both feet. Condemn the treachery but embrace the traitor. Now that's a plan.
A bull elephant doesn't change its spots.
12
If it looks like BS and it smells like BS it is BS.
8
“Let me try and be as clear as I can to the world and the country: We stand by our NATO allies and all those countries who are facing Russia aggression,” Mr. Ryan said.
By continuing to discredit the Mueller investigation, apparently the United States is not one of those countries.
10
Just waiting for his devotees coming up with the excuse analogous to their reasoning why he cannot obstruct justice: "Hey, the president cannot possibly betray American values because he embodies those today".
6
Not this time GOP. You won't be able to restore the glass that is now in thousands of pieces cause the hurricane has scrambled those all over the place. I'm afraid but it is time to let Trump go.
7
When an American President openly reveals that his foreign policy is really that of an adversary who has just been definitively revealed as waging cyber-warfare against the United States that contributed to his election, the "damage" to be controlled is not to the Republican Party and to that President, but to the nation itself. What they and the whole world witnessed was a betrayal--a "high crime"--that merits forcing the President to resign with the real threat of impeachment. The Republican Party has for too long been complicit in aiding and abetting the President; it's time for them, as they did with Richard Nixon, to put country over party and to honor their oath to the Constitution. Donald Trump has been "unmasked" as a traitor; he perjured himself by trying to cover it up with a Clinton-like word change; and the Republican Party itself now is on trial if it once again cowers in fear before an autocrat.
8
The Republicans will never do anything about this man, NEVER. They and the president are so in the pocket of the NRA that if he shot HALF of them on Fifth Avenue, they would do nothing. I guarantee that if any of his friends launched a nuclear attack on us, the Republicans' last words would be, "He's a great Leader--look at how great the economy is" This is not an exaggeration.
9
"House Democrats plan to try to force a vote to increase funding for states to enhance the security of their voting systems..."
This is a clear and urgent necessity that SHOULD cut across party lines. Will Republicans sign on? It will be interesting to see if any are willing to put country over party when it really matters.
9
@szinar, Republicans own the companies that make voting machines.
After 1.5 years of silence and aquiesence, the GOP now tells us that they have doubts. The have enabled Trump all this time. Vote all of them out on Nov 6. Every one of them.
10
Seriously, waiting on Republicans to do the right thing here is false hope. Time for the electorate of the Leaders of the Free World to act like leaders.
Recall any federally elected representative that will not act immediately to remove Trump.
It won’t take more than one or 2 before the rest act to save themselves and turn on the administration.
Job done.
10
The only proper response, from our oligarch owned, spineless, GOP controlled Congress, is starting the Articles of Impeachment process for "high crimes and misdemeanors", and treason. If not, then they are owned by the Russians, too.
11
@Nick Metrowsky, plainly folks like Senator Kennedy assert that everything Trump says is meaningless, and what he does is all that matters to them.
McConnell is a hollow man. His concern about the structures supporting world peace are hollow. His fears of continued election meddling are hollow. His ilk are reducing us all 'not with a bang but a whimper.'
McConnell placed himself above the Constitution during Obama's terms and now must contend with an executive who places himself above the country. He paved the way for the instability created by an obstructionist, knowledge and truth denying political establishment.
39
@Suzanne Moniz Yes! Hollow. All he cares about is the game of power. There is NO core of integrity or values.
1
No matter how bad this all gets the American people have to decide whether to vote him in or out, otherwise American will be against American. It seems it can only get worse.The government's, legal bodies and media, et al can only put forward the details.
Otherwise these bodies need to act quickly & decisively for the good of a great country who is losing it's way.
5
The only clear path for Republicans to contain Trump's damage is to unite behind a bipartisan consensus to remove the man from office. Ideally, influential party leaders would work quietly behind the scenes and convince him to resign voluntarily.
Country first.
27
As a child, did you ever kick an ant hill? The ants rush out in all directions as they scramble into the grass and disappear. Before long, these industrious little creatures start building a new home. Their tiny memories soon forget the upheaval and it’s back to business doing what ants do.
7
@PaulB67
Well said!
And lemmings run off a cliff.
3
“Strongly-worded” position statements and closed-door finger-shaking are pointless. The only meaningful and productive activity to take in the best interest of saving the United States of America’s integrity and global standing is summed in two words: impeachment proceedings.
It’s past time.
19
Trump's claim that he misspoke is as insulting as it is absurd. The context of his remarks leave no room for doubt that he was siding with Putin and trashing our intelligence agencies that unanimously agree that Russia interfered in the 2016 election in order to help Trump.
With his Tuesday revision, Trump merely added yet another lie to the thousands he'd already told.
43
Meanwhile Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.), endorsed by Trump, handily won in Alabama by a 2 to 1 margin yesterday. It’s a sad day for the country when a president who commits treason is preferable to anyone else. No amount of evidence is sufficient to budge a good 40% of the voters who are trump supporters. I am not only sad but totally befuddled.
26
"Many Republicans found themselves wrestling with an unwelcome dilemma two years in the making: They could publicly undermine the president and risk upsetting the loyal Trump voters they need to win elections, or they could stifle their own long-held beliefs that Russia is a dangerous actor set on destabilizing the United States. At least some were dealing with a moment they helped create: Since the summer of 2016, they have abetted the president’s refusal to recognize Russia’s actions by initiating their own attacks on those who would expose the Kremlin’s efforts."
Read: "Republicans, self-serving traitors to the United States." Locking up Trump would only be the start of what needs to happen in this country.
16
If the Republicans were honorable they would ask DT to resign. However, power always "trumps" integrity.
Their only concern is that this won't fade by the midterm elections.
31
Why all the concern about what trump said in Helsinki? It's what he's been saying consistently since he decided to run for office. Whether it was on a debate stage, an interview, a campaign speech, a tweet, a friendly cabinet meeting he has constantly bashed those in the intelligence community. The only difference this time was that he was standing next to Putin. But the message was the same.
22
The sad truth is that we do not have many street fighters among the Democrats. The Republicans have been allowed to violate every norm, and now we see, to our horror, that they have rendered the party, and the American people, impotent, at least for a time.
Why is a common thug such as Mitch McConnell allowed such unchecked power? He repeatedly accuses the Democrats of obstruction. Why don't the Dems live up to the hype and really obstruct, protest, do anything possible, to derail their evil plans? Risk calling attention to yourselves for a change, in any way possible!
We are allowing ourselves to be blackmailed by a small percentage of the electorate who have very little cognitive flexibility. That's a fact.
Instead, Pelosi scolds Maxine Waters, for heaven's sake. Good old Maxine was the only one who refused to normalize Trump's insane actions and rants from the beginning. She should be receiving a medal.
I agree with the reader who commented that people like Pelosi and Schumer, and sadly I would add Obama, are great for normal times, but these are far from normal. Please don't call leaders such as Elizabeth Warren too shrill or too far left (whatever THAT means).
Even the Godfather knew he needed a wartime consigliere when his empire was at risk.
