The Republicans have all turned into mini-me Trumps.

[Honeycombe8]

In 2016, many of the Republicans were horrified by Trump's behavior.

As I was watching Lindsey Graham and McConnell and Paul Ryan on tv tonight, speaking in ways I haven't heard them speak before (about the Democrats), I realized they were using Trump's style and Trump's words. I realized that the whole frickin' Republican Party member have become mini-me Trumps. All the main characters are mimicking him...words and style. Extreme aggression, disrespect, hateful tone, no mention of government performing for all the people...the whole drill.

Then I realized that the Republican Party has totally, and probably permanently, changed. At least for the foreseeable future.

This is really bizarre and scary. They have seen that extreme aggression "wins" with their base, so their oaths of office, their duties, any hint of decency, have all gone out the window. They are running with the ball solely for the touchdown, even if they have to run over people to do it. I've never seen anything like this since I've been watching politics for over 40 years.

This is really a war, looks like. How do you win against people like that? I guess the Democrats have to become the same way, in order to win? This is not the way a democratic government is supposed to work.

[manor321]

1. It is 1930s Germany

And the Christian Dominionists want full and total power. Everyone else is illegitimate.

[pangaia]

6. You got it absolutely right.

[TheBlackAdder]

16. South Park's Mr. Garrison becomes Trump and strap-on fucks everyone in opposition into submission.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Yes, and I would like to think that these people aren't pulling it off like rump did. He did his...

act one time and now there are copycats everywhere. Copying his style and brash attitudes, along w/ the gutter mouth. Doesn't work w/ a lot of people, believe me and if you don't believe me, look at rump's ratings ... down in every state. Some by significant percentages.

[Honeycombe8]

3. They are emboldened by it because that's what won the Kavanaugh confirmation.

They adopted Trump's style and words (probably at his strong suggestion), rather than civility. The Senators & Kavanaugh were all extremely aggressive and hostile, and overly combative, as well as disrespectful. Lindsey Graham's tirade has been credited as being the touchdown.

They're doing it because they are winning because of it. It seems to work with their base.

I read that Trump's approval ratings are down. But I also read that the Republicans are now having a rise in enthusiasm. How much is debatable...538.com gives some poll numbers. They show a bump for the reds...not a wave. But don't forget about momentum. We still are the only ones who can claim a "wave" of any sort.

[SWBTATTReg]

5. They already had the numbers and won already before the tirades...they were just simply...

playing to their base, that's all. To a base that is getting smaller by the day. Reeks of desperation to me, it does. They could have picked a much better nominee, but didn't and stuck w/ the first flawed choice, BK.

This was a bad choice on their part ... it'll come back to bite them in the hind end along w/ the other crap that they pulled on the taxpayers and voters of this country.

They were very disrespectful to the institution as a whole, and yet they had the balls to blame democrats for 'mob' behavior. They just insulted over 1/2 of all Americans when they said this.

That's alright. They can rant and rave all they want, but it's not going to get them anything, but losses, big losses coming November 2018.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Exactly right.

[Honeycombe8]

14. I would hope that you're right. But the polls don't show that. Support for them ticked UP a bit...

after the Kavanaugh hearing. That's why they're emboldened. They see it as Trump's extreme aggression method worked. They got the Kavanaugh confirmation AND their numbers went up AND the Republican voter base enthusiasm level went up. How much is debatable, but up is up.

I looked at the data on fivethirtyeight.com that tracked voters before, during, and after the Kavanaugh hearing. I've seen one article somewhere that said that Lindsey Graham's tirade has been credited for turning the Kavanaugh hearing around and ensuring confirmation. That's a very different view from how WE viewed his tirade.

To think that they are in more trouble because of Kavanaugh is a mistake. The data doesn't show it.

We still have a month, though. If our enthusiasm holds or picks up, and theirs wanes, that would be very good for the Blue Wave.

[SWBTATTReg]

17. I disagree ... w/ the people I talked to (and I know it's not a qualified poll or scientific, ...

etc.), they all have been disgusted by the victim's treatment (especially after LG went after them) and then the showstopper was when he started bawling and yelling at the senator. 538 has been wrong and I don't really pay attention to it any longer, being that they missed the boat on the 2016 election:

"Why (Almost) Everyone Was Wrong
The results of this year’s presidential election made a mockery of analytical election forecast modelers."
An article by Quantamagazine, Nov. 16 2016

I'm paying attention more or less the 'mood' of folks around me and I have over the last 6 months, definitely detected a mood change in the way rump is perceived (I am in MO by the way). Far more negative then before. Recent polls do detect this change especially when rump is down by big numbers in every state! I especially want to point out that BK, while not a top notch candidate, folks are blaming rump for picking another obviously unqualified candidate (another one?). I too, am not being a downer and view the upcoming 2018 November elections w/ eager anticipation and will not dampen anyone's enthusiasm.

