WOW - NYT journalist posted this: will Dems try to recruit Republican Senators to switch sides

[onetexan]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/05/us/elections/forecast-georgia-senate-runoff.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-elections-2020

Adam Nagourney 28m ago
If Ossoff also wins, will Dems try to recruit Republican Senators to switch sides and join a new majority party? There's precedent and it is now the Trump Republican Party, so some might be tempted.

Everyone's thoughts on the subject?

[NutmegYankee]

1. I'm not going to be a purist. A vote for our side is a vote to advance forward.

I'll take all the help we can get to keep moving forward.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

2. Steve Schmidt is probably all for it. but as a temporary measure

[Hekate]

16. He will never be a Republican again, nor will he ever be able to get a job with them ...

...even if he wanted to do so.

[ms liberty]

32. He has joined the Democratic party, announced it a few weeks ago.

He's been an independent for a couple of years now.

[niyad]

3. The people who refused to convict the impeached, murdering, orange traitor?

[Hekate]

15. Calling Mitt Romney...

[scarletwoman]

18. No fooking way! He's going to run for the presidential nomination for whatever's left of the GOP.

Not to mention:

[Hekate]

19. He just had a really awful day: harassed at the SLC Airport, then jeered by multiple passengers...

...on his flight to DC. I think the word “traitor” was used.

He might be re-assessing his future at this point.

[scarletwoman]

21. He's still a vulture capitalist snake. No way would I want him in our party!

[hlthe2b]

27. I disagree. He knows damned well his party left him and his Presidency hopes are long past.

He's still 180 degrees from my positions and does not garner my support, but I acknowledge he's one of the few R's with ANY ethics whatsoever and one we could possibly work with on some issues. That he has stood up to Trump on multiple occasions makes him a RARE (nearly extinct) form of Republican.

[KentuckyWoman]

4. Pipe dream

Work across the aisle, yes. Go indy or switch parties? No. I don't see that happening.

[LeftInTX]

5. Opinion, editorial and speculation....

At the most they may agree on a few bills or GOP won't put up too much of a stink over Biden nominees....

Maybe a few rouge senators tomorrow will sit there and allow the certification instead of waging war against America

It won't get any cozier than that

[TeamPooka]

6. I'll take anyone who wants to join. Romney, Murkowski?

[coti]

7. I think Romney would be the most likely to go "I"

but doubt even that.

[Hekate]

13. I don't know. Life just got a lot harder for him. Today he was harassed at the airport and then...

...shouted at by a crowd of passengers as he flew back to DC.

[regnaD kciN]

22. No way...

Mittens still has dreams of a 2024 run, positioning himself as the "sensible Republican." He has to stay in the Party. Murkowski might be another matter -- when the Palinistas tried to drive her out in favor of a wingnut, she ran as an independent and won.

[mucifer]

8. before all this republican civil war crap I was worried they could recruit our most

conservative democratic senators or bribe them to switch sides. But, now it's pretty clear that's not gonna happen

[Cha]

9. I wonder who would be for it? Their

constituents might have more than a few Objections!

[Hekate]

10. I hope so. Perhaps a few could be persuaded to become Independents & caucus with the Dems...

So much work in the Senate and House used to be horse-trading — I’m sure there are still some skilled practitioners of the art who could find out what it would take to make, for instance, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney moderately happy to do so. Their old GOP is a stinking carcase and they look none too happy with the situation.

[radius777]

11. I can't think of any Repub who would switch.

They are all Repubs, though more moderate or really just sane/non-conspiratorial, but still ideologically Republican.

Just as Manchin will never switch as he's fundamentally a Dem, just more conservative.

[herding cats]

12. I'm hoping so.

A defection or two would go miles to further cobbling the nut jobs on the other side. I'm sure McConnell and McCarthy have teats in store for the moderates we would never offer to prevent such, but it would be nice to gut them a bit more now. Even one defection would be fun!

[stopbush]

14. Let's start with Bernie Sanders!

Sorry, couldn’t resist. My bad. 😈

[onetexan]

17. ROTFL

[Major Nikon]

33. Your penance awaits

[OnDoutside]

34. That's just plain naughty !

[scarletwoman]

20. The only