43
@TM, All this dissimulation suggests that the Congress cowers in fear of the unregulated militia it armed up with millions of assault weapons, which all of a sudden turns out to be a foreign-funded fifth column.
3
RE: " the president walked back his comments,"
I.E., the president lied about his comments. When you watch the speech he gave and then try to insert the "corrections" you can see they make no sense in the context in which he was speaking. Even the manner in with he "walked back his comments" tells his faithful that he is being forced to say this.
RE: "They could publicly undermine the president and risk upsetting the loyal Trump voters they need to win elections, or they could stifle their own long-held beliefs that Russia is a dangerous actor set on destabilizing the United States."
I.E., Republicans can be loyal to America and their oath of office and risk upsetting the loyal Trump voters they need to win elections, or they could pander to the Trump faithful repeating the president's anti-American rhetoric.
29
It astounds me that anyone thinks going along with Trump will preserve their jobs.
Trump's base, those people you see on Facebook with the "I stand for the Flag, and I kneel for the cross" memes all over their profiles, are either not real people, or they are the minority. Most decent people go to work every day and do not have time to wallow in thinly veiled acts of intolerance.
Perhaps the Republicans would up their brand if they start protecting their country. Wouldn't it be better publicity to tout themselves as the party who re-established the US as a country to be admired, not mocked?
18
We need to hear more from Democrats. They should start to hold joint press conferences on the Capitol steps every week--let different members speak. They'd get covered and we could hear the voice of the Moral Majority.
26
@teach, Liberals stick to ethics. We never allude to any alleged personality of nature with a purported interest in human affairs.
1
@teach - Would they get it covered? The press doesn't seem to pay much attention to Democrats lately.
Trump sided with Putin over the American Intelligence Agencies. Congress has to act, now.
First, they need to pass legislation that protects the Mueller investigation. This is our best and only chance to actually get at the whole truth of Russian interference in the 2016 election. And to stop ongoing efforts by Russia in the 2018 election.
Second, the Republican leaders need to have an intervention with Trump. They need to tell him that if he continues to support Putin over America he will be impeached. Yes, it's dramatic, but necessary. Our nation demands patriots to stand up and fight our adversaries. Trump can not be trusted to do it on his own.
19
Republicans for Russia! Would make a great bumper sticker. R FOR R.
17
What is needed right now is bipartisan passage of a law (not just a resolution) that prevents Trump from interfering with Mueller’s investigation. After this past week it is abundantly clear that Putin has some hold over him. The American people have a right to find out what it is.
They also need to take concrete steps to protect our elections from further interference. This is the Executive’s job but it’s not happening.
25
Sorry, Judge Kavanaugh, but your nomination will just have to wait until the American people learn whether the man who nominated you is more loyal to shadowy foreign businessmen than his own country. Priorities, you know.
126
It is disgusting to see how low we have sunk as a nation when the first words out of our mouths are “traitor” and “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The “intelligence community” as such is a joke. It does not exist constitutionally or in fact but is merely a collection of leakers and disgruntled ex-employees and/or political appointees who are traitors themselves every time they publicly mouth their loathsome complaints and accusations. The worst of them are the physically and morally monstrous duo of Clapper and Brennan who constantly pollute the atmosphere every time they appear on the airwaves of CNN and MSNBC, both of which have become noisome propaganda tools for the Left. My only regret is that Trump apologized to them, but we shall see how patriotic they really are when all the documents come to light concerning their role in the FBI investigation into Russian collusion and its dubious FISA application.
3
I can only wonder if it was disgusting and low when President Obama was openly declared a traitor?
5
Trump campaigned on "America First."
Remember that?
Now we see that he thinks "Russia First (America Second)."
That's not patriotic in the least.
1
What is disgusting is that politicians would still dither about whether or not to speak out against their president's ignorant behavior in Europe, culminating in his display of disloyalty to his country when he was interviewed with Putin. Even more disgusting is that they think all Americans are as big a fools as those in the Trump cult. We will believe that a lie read from a paper composed by some aide about a misspoken word will put the matter to rest.
It is unfortunate, as Murkowski says. This current round of incompetence, threatening to dismantle long held alliances and form new alliances with countries that only benefit the Trump businesses forces the Republican Congress to at least pretend to act. They will have to come up with a plan that allows them to look like they are doing something, but actually just keeps them running in place, at least until November.
There must be no more threats against the Mueller investigation. Some action should be taken against Russia in the way of more sanctions to let them.know Americans aren't going to play with them just yet.
In the photos of Trump and Putin together Trump looks like he is on his way to that basement room in the Lubyanka where they finish you off. And Putin is telling him to Be Best and face it like a man. He is not making America great. America used to be great. Before Trump.
The next time The National Anthem is played all Americans need to take a knee for their country. And pray.
I glanced at the NYT headlines this morning and I saw a story entitled "I Just Simply Did What He Wanted". I assumed it was about Helsinki, but, no, it was about immigrant detention.
15
And Pence is no better. He acted like thing #2, Is there such a thing as a double Impeachment? Congress, act like Americans.
34
@Cliff R, Yes, the Agnew-first Nixon guilty plea positioned Gerald Ford to replace Nixon.
4
@Cliff R
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleii
U.S. Constitution - Article 2 Section 4
Article 2 - The Executive Branch
Section 4 - Disqualification
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
The way to clean up a lie is to tell the truth, But how do you clean up the truth?
Vote.
35
Easy! Just deny it.
Trump has been doing it since Day 1.
1
When Americans think of any foreign nation and its actions, we think of its primary leader. So when we reference Russian moves we think of Putin, and when we consider North Korea, we see Kim Jung In. The same is true of all the other citizens of the world as they look to the United States. They don't see Paul Ryan or Mitch McConnell or any of the other leaders of our national government. They see Donald Trump. To me, that is a worry, and an embarrassment, and a threat. He needs to be reigned in or removed from office. Russia is our enemy. It is actively seeking to reestablish the S.S.R.'s and take control of its old satellites like Poland or Hungary or Estonia. Trump needs to wake up and get his act together or get out of office. He is a threat to both America (with his stupid trade war) and to the Western European democracies. Congress should act now. Not later. The time has come.
44
@Patrick Stevens
Trump should get his act together? Really? This IS his act. This is how he rolls. There is no other Trump. He needs to be driven from office now, but the republicans have control over that and they'd just as soon let him drive us all over a cliff.
2
Trump and his pals in Congress are lining up to defend a Russian dictator against intelligence and foreign service professionals in their own country, and they claim it's immigrants that are a threat to this country? They claim it's football players who kneel during national anthem that are unpatriotic? It's Trump and his pals that should be deported.
50
No Republican is going to go on the record questioning Trump's loyalty to the U.S. when he or she knows the upbraiding they will face on Fox News. Republicans are shiftless and self-serving, sure. But if we want an answer for why Trump's supporters religiously cling to him and Republicans ignore all signs that their leader is a likely traitor, we need look no further than cable news.
