Republicans are in the middle of a scorched earth retreat

[Dr. Jack]

A new article out today from The Week which proposes that the Republicans are ready to let the economy collapse. This is after their insulting stimulus bill failed to come close to passing in the Senate. I think all evidence points to the Republicans admitting they are going to lose the election (the smarter ones, not Trump who is totally delusional). Take all of the fear and emotion out of the election, all of the PTSD around 2016, and look at things objectively, Biden is almost certainly going to win. The Democrats are also going to keep the House and seem more likely than not to take the Senate. It doesn't matter if the Republicans pass a stimulus bill or not, so they won't. If they thought it would help Trump's reelection chances or help them keep the Senate, we would have had a 2nd stimulus bill months ago. Instead, the Republicans are in the middle of a scorched earth retreat. They are leaving Biden and the incoming Democrats a massive mess to deal with. That way it will be more difficult to actually start working on a progressive agenda. And when the 2022 midterms come along, they will blame the Dems for the state of the economy and try to demoralize Dem voters by saying "see, the Democrats have had total control of the federal government and haven't enacted the agenda they promised". They are going to burn the country to the ground. The Democrats are going to win this year but the toll is going to be absolutely catestrophic.

https://theweek.com/articles/936573/republicans-are-going-try-drown-economy

[634-5789]

1. Agreed.

[genxlib]

2. I'm confused

I think he just described 2008 and 2010.

[Eyeball_Kid]

4. And that, too. n/t

[chriscan64]

10. Along those same lines

Bills that pass with no republican votes will be criticized for passing with no republican votes. Biden will be called "divisive" when trump voters refuse to unify country. The only difference is that they won't say Biden is Kenyan.

[Dr. Jack]

18. Don't worry, I'm sure the racists will come up with all sorts of bizarre theories about VP Harris

[vlyons]

30. Who cares?

As long as Dem bills pass and become law, all Americans lives will be better.

[FoxNewsSucks]

34. Amen!!

Fuck republicans and fuck voters!

[ewagner]

33. Yep....you've got it. n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

35. He did.

[rickyhall]

36. And 1929 and 1976 and 2000

It's their tell, when they lose they blow things up.

[lagomorph777]

3. The progressive agenda IS the cleanup.

We (Biden) did it after the Bush economic collapse. We (he) can do it again.

[regnaD kciN]

8. We can't if Republicans still control the Senate...

...and block everything just as they did with Obama.

[lagomorph777]

12. Obviously.

We take the Senate, or everybody dies, is pretty much how I feel.

[2naSalit]

14. +1

[Ligyron]

25. plus 2

If Trump wins, I'm gonna be real glad I'm old.

That's not going to happen but everything in that article surely will exactly as described and as happened before should Biden somehow, someway by hook and crook, lose.

Unless we take the Senate too, now that could puta bit of a monkey wrench into Mc Turtle's attempts at sabotaging things.

[aquamarina]

5. It is my humble opinion that

republicans are not only heartless, selfish and unAmerican, but that they are sorely underestimating the ability of Democrats to not only right the ship of state but also to push forward with new and innovative policies that actually help the majority of Americans.

[PaulRevere08]

28. And those policies benefit most Americans, even the idiots that vote against their own interests.

rethug policies are only designed to benefit their patrons and whatever foreign government they are beholden to.

[Mike 03]

6. Bookmarked

This is scary, and it's been on my mind too.

When Hitler concluded the war was lost, he issued something called the Nero Decree, to basically destroy Germany's infrastructure and render its industries useless. It was defied, but the leader believed, "If I'm going down, Germany is coming down with me." He believed Germans didn't deserve to exist, because "they" had failed him.

[Dr. Jack]

9. I'm currently watching WW2 week by week on youtube

It's a great series if you have never seen it. They did WWI week by week from 2014 to 2018. Anyway, they are currently a few weeks into the German invasion into the Soviet Union. They go into quite a bit of detail about the Soviet scorched earth policy as they are retreating. Entire commando units were set up to destroy everything possible behind enemy lines. Although comparing the current Republicans to Nazi Germany in 1945 and the Democrats to the allies is an analogy that I like a lot more.