You're right, we have almost a whole month, and we'll remember all of the crap that rump is doing and/or pulling, all negative of course, and the constant attacks against the ACA, the crappy 2018 tax cut and jobs act, and Congress' repeated failures to rein in rump's excesses. If anything, I'm detecting that folks want someone to police the overwhelming repug crap since they're not seeing it at all in any shape, form, or fashion.

[Honeycombe8]

19. Good point about polls. Maybe they are no longer valid, at least for small changes.

Maybe they are only good to show a big difference, now. Like I said, 538's tracking data of LIKELY VOTERS, shows a slight uptick for the Republicans after the hearing from before. But it is slight...hard to pick up in a poll. And maybe not from the hearing at all.

[SWBTATTReg]

18. Another update...

CNN poll: Democrats are fired up and maintain a strong 2018 lead

Source: CNN



By Grace Sparks, CNN

Updated 12:05 PM ET, Tue October 9, 2018

Washington (CNN)Four weeks out from Election Day, Democrats remain well ahead of Republicans in a generic ballot matchup, with 54% of likely voters saying they support the Democrat in their district and 41% backing a Republican, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

This is the widest margin of support for Democrats in a midterm cycle since 2006, when at this point, the party held a whopping 21-point lead over Republicans among likely voters. That's also when Democrats seized control of the House from Republicans, making Nancy Pelosi speaker

This year, Democrats' enthusiasm about their congressional vote has increased and 62% now say they're extremely or very enthusiastic to vote, up seven points since September among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Among Republicans and Republican leaning independents, enthusiasm has remained relatively steady, going from 50% in September to 52% in the most recent poll.

Democratic enthusiasm this year is more intense than it has been in previous midterm cycles, which typically engage voters less than presidential years. The 40% who call themselves "extremely enthusiastic" is the highest share to say so in a midterm election cycle since CNN first asked the question in 2009.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/09/politics/cnn-poll-midterms/index.html

[Honeycombe8]

20. As Jed Clampett would say, "Heeedoggie!" That does look good.

Fingers crossed.

As the Obama chant used to go....."FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!"

[SWBTATTReg]

22. Absolutely. I'm so fired up that I'm catching all of the papers around on fire! ...

I can't wait to put a stop to an unbridled government run wild w/ unpaid for tax cuts, stomping on American's rights, trying to take our healthcare away, and otherwise, just plain being mean and rude to the rest of us fellow Americans.

We're a sleeping giant who's taken enough crap from all of these idiots who think that the world is revolving around them.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Good catch! They were discussing this on one of the MSNBC shows recently

That these Trump supporting lawmakers are taking on Trump's behaviors to curry favor with him and his benighted supporters.

[gtar100]

7. They made us their enemy. Our fellow Americans have been taught to hate liberals

And I bet most couldn't tell you why without repeating a bunch of talking points we've all heard before that have already been debunked.

[Garrett78]

8. Because they see how effective it is in controlling the narrative, and because...

...as crazy as it is to us, Trump is incredibly popular among Republicans (with an overall approval rating that is low but remarkably steady). And contrary to all the wishful thinking we see expressed, Republican Party affiliation is holding steady. The Republican Party base is not dwindling in numbers.

Our only hope is to outnumber them at the polls, which has proven challenging for us in mid-term elections.

[SunSeeker]

9. He enabled them to drop their masks.

They have always been like him on the inside.

[czarjak]

10. They've started thinking, "It worked for Don"...

Please proceed.

[Honeycombe8]

15. Exactly. In fact, I'm sure they had a pow-wow with Trump...

before the Kavanaugh hearing, and they decided, at Trump's urging, to take an extreme aggression stance, like Trump himself would do. While Trump would publicly make more reasonable, calm statements (which he did, and what was totally out of character for him).

[wishstar]

12. Kavanaugh totally channeled Trump in his performance last Thursday

Astounding that instead of acting dignified and respectful with appropriate judicial temperament, Kavanaugh instead decided to mirror Trump since it has worked so well for Trump in appealing to their base. He outdid Trump with nasty hyper- ventilating to the point of ridiculousness and openly talking back to Democratic Senators and aggressively denying everything while making unfounded accusations of conspiracies against him and bragging about his accomplishments. Then Graham piled on with his Trump-like bombastic threats and accusations and phony outrage.

We can't even look forward to things settling down after election since Trump will continue his relentless campaign mode behavior for the next 2 years while relentlessly attacking norms and taking us backwards.

[Cha]

13. We always knew they had it in them. They were Sleaze

just waiting for the Anti-Christ to come along.

[Solly Mack]

21. Yep. They were always Trump. He just allowed them to openly embrace their true selves.