40
@dconkror I’ve noticed that in the “basic” (ie “cheapest”) cable package, they generally offer Fox but don’t offer MSNBC. I’ve wondered if this is part of the problem.
1
If the Democrats were smart, they would stop with their altruistic ideals and fight fire with fire. Here is what I would do. It's nasty, but it will work.
When I was a in the fifth grade, another older kid threw out an old radio. I wanted it for the parts. He said no way. It was of no use to him so he wouldn't let it be of any use to anyone. He took a piece of wood and smashed it to bits.
This is how Trump supporters operate. They want Trump to blow up the world. They have little, so they want to make sure that successful city people have less. They are bribed with guns everywhere.
So stick it back to them. I would covertly help and encourage our trading partners to not only levy tariffs on rural American products, just don't buy them, period. Personal financial hardship is the only way to change their support for Tump. Trump's lack of morality, decency and attack on our institutions have no affect on their support. He is their destroyer and they love him for it.
My neighbor, who is an editor for an agricultural trade journal, tells me that the farmers are thinking Trump will make some kind of bailout for them if the trade wars cause them to go bankrupt. The Democrats should never let that happen. This is brutal, but that's the only medicine they will ever understand. Tell them vote Democrat and all tariffs go away. But, don't let them off the hook until then. They have to go down with Trump just like they want to stick it to the city people.
46
"Republican leaders in both the House and the Senate skirted Mr. Trump’s remarks during public appearances and tried to speak directly to Russia and America’s European allies, offering what amounted to a parallel Republican foreign policy."
This is simply jaw-dropping, when you think about the meaning of this statement. For the GOP, their cowardly fear of "offending" the president and his supporters has led to this parallel foreign policy!
You can't have two foreign policies, any more than you can't have a rogue president who does what he pleases, attends a secret meeting with our country's top adversary, and so far refuses to say what was discussed.
This is autocrat territory--amd the craven behavior of Congressional Republicans is only going enabing this president to do and say even more outrageous things.
In recovery circles, the term "enabling" details how well-meaning family members and friends can become complicit by tolerating, or even helping, a loved one's addiction in the hopes he or she will change.
Frankly that's what this GOP crowd is doing--and there's going to be holy hell to pay for it in the loss of our freedoms.
A few days ago, Madeleine Albright reminded us how Italian fascist leader Mussolini declared if you pluck a chicken one feather at a time, nobody notices till the last feather's gone.
By my reckoning, Trump's chicken is half plucked--we're running out of time.
63
Trump defends Russia against America, and the Republicans defend Trump against the American people. Meanwhile, the NRA, a major donor to the most powerful members of Congress, has been infiltrated by Russians ... see a pattern?
1
@Natural Historian:Yep
Republican scrambled to contain damage - to themselves.
They did nothing to contain the damage to the country.
63
@Hooj - This should be an NYT pick.
No American should be fooled by Donald’s walking back of his comments in Helsinki. Look at his body language. Listen to his tone. Did any of that press conference sound critical or harsh in regards to Russia? Changing the word ‘would’ to ‘wouldn’t’ doesn’t fix his absolute deference to the ex-KGB agent.
32
@Jfkramer75, this is a child being scolded by a caregiver and told to apologize to the child he was mean to. You can hear it now - Soorryyy, whilst rolling his eyes and making no eye contact.
At least it is now possible to clearly distinguish between Americans who will fight to defend democratic values and those who will abandon them if it serves their individual financial interest, all the while claiming to put America first. I hope Americans will not forget this by November and vote in mass to systematically purge the Republic from the despicable traitors.
26
Is not the principle job of the American President to protect American citizens and American interests and to defend the constitution? Is that anyone's interpretation of what just happend in Europe? Or maybe I just missed an amendment to the constitution wherein the interest of Vladimir Putin and his merry band of oligarchs comes first.
38
The Republicans might as well have just responded with, "Thoughts and prayers," because they're not actually going to do anything.
143
Mitch McConnell says, “So I just think it was important for our friends and allies to hear from us.”
Mr. McConnell it would be very important for the president to hear from you and your Republican colleagues immediately about his shameful capitulation to Mr. Putin in Helsinki. Why not confront him directly, to his face, about how displeased the GOP party is with him and how he embarrassed the country in front of the whole world.
You and your colleagues have tiptoed around criticizing this president long enough. Just tell the man that he is flat out wrong about everything. Is that too much to ask for the American people?
119
@silver vibes "Mitch McConnell says, “So I just think it was important for our friends and allies to hear from us.”
We are short on friends, and have no allies. So who does this actually refer to?? Russia, NK??
I picked sides long ago and I stand with the US and our allies, intelligence community and law enforcement.
DJT does not.
That makes DJT the enemy!
He should be treated as such, regardless of any office he holds.
Vote in November!
33
Senators and Representatives took an oath to preserve and protect the Constitution, NOT to preserve and protect the GOP, and NOT to protect the sitting president. It's as if Congress has totally forgotten where their allegiance is supposed to be.
53
He misspeaks a lot. All the time. Every day. In tweets and in press conferences. Why it's as if he's lived in the United States his entire life and has no concept at all of how to speak English or for that matter, lacks even a basic understanding of the Constitution.
50
He doesn’t misspeak. He says exactly what he means to say.
12
@Rick
Trump specializes in spewing word salads that allow him to claim he didn't say what he said, or said the exact opposite of what he said, whenever it's convenient. This is not a lack of eloquence, it's a purposeful verbal strategy he uses to gaslight anyone he deals with. It's what psychopathic con men do. It's a skill, employed with malicious and self serving intent.
I was very upset with Hillary's comment, "The Deplorables," but in light of Trumps base condoning every thing he does as well as questioning America and our people versus Putin and the Russians and Trump's base UnAmerican adoration of a traitor I now understand the words, "the Deplorables,' was appropriate.
321
@JDW It really is about time that people realize exactly who and what HRC was referring to when she said "deplorables". Those who misdirected the statement and took offence now have an obligation to help remove the man who IS deplorable from office and restore American democracy, in all of our vastly differing opinions.
5
@JDW
.....and therein lies our problem, and by "our" I mean the Democrats.
Republicans are indulgent affluenza parents. Everything their candidate does smell like roses, even their farts and belches.
If their candidate yells, grabs women by their private parts, kill people on Fifth Avenue and openly collude with our enemies, they are still their darling baby. Everything darling baby does and says resets the definition of all that is right and good.
Literally.
BY contrast, Democrats are like the responsible parents who frown at every misstep. We expect manners of our leaders. We expect them to behave well. We expect them to use nice words. To not be female, but if they are female, not appear too smart (exhibit A, Clinton, Exhibit B Elizabeth Warren). We expect them not to take rude pictures of sleeping female colleagues. To not be too old, shrill or liberal.
No wonder they are cleaning our clock.