Here is the series if you have never seen it

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1AejCL4DA7jYkZAELRhHQ

[Lucky Luciano]

21. Interesting- thanks!

[Mike Nelson]

7. Agree...

... they will try to put the collapse into Biden's term, and long for the Trump era. They did something like that with GWB and Obama. I don't think it will work out for them...

[durablend]

11. Of course they will

Then they'll say "You made me do it! If you'd voted for me instead of those EVIL DEMOCRATS, this never would've happened!"

[DSandra]

13. The fulfillment of Jude Wanniski's Two Santa Clauses theory

But this time wrecking everything to prevent Democrats from expanding social programs. These guys are evil traitors to America.

More on this

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/12/thom-hartmann-how-the-gop-used-a-two-santa-clauses-tactic-to-con-america-for-nearly-40-years_partner/

[keithbvadu2]

15. Pay attention when Trump claims the economy is going down the drain if he is not reelected.

Pay attention when Trump claims the economy is going down the drain if he is not reelected.

He is telling us what condition he is going to leave the country in.

[BComplex]

16. And THIS, my friends, is why we have to take over where the Lincoln Project leaves off after Nov. 3

We need to set up an advertising blitz that will keep the messages coming fast and clear, and make sure the entire country knows what a mess the republicans continually make of this country.

[Chemisse]

42. THIS! It was a failure of the Obama administration not to toot its own horn often and loudly.

Obama was dignified, understated, and modest, and so many great things he did went unnoticed by the masses.

[BComplex]

47. Right? That understated stuff won't sell. Not in this day and age.

We have way too much propaganda and lies being told about "liberals", and we need to fix that problem.

[NNadir]

17. FDR served 3 terms and was elected for a 4th. There's um...that. n/t.

[ashredux]

19. Hmmm....that just may be correct....

[bucolic_frolic]

20. More than most, by longevity and experience

Biden will know how to act quickly on the mess he inherits, though I think a lot depends on our majorities in Congress. Biden will set direction, policy, tone, and delegate duties to competent appointees, many with Obama White House experience. Harris will be a workhorse. We should have no fear after what we've been through, how could we or the country be decimated any worse?

[bucolic_frolic]

23. And Biden's 2021 SOTU speech will detail the perilous mess Republicans left

and since Republican liars stuck with Trump's lying, Republicans won't have much remaining credibility to say anything about it

[bringthePaine]

22. good surmise! the Refukkkchickens must therefore be run to ground, prosecuted, and punished

WITHOUT MERCY, with all capital assets subject to recovery and damages, to which I suggest percentage bounties awarded to any non-gov agents who facilitate such recoveries - this would encourage the criminals and grifters to save themselves by turning on their fellows, perhaps even
turn financial institutions in hiding thus far (are you listening, Deutsche Bank?...)

[Pepsidog]

24. Just like Bush left the country. No surprise here. But now we get rid of filibuster and crank up

the spending. No norms and deficits don't matter.

[PatrickforO]

26. This may be, because I genuinely believe that many of today's

Republican Party (of Trump) are beholden to Russian oligarchs and other billionaire parasites. Many, including McConnell, are traitors right along with Trump.

So, yeah, they'll try a scorched earth policy.

But I'm thinking Trump's downfall will precipitate a bunch of investigations, indictments, trials, and convictions of Republicans, and that the party will actually die, as did the Whigs, and Know-Nothings.

As to what happens then, your guess is as good as mine. I will say, though, that right on this thread we have people who are considered far-left AOC type progressive, and others that are considered much more toward the center. Thing is, we need both. That is how our founders set up the republic - to require lots of debate and then compromise to move forward.

As progressive as I am, I appreciate the centrists, not only for the intellectually stimulating arguments I have with some of them on here from time to time, but because if it was just me calling the shots, we could go the wrong direction awful fast. Same with anybody else on here, too.

Bottom line, there's wisdom in the group - we just gotta get rid of the Republican traitors so we can move forward.

[Harker]

27. Tearing up the tracks

and blowing the remaining bridges.

[vlyons]

29. I strongly disagree

Assuming we take the senate, we shall make significant headway on a progressive agenda.