How about we start celebrating what we are, flaws and all? Because what we are (occasional missteps aside) is pretty darn awesome. We are the party of egalitarianism, opportunity, and inclusivity. We are the party that fights for social safety nets and transparency in government. We are the party that believes in the norms of government. We are the party of civility, the stalwarts of good education, and of rational thinking over religious dogma. We are the party under which the economy ALWAYS THRIVES.
Better, no?
3
@JDWperhaps, but supremely unhelpful.
Who among the Trump Cabinet, White House staff and Republican Party Congressional majority are still marching on their clear pilgrimage path to the Kremlin in order to pay homage to their lord anf master Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin?
And who among them is on the path to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of our divided limited power constitutional republic of united states?
Since 9/11/01 a mere 0.75 % of Americans have volunteered to wear the military uniform of any American armed force. No member of the House of Trump has been among them.
32
Congressional Republicans want to clean up the mess created by their president? Perhaps they will follow his example; throw out paper towels and hope for the best.
We would be foolish to expect anything more.
49
Don't panic, Republicans, I'm sure Vlad will communicate the party line via his NRA channel soon.
And Mitch, legislation won't do it. Hearings need to be held. The whole ugly story needs to be put in front of the public. Yes, it might cost a judge or two, but such is life.
43
One would hope the Democrats attack this actual political and constitutional crisis with as much ferocity as the Republicans went after Clinton and Obama. If the Democrats softpedal the Trump regime, they deserve to lose this fall.
36
@Daibhidh They are in the minority in both houses. They have little power to do anything.
Who would have thought the GOP's ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus would be actively aiding and abetting Donald Trump's treason against the United States in favor of the Russian dictatorship.
117
Why now is it a surprise to Republicans that Trump acted this way? They all expected to him to act differently when he became president. To which I say: when has a 70 year old man ever changed his ways?
The Republicans are complicit in this.
61
I remember how men of stature handled President Nixon,, "resign or else!" The ∏President was not willing to risk the "or else" so he resigned! I am 95 so I remember the incident.
66
Why should Congress not convene an immediate, transparent, bi-partisan commission on measures to protect our 2018 elections? I don't think that's much of a scramble. And maybe they could address the Russia pleasing promises that Trump has unilaterally made--with no input from advisers or allies: including inviting Russia into the G7 and cancelling troop exercises in South Korea. Again, not really a scramble. And they could call off the attack on Mueller's investigators. Either you're for us or you're agin us.
26
When GOP realizes that this is not about Trump or the party, but it is all about the country, we will regain dignity and proud that we are Americans and we have friends around the world. Sadly, I don’t see it happening anytime soon, definitely not with the current GOP.
26
@Chris
The GOP has long given up on democracy. What they have in common with Putin is that "Democracy" is merely a tool to legitimize power. The GOP has seen the unfettered freedom of the oligarchs and found it to be good and desirable for the United States.
6
If only it wasn't the political calculus that has prompted a few members of the Republican Party to speak up. The party has had so many opportunities to distance itself from the President and decided instead to remain silent. They are collaborators.
58
“I call that a successful summit,” said Representative Andy Harris, Republican of Maryland, “and I disregard and discount anything that involves the mainstream media press.”
....and we wonder why Congress is mess, we are being governed by uncomprehending children.
337
As a life long resident of the great state of Maryland I can assure everyone that harris is widely regarded as an embarrassment.
He is partisan to the extreme and has no place or any sway in our state.
And thankfully he is in his last term in office- I am just not sure he knows it yet.
20
@Raymond L Yacht, the only thing they comprehend is the direction that the wind and GOP donor's dollars are blowing. Harris and others of his ilk will continue to deny reality if it keeps the money flowing to them. Thanks to the Robert's court it will require thinking voters to correct this problem.
@Raymond L Yacht
Andy Harris is one of the worst Republicans. He is a doctor who doesn't support healthcare.
Harris is up for reelection. Hopefully his Democratic challenger, Jesse Colvin will prevail.
Now's the time to bring back HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee, to you youngsters), the Congressional committee that held hearings in the '50s & '60s to look into the activities & loyalty of Americans (often Democrats) considered too far Left, or even Communist-sympathizers or Russian agents. Who would they be investigating now? Follow my gaze.
41
@Brian Hogan
Good point; my thoughts exactly.
5
This is no longer a matter of party but a matter dangerous to the republic. There are those so blind they will not see or deaf they will not hear, and those are the people in congress who are throwing the country under the bus to save their job.
90
'Perfunctory' comes to mind when watching Trump read from a prepared statement (pity he did not do that when he spoke about the EU, Canada, Mrs May, Mrs Merkel, etc, he had no problem ad-libbing then). In any case one sentence doesn't change the rest of what he said in his praise of Putin.
48
When the history books are written, the debasement of the Republican party in subservience to a nitwit president will be the theme. I won't be around to read it but I relish the thought that all these Republican politicians will be recorded as a fifth-column to the weakening of the nation and tantamount to the destruction of democracy.
156
Mr.Pompeo, Mr.Kelly and Mr Bolton could not counsel Mr.Trump on the tough approach to Mr.Putin.It is pitiful that the foreign policy team could not save us from this international embarrassment and that now Mr.McConnell and Mr.Reid are having to send messages to our foes and allies by votes in Congress.If Mr.Trump cannot conduct foreign policy that this country supports he needs to leave this office.Russians are gloating and Americans are fearing what the Russian spies will do next- thanks to the incompetence of Mr.Trump.
39
Republican talk is cheap. They will do nothing to weaken their electoral chances. Republicans represent the minority of Americans and standing up to Trump would alienate the only voters they have left. If we are waiting for the party leadership to do the right thing we will be waiting a long time.
27
So, it is always a positive when Democrats speak up. We hardly ever hear from their leadership. Conservatives dominate the daily news cycle. Democrats don't have a Fox News channel, or the many conservative radio, other TV outlets and newspapers that saturate voters in red states, and many blue states.
When will McConnell and Ryan take action against this traitor.
That is exactly what Trump is, and a every American knows that it is the truth.
So, what can Americans and Democrats do to rid the nation of Trump and his Un-American supporters in Congress. Well, let's hope that decent, the very decent, Americans vote them out in November. But, they can also work locally to rid themselves of conservatives that are part of the Roy Moore Culture. They can do this everyday.
18
Trump admitted he misspoke so this story will be gone from the news cycle quite soon - The press will move on to something else and this simply goes away
4
@JimA
And that is a good thing. This obsession with style over substance has to stop. The key, clearly, as it was with Nixon/Kissinger, is peaceful talks, rapport-building détente...this excessive malignant hate-mongering is killing our credibility. Move one!
1
@Jim
No. He did not "admit" he misspoke, he falsely claimed that he misspoke, a false pathetic attempt to do damage control. His "admission" was just another of his many, many lies.
@David
Nothing wrong with rapport-building détente but when it is done at the expense of the country and our allies we are not winning.
The excessive malignant hate-mongering that is killing our credibility is the hate-mongering of our friends and allies by Trump.
The only way that Republicans will protect the country and show some spine is if they learn, through the midterms that not doing so leads to disaster at the polls. The Republicans have failed repeatedly to protect the country. The only recourse, especially for republican voters who care about this country, is to support democrats in the upcoming midterms, so that Republican "leaders" get the message and again stand up for this country.
20
(Mitch) McConnell told reporters. “In the meantime, I think the Russians need to know that there are a lot of us who fully understand what happened in 2016 and it really better not happen again.”
Kremlin internet trolls are trembling in their boots at that severe finger-wagging from the spineless Senate majority leader; trembling from laughter.
59
Mitch will not be remembered well by History.
16
“So I just think it was important for our friends and allies to hear from us.”
YES, Thank you !
These Republicans wouldn't mind the country being ruled from Moscow as long as there is another tax cut coming.
37
Putin and Trump had already considered the complicit cowardice of The GOP prior to the press conference. It's why they considered it a triumph.
We're in trouble. The world is in trouble.
23
You can't contain it. You got your Judge, you got rid of health care, you got your tax package. It's time to do the right thing. 25th Amendment time! Make more history. If the Republicans think this is bad, wait until November.
25
The assumption is that Republicans care. They don’t. Republican Senators visited Russia on July 4th, for God’s sake! Trump is the best thing that ever happened to Republicans. He’s the distracting circus. As he performs they get to do whatever they want to the rest of us. They will do nothing.
Democrats on the other hand are almost silent. They think they can run on a platform of he’s so bad. Hillary did that and look where that got us.
Bernie Sanders is doing it ...working for the rest of us. We need to do everything we can to support him!
16
@Justice Holmes Democrats are almost silent? I sure don't get that impression from reading the news. Why try to split opposition to Trump by raising the HIllary vs Bernie nonsense?
23
@Justice Holmes
The Russians supported Bernie Sanders too. It was their way of delegitimizing Mrs. Clinton and enabling Trump's win.
18
Us dems will loose if they keep yapping about immigration without offering a logical plan. Trump won on the racism of immigrant bashing and he might win again on the same platform. Dems need to quit beating their breasts and offer a plan.
1
All is well and fine again for the Republicans. Trump just mispoke, so they can continue to support him passively and/or actively. Sure they need him to get that judge on the SCOTUS.
Anyway, for the Democrats, there should be no hurry to remove Trump. He is their best asset for the midterm elections: everytime he opens his mouth, he pushes more voters away from Trump towards the democrats. If Trump gets impeached now, something which will be difficult anyway, Mike Pence gets president. And even if Pence gets impeached too, which will be even harder than impeaching Trump, Paul Ryan comes into the White House.
Ideally, democrats should take both House and Senate in the midterms, so that a democrat comes to replace Ryan as majority leader. Then it will be time for the Democrats to impeach Trump, and perhaps even Pence, to get a Democrat as president. Once democrats are in the majority, it will also be a lot of fun to see all these congressional hearings to bring the truth out of Trump's presidency.
14
@SJP Truth. If you go down the line of succession you have to impeach a whole bunch of them before you get to a reasonable person. I am not even talking until you find a democrat...Just a person with a working brain.
6
@Sue
Actually, if Pence appoints (with Congressional approval) a new VP, then the new VP becomes Pres and appoints another new VP.
Except for an emergency when both offices are vacant at the same time, there would be no need to go through a line of succession.
Remember when Nixon appointed Ford to replace disgraced VP Agnew; then when Ford became Pres, he appointed Nelson Rockefeller to be VP?
Every glad-handing word Trump said of Russia makes sense if you consider one possibility: Putin is paying Trump a billion or so dollars a year to run America according to Russia’s wishes. Putin is getting a dime-store bargain.
23
These Republicans are playing the fiddle while watching America burn.
In the end, few Republicans (esp. in the House) will have the patriotism, strength, or willingness to criticize Trump, knowing such actions will risk their reelection odds.
I would say we have reached a new low in America, but today is a new day and somehow Trump will find a way bring us down another notch. He will manage to discredit and debase the presidency and our Nation.
29
It all comes down to the hardcore Trump supporters, who still, to this day, while in the minority, control this country. A piece I read yesterday found Trump voters saying that he hadn’t been properly prepared for the meeting with Putin. They completely ignore the fact that he golfed all day the day before and refused to look at the 100 pages of topic and policy briefings his advisors presented to him. And yet, Trump himself said he didn’t need to prepare because he had been preparing all of his life for this moment. Can’t have it both ways, Trump supporters.
218
Oh, the richness of irony.
McConnell refuses Obama’s request to put country before party to condemn Russia. Now Mitch finds himself defending the EU and intelligence services against his GOP president.
Time for new leadership in the Senate.
144
The move away from trusted institutions and towards a more authoritarian Presidential approach in the US would be worrying even if the President was competent and governed for all.
With Trump it's even more worrying.
11
Path may seem unclear because of the partisan volcano that erupted over the bold Helsinki Summit and the press conference that followed. Trump was shown the error of his words. Biting words from the president matter and lack of clarity can result in erroneous perceptions. The president should take the higher ground and not vent his frustrations (some understandable) and not shoot them from his hip.
That leaders of the 2 major nuclear powers Russia and the US met formally for summit at a time when both countries recognized that relations had soured, is a giant step towards peace through strength. At the end of the summit both leaders came out with euphoria that relations could only improve.
At the summit presidents of Russia and USA provided an opportunity to be interviewed by the press and reporters from both countries. Chris Wallace had a very detailed interview with Putin and was asked many piercing questions on the minds of Americans who don't trust Putin.
What was most critical to world peace was that issues like nuclear arms control that impact continuing world peace were discussed and that such summits will result in a path to denuclearization of the Korean peninsula but a future that could see a denuclearization of our world.
The path to deescalation of the war in Syria seemed to have come up and eradication of terrorism (world war III) by a collaborative effort by US and Russia demonstrated that the 2 countries will remain allies in fighting world war III.
1
First, a benchmark: no GOP bill or Trump executive order rises to the courage and vision of Obama's success in ending financial limits and including pre-conditions in healthcare coverage for working families. Certainly, not the tax cuts.
Trump voters speak of his being "real," but where are the real programs? In education, health, housing, wage growth? The real growth has the Defense Dept. setting record 2017 sales, booking over $76 billion, with deals subsidized up to 95%.
How can you build a country if you are busy casting blame? If your fights have no goals?
The hidden "real" is that tariffs are a tax! They go to the government--not to companies, workers, or profits--to the government! How much real money will be collected? How will it be spent?
The silence of the Congress has allowed racism to expand.
The silence about Trump's antics only hide the silence about the lack of plans and policies for prosperity and progress, esp. missing the biggest economic trend of the decade, one Asia is preparing for, the doubling in size of the global middle class by 2028. Infrastructure, business clustering, education, and economies of scale will capture the expanding market, not tariffs. In fact, the US share of the middle class is predicted to drop from 18% to 9%!
The impotence of government, especially Congress, its utter lack of plans, its ignorance of trends, is an embarrassment.