- A meaningful stimulus bill
- An effective covid response plan
- Big steps towards affordable universal healthcare
- Significant climate change measures
- Green energy and investment in infrastructure - well paying jobs
- Forgiveness of student debt
- Voting rights reform, an end to gerrymandering and voter suppression
- Police reforms
- Corporate and 1%er tax reform
- Shore up SSI
- Repair the post office

[gulliver]

31. They might be dusting off the "sabotage America" strategy they used against Obama.

That's why every single Republican must be voted out of every single office.

[bdamomma]

32. Don't repigs

usually scorch us all, they don't know how to govern PERIOD. They should be arrested for the ruin of the country. Bastards they are.

That oath they took means nothing to them.

[Mr. Ected]

37. How about this time, we spend the next 2-4 years working feverishly to overcome this clusterfuck

While taking every opportunity, EVERY OPPORTUNITY, to peg the misery on the 'Trump Effect" or the 'Republican Recession". Over and over and over and over again. Forget bipartisanship. They sure as hell have.

If, in fact, we hold the Congress and the WH, we should govern fairly and politicize unfairly, loudly, comprehensively and often.

[Arazi]

38. 1st on the agenda must be election reforms

That will solve so many problems for 2022 (which will still be a bad year for Dems because of the still-raging economic fires)

[llashram]

39. this

[warmfeet]

40. Well,

let's help them out a bit.

VOTE THEM THE FUCK OUT OF OFFICE!

GET RID OF THESE ASSHOLES - PERMANENTLY.

SCORCHED EARTH FOR ALL REPIGGIES.

[Roc2020]

41. Correct. They did the same thing

when Obama took over from Bush11. Left the country in a mess and went bat crazy blaming the Dems for not fixing it and going too slow which got them a massive win in the 2010 midterms. That's their game plan again.

[Fiendish Thingy]

43. That's why Biden must aggressively capitalize on this once in a century opportunity

And spend the first year in office ramming through as much substantive change to help every American- healthcare, voting rights, jobs (min wage, Green New Deal, infrastructures), corruption/trust in government, etc.

If Biden and a Dem congress can implement enough real life improvements in the first year, Dems could retain power for a generation. No half-measures or “pragmatic incrementalism”, substantive change, unimpeded by the filibuster.

Think of all the folks in red states working for the federal minimum wage of seven-fucking-dollars and 25 cents an hour, suddenly making $15 bucks an hour- that’s almost enough to power an economic recovery right there, even with the inflation it would cause. Other people’s wages would have to increase, and a Green Jobs program that put out of work coal miners and construction worker to work building wind and solar farms at decent (hopefully union) wages would be a winner, along with comprehensive healthcare not dependent on employment status.

With successfull passage and implementation of these programs, Biden And the Dems could peel off millions of votes in red states.

But they only have a year, 14 months at best, before midterm jitters eat away at the courage of legislators.

[dalton99a]

44. Republicans don't give a shit about America or Americans.

[ffr]

45. This is 100% absolutely accurate.

This is just an escalation of the pattern the party has been following for the last 40 years. First they blew up the national debt with high interest rates, tax cuts, and military spending under Ronald Reagan, and threw a massive fake tantrum about borrowing to constrain Bill Clinton's agenda. Then they blew up the debt again under George W. Bush with tax cuts and military spending, and threw a massive tantrum under Barack Obama to constrain his agenda — in addition to filibustering almost every bill in sight. (Democrats by and large went along with them, because unlike Republicans they foolishly believe in keeping down the debt.)

Now they have blown up the debt again under Trump with tax cuts and military spending (sensing a theme?), which is actually near record highs thanks to the coronavirus response. Should Biden win, you can bet with perfect confidence that Republicans will start having daily screaming tantrums about the national debt — pounding their lecterns in the Senate, lying on the floor kicking and yelling, and holding their breath until they're blue in the face. The effect, should Biden listen to them, will be to hamstring his presidency, lose the 2022 midterms, and cause grievous long-term damage to the American economy and people.

100% accurate.

We need republicans at all levels of government to be absolute wiped out!

[Castiel]

46. I don't see how it can be assume Trump is definitely going to lose.

Microsoft announced today that Russia has already started hitting us hard and with voter suppression and the postal service sabotage, I just don't see how it can be assumed Biden is going to win.

[live love laugh]

48. All their retreats are scorched earth. nt