63
Deeply embarrassing is the media paradigm's miss of the season's most important political event--a bigger, bolder smashing of political idols than Trump's win. A victory whose main tactic had no record of success in national elections until now.
The real story is not "Trump-not Trump," for-or-against Trump, in-or-out with Trump. The narrative in front of us is a shift to grassroot candidates. The biggest story among these is NY House District 14, won by a waitress and bartender who promised not to take corporate money.
Voters saw this rejection by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as politically meaningful! Enough so, that voters realized her values, positions, and loyalties would not be compromised by special interests or money.
The rejection of money is now part of the messaging. It's a strong statement that for the first time has broken through and reaped spectacular success, even when challenged by 10 to 1 spending.
No story is bigger than the rejection of money for a New York district in defeat of a corporate incumbent! In a district with LaGuardia, Citi-Park, the US Tennis Open and river front in two boroughs.
Dropping corporate money in a national race is huger than anything Trump!
5
As am a republican but I am an American first. It is time we as a party and as a nation vocalize the harm he is doing to our country.
There is no excuse to stay silent.
310
No, Will. We don't need to "vocalize" the harm like this was American Idol. We don't need to "raise awareness" of someone with his gold-plated ALLCAPS name on so much real estate and his malcompetence on so much media estate.
All that McCain and Flake-y even do anymore is vocalize. They ran away when they should've voted with sane Democrats. The dotard is a problem, but so are the decades of GOP policies and grandstands that have promoted bigoted, pro-gun, anti-life, pro-birth, anti-homeless Mexican Muslim black woman, faux-Christian, anti-education, anti-American dotardism.
Since they won't lift a finger to stop their monster, we need Republicans like you to join us, the sane, and get him and his collaborators in the Congress and Cabinet out of government, or get yourselves out of the voting booth.
You can't be both a GOPer and "American first". Pick one. November 6 is your last chance to atone for being Republican.
8
Trump's double negative excuse was phony. His body language spoke the truth and was more in agreement with "would" rather than with "wouldn't."
77
about 2 years late to "contain the damage" of don the con.
GOP thought that it could ride into power and contain the chaos that is the very nature of this con man.
GOP failed to "contain the damage" with the two last tools given them by the Constitution (remember that?), the Electoral College specifically designed to keep unqualified candidates out of the presidency riding a tide of overheated rhetoric in the general election.
So, the GOP has actually ENDORSED the damage and ENDORSED the chaos, the bad language, and the bad actions.
The GOP owns don the con. full stop - they cannot as a party decide that they too "mis-spoke" abou their support of a corrupt, dangerous, liar. His name in big gold letters should be atop the RNC headquarters, just another financial transaction by don the con.
93
Censure Trump - at the very least the Republicans in the House and Senate should vote to censure Trump.
Trump is unhinged and dangerous to our nation. Trump is a want-to-be autocrat, a want-to-be dictator, despot and tyrant.
Trump simply can’t play in a sandbox with other children and needs a time-out. His policies and executive actions are destroying the very foundations of so many of our institutions of government and he acts as the ugly-American when ever abroad with our allies.
Trump is unfit to be our President!
177
How about mentioning what others are reporting - that Trump has refused to enforce the last wave of sanctions? The soap opera of politics is the easy part to report on. Actually pointing out what this party has done and allowed to be done is troubling and needs to be clearly spelled out.
228
This has been reported countless times. Your tone suggests media bashing, wherein it's being negligent.
Nothing is further from the truth, if you care to inquire.
Exactly. Give us the substance not the form. The Times should STOP reporting TWEETS as if they are magical pronouncements from the gods.
Well, people would need to develop spines before they considered serious action as currently there appear to be none in Capitol Hill.
39
Well, this certainly has distracted everyone from that problem at the border where babies were kidnapped from immigrant mothers, and still haven't been reunited.
252
@Mike M
And from hundreds of other actions by 45. It's political sleight-of-hand. It works, too.
3
You write this as if the Trump/Russia story was intended as a "distraction." That's absurd.
Why do you think the American people are incapable of knowing multiple horrors going on in our country.
4
@Mike M Good point. We have seen 45 deflect in this way before.
Could it be that the fact that we lost 2000+ of other people's children--due to sheer meanness and unfettered ineptitude--actually does cause more political fallout than the Russian fiasco?
Of course that kind of calculus would be immoral, rather than botched grammar in a denial. But we don't no how have no none of that around, don't we?
4
The path forward for Congress is clear:
1) Protect Robert Mueller
2) Censure Trump
3) Subpoena the translator in the private meeting
4) Subpoena Pompeo, Bolton, Kelly to testify about the follow on meeting.
4) Censure/expel McConnell from the Senate for his deliberate coverup of Russian meddling in 2016.
The reality, however, is that Republicans are terrified of the Trumpers in their own party. The 90% of 30% of the country, that represent 60% of their primary voters. They won't take on Trump because that would require them to actually speak to their voters about why he is a clear and present danger to the country in one syllable words that can be played on Fox, Rush and printed in Beitbart.
Once again, a disaster created by Republicans will have to be cleaned up by Democrats. The question is what will be left to clean up when these guys are done?
506
All wonderful ides that I was about to recommend myself. Problem is: it requires political courage and the capacity to but country before party and, far more important, before their careers.
Not happening, sadly, amongst this group of Republicans.
26
@Peter
Add another key item:
> investigate why the trump administration recently eliminated the key role .of a cyber-security director while real evidence mounts that russian cyber meddling is proceeding apace at this very moment-
113
@Peter
Better subpeona the translator quickly and get him into protective custody before a tragic accident befalls him. I think it likely that the Russian translator got into a separate limo at the Moscow airport hasn't been seen since.
2
"Republicans seemed to be casting about for something — anything — to do."
How about requiring the President to show the American people his taxes?
377
@SDLeon - of course they could never do that. That could lead to a requirement that they too show their taxes. I don't think they want to rock that boat.
4
This is beating a dead horse because Mueller has Trump's tax information.
Of course, that’s a little like suggesting someone open a door behind which can distinctly be heard the growl of a hungry tiger.
Chuck Schumer would be a good leader in normal times, but every time I see him "react" to the latest Trump obscenity I want to go to sleep.
Children have been kidnapped, and our intelligence agencies are being trashed by a know-nothing president, yet Chuck can barely raise his voice.
Nov., 2018 may be the last time Americans can right the OUR sinking ship, but with "help" from the Chuck Schumers of the world, we may fail.
For God's sake Democrats, start making some noise. You have nothing to lose but your chains.
533
Time for dinosaurs like Schumer and Pelosi to take a step behind the scenes for a more youthful energetic leadership.
6
@David Henry, I agree. This guy is utterly ineffectual. Where is the fire, where is the rage? That's what is needed, not these wimpy statements. Nauseating.
2
@David Henry
You're right. We need leaders in the democratic party who have the same moxie as Trump but who are sane and intelligent too. We need leaders to stand up to Trump and the GOP and clarify this situation to the American people and explain exactly what it will take to fix it. We need strong fighters who know how to win!.
Of course trump is ignoring the raw evidence of russian meddling. And he is negligently and deliberately doing absolutely nothing to stop the Russian cyberattacks. His adminisreation has even recently eliminated the key role .of a cyber-security director while real evidence mounts that russian cyber meddling is proceeding apace at this very moment- Essentially trump is brazenly counting on a repeat performance by the russians to reaffirm his hold on power in the 2018 and 2020 elections. The Helsinki summit coupled with the new supreme court justice appointment will embolden his efforts to shut down the Mueller investigation. A shift to a truly authoritative regime in the WH is in the making, no question.
200
@John Townsend
Trump's next request of Putin:
"Russia, if you're listening, I want your to attack the November 2018 elections to keep my majorities in the house and senate intact"
1
Jeff Flake and Bob Corke rare not running for re-election. Their words of criticism are tepid at best. Now if they, along with Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski decided to caucus with Senate Democrats to tip the balance of power in the Senate, even for several months, they could hopefully start investigations into the Helsinki fiasco and pass a bill to protect the Mueller probe. It would take some courage, but history would reward them.
429
@beth reese
What you suggest would take no courage at all for Senators who have already put up the surrender flag by choosing to retire. It would just take some actual conviction on their part in their own somewhat hollow and tepid protestations.
2
I'm afraid that "courage" is the problem here.
@beth reese
None of them will show any courage. In reality all they crave is attention. They talk and talk and do nothing except get themselves interviews on cable TV.
Corker says the president in 15 minutes destroyed goodwill of six months?
No. The president destroyed a lifetime of goodwill. In addition to his statements having to do with Russia, he has tried to destroy lifelong relationships with European allies.
Our family members have served their country alongside European allies. They have given of themselves to be wounded, maimed, and killed together with our European friends. And our president sold them out, threw them under the bus.
He goes to Helsinki and throws our people who serve our intelligence agencies under the bus, too, and thus demeans our whole country.
It is clear Trump “wouldn’t” believe in his country. Trump “wouldn’t” stand up for his country. Trump “wouldn’t” put his own country in the light it should and does shine.
Instead Trump “would” embarrass us. Trump “would” put our country at risk. Trump “would” insult every single member of our military forces. Trump”would” jeopardize our standing in the world. Trump “would” make our country unsafe at our children’s expense.
Trump “would” do and say these evil and untoward things - and he did. That is a fact.
Now Congress, do your jobs in stopping this man from further injuring our country. That is, if you “would” have the guts.
397
@MIMA
My family also served this country I also find this stuff an embracing debacle.
I have been hoping things would get better... And look.
This is scary.
3
@MIMA
150% correct.
1
@ MIMA, to add a bit to your excellent comments, new info this morning on conditions in a detention facility holding immigrant children (which passed government inspection recently). Children are being served frozen sandwiches, they are not drinking the water because even as kids they can tell it is to smelly to be safe to drink. They report sleeping on cold concrete floors with no covers because the facility has run out of bedding. I have visited the Holocaust museum, and conce traction camps included bunks and safe water. Two sisters in a facility in NY being represented by council were denied medical care until they got lawyers ( unclear how seriously ill they were, the older had severe pain, included ear pain. Untreated ear infections can lead to deafness.
1
The Democrats have been pushing for punishment since before his inauguration, so let's get real here, with the Dems there was no way for Trump to win with the Russia summit. Whatever he says they find cause with, they are the party of nay.
I will never vote for a Democrat, their entire party is one of obstruction and negativity . I also would rather they place our citizens needs first, as Trump does.
9
How does Trump put anyone or anything but Trump first? Look at the consequences of what Trump has done. Examine the evidence. Make sure when you vote it isn't emotion that decides your choice.
16
@Tom ,Retired Florida Junkman
Tom - with all possible respect, please turn off Fox News and turn on your own mind. Trump is as altruistic as Jon Gotti and just as teflon. He has never done anything for “the people” his entire life, quite the opposite. What makes anyone think he suddenly has had a change of heart and puts others first? What part of meeting in secret with no American in the room and making military agreements with a long time adversary puts you first? What part of tarriffs that raise your costs of daily items while Ivanka’s new partnerships with China are exempted from any tarriffs puts you first? What part of lying to you and treating you like a underacheiving 5 year old puts you first? So don’t vote Democrat, no one says you have to. That doesn't meanyou shut off your brain and blindly suspend your disbelief to follow Trump. At best, he’s blown well past his own level of incompetence. At worst, he is a dishonest traitor that is making himself wealthier.
Either way, it doesn't put you first.
8
@Tom ,Retired Florida Junkman
Thank you for sharing. Since Trump has been in charge, my 401K returns have decreased, I pay more when I fill up my gas tank, my insurance premiums and co=pays keep going up, and, I hope my washes and dryer will not break because prices are rising for household products. Exactly how are Trump's policies helping citizens like me?
Aside from the financials, why does he feel compelled to lie, then lie about lying, and then blame others for the lies he has told? Quite frankly, that doesn't seem to benefit anyone.
5
The republicans have already pivoted back to judges. They have moved on. They don’t care about foreign interference, they encouraged it. Eight republican leaders went to russia two weeks ago - where are those transcripts? What was discussed? The only question is - how deep does Russian collusion go in the Republican Party? The road to Russian engagement runs through the NRA, the RNC and all the way through the House. They are complicit. Vote them out. Vote for America.
386
@Deirdre Sorry but there is no more america.
@Deirdre
You are absolutely correct. The entire Republican Party and the NRA are entwined with Boris, Natasha and Putin.
@Deirdre I did not think that the corruption was that deep among the GOP until I read about a Florida rep. Talking with gruccifer. That was a shock. It's why some GOP are doing their best to undermine Mueller. They are guilty as well.
1
"To contain damage."
Has a president ever stood next to a man who orchestrated the invasion of another country, whose cyber hackers have repeatedly tried to get into our banks, electric grid, and nuclear reactors, whose dearest wish is to break up the alliances that threaten his iron grasp on power -- and denied his own government?
That's what Donald Trump did the other day. Then he backtracked.
And all the GOP can do is "control damage."
When the Russians get into our electrical grid and gum up our reservoirs, our internet, our street lamps, our gas stations, our ability to deliver food into cities . . . then the GOP will have to deal with chaos, mass starvation, and murder on a scale we have never seen before.
Our government has done nothing to shore up our defenses against Russia and Putin -- or to control a president whose only real concerns are his own personal wealth and popularity ratings.
When Putin puts out our lights, Pearl Harbor will be dwarfed in comparison.
290
@B.
My fears exactly.
@B. When it happens they will blame it on Obama and Hillary.
@B. Insightful, articulate commentary.
Pressure Congress for massive oversight of the midterm elections.
Congress, especially McConnell's and Ryan's, wimpy responses to Trump's disastrous summit are just distractions to keep the public from focusing on what Russia is doing right this minute to affect our mid term elections.
I devoutly wish otherwise, but I'm convinced that the Democratic leadership will fumble this opportunity. Here is the Chief Executive acting irresponsibly, and one of his party doltishly saying, "I disregard and discount [which is it?] anything that involves the mainstream media press."
A mound of political capital offered liberals on a gilded plate, enough to dine on sumptuously between now and November. But will they? I doubt it. Whether it's the sclerosis of Pelosi and Schumer or some other handicap I don't know, but I foresee another missed opportunity for Democrats.
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Well said!
Dem's need a positive message to win support. They can't be just the party out to get trump. That is not to say they shouldn't hold him accountable, but they need ideas that resonate. For that purpose the old guard should step aside. the future of the Democratic party and nation belong to the young. Young leadership will bring young votes and activists
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@cruciform
They have already fumbled, with no chance of recovery.
The leadership is pulling a Full Obama, asking the party that hates them in an existential way and which evinces no whit of care for the country to punish their adored/reviled President.
Failing to make their case in any way to the public.
Never bothering to talk about, let alone decide on, a course of action action other than filing more stuff with the party that will continue to ignore it, and whining they don't have a chance.
Which, under this hidebound yet determined to remain in power leadership, they don't.
This game is over.
Us Trump supports really care about illegal immigration, gun rights, cheap energy and right to life. We really don't care about the nuances of Russian policy. This whole thing to us is just another of a series of attempts (Stormy, family separation, Puerto Rico, bigger button, Cohen, Pruitt, Manafort,...) to distract us from Trump having truly stuck to his promise to the agenda noted above. The Dems have gone into a frenzy about Russia but in a week, it will be another nothing-burger.
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@Qcell
So let me get this straight.
As long as you get to make America white again, shoot at anybody you distrust, pollute with fossil fuels wastefully, and force women to carry on with pregnancies that might threaten their life and health, you are fine with a president who has affairs with porn stars, traumatizes children needlessly, abandons citizens who are victims of natural disasters, threatens nuclear annihilation, and surrounds himself with people who break the law and kowtows to Russia while disparaging European democracies?
What kind of American wants that kind of world?
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@Qcell
Comrade;
You will tell us when life under Putin becomes too much for you, IF you can.
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@Qcell
The Mueller investigation has found evidence that Russian hackers actually attempted to get into the voting ballot boxes. I am dismayed that my personal vote is not safe any more, but vulnerable to tampering by a foreign entity. I am outraged that our president doesn't care about this. The very foundation of our democracy where every citizen's right to vote is now jeopardized. This ‘fake’ president shamefully and shamelessly couldn’t care less!
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I am a Republican and I do not agree with comments below that Helsinki does not matter.
I watched it on TV with mute on while talking heads were blathering. And then with volume on - listened to POTUS.
I did not need the talking heads to tell me that this was an amazing and a disturbing performance if that's what it is called.
I think this POTUS will be hounded with Russia throughout his presidency - not because there is something nefarious. But his enemies must have realized after Helsinki - it's his weak point which triggers irrational behavior. And he famously disparages folks with being "weak".
So, while damage has been done and considerable at that - the only damage control - he alone can do. He needs to develop a thick skin on this Russia issue to not trigger this irrational and nonsensical behavior.
Many including myself buy his argument of "no collusion" - but equally almost all incuding myself do not buy that Russia is blameless. He should remember from past POTUS - it's not a crime or misbehavior that got them in trouble - but denying and stonewalling.
If any Republicans think they are working to limit damage - they are digging themselves a hole which will swallow all of them.
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@Neil “If any Republicans think they are working to limit damage - they are digging themselves a hole which will swallow all of them.”
You say this like it’s a *bad* thing.
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Neil, consider voting Democratic this November. You'll be doing yourself, your family, and America a huge favor. Thanks.
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@Neil in Texas: Why don't we wait until Special Counsel Robert Mueller reports his findings - which I understand will occur in September regarding Trump. Robert Mueller is a Republican (and I would think you are, too) but as a former NYC banker Trump has a long history of lying, bankruptcies and huge debt. NYC bankers quit lending to him in the early 90s. The fact that Trump would not disclose his tax returns (by lying and saying he was under Federal audit - which means nothing in terms of voluntary disclosure) during the election cycle of 2016 should give anyone - regardless of party - pause. Every other candidate voluntarily disclosed their tax returns except Trump.
I am an independent voter myself - I have always voted person not party - but believe Trump is tethered to Russians over his accumulation of debt to them - and is perhaps even a set up for blackmail.
Anyway, I will await Special Counsel Mueller's findings which may confirm my views.
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The Republicans are complicit in a Russian conspiracy with a very clear objective: the destabilization of NATO, the EU and the United States. Trump is terrified of Russia and appears to be eager to do their bidding. Either they have embarrassing dirt on him or he thinks he will somehow make money by pleasing Putin. It's truly bizarre. The Republicans majorities in congress, in the House in particular, have totally failed to exert competent and patriotic oversight, and the NRA and presumably Fox News are being used by Russia to defend Trump and sow discord in this country, and both have been very effective. The question now is whether the Republicans will ever bring themselves to end this national nightmare. If not, the question becomes whether the voters will hold the Republicans accountable for the damage they've done. The next two elections will determine our national fate.
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@Purple Patriot Change the names, but the game's the same since before the Civil War.
Civil War then, Culture War now;
Old South then, Family Values now;
Confederates then, Evangelicals now;
The Union then, Liberals now
Notice that there are no references to political parties here - except for Evangelicals.
Go back and look at how the Southern Baptists formed in 1845, to defend and protect legal slavery.
Then ask yourself whether Evangelicals are a religion (I think not) or a political party, promoting the Lost Cause.
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@Purple Patriot
It's not about making money in Russia. Putin is very likely holding much of Trump's crushing debt. If Trump doesn't do Putin's bidding, he is going to go bankrupt and his family with him.
At least that's the way I would have engineered it if I were Putin, and from all I am seeing, that's what's happening.
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@Purple Patriot
Indeed...these two elections will dictate the direction of the country for generations to come.
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Russia is playing the long game. It’s clear that by infiltrating the NRA, supporting Trump, they hope to incite a civil war, in the United States.
Putin wants revenge for the fall of the Soviet Empire. What is that revenge? The destruction and neutering of the United States, getting us to hate each other, polarized we fall.
Don’t allow this, my friends. Stand up. Not only is it your moral and civic duty to oppose this President, it is your moral and civic duty to initiate ways to bring this nation together. Start in your community. Build something that will unite your small corner of America. Organize a race, a concert. Create an event that raises money for a cause that we all have in common, whether that be your local Boys and Girls Club, or Wounded Warriors, or feeding the hungry in your hometown. Seek the common ground. Find out how we are alike. As we enter the age of dictators again, remember the young Frank girl who knew there was good in everyone. Appeal to that good.
Break bread with your neighbors. Rise up and strengthen your community as Trump and Putin conspire to tear us apart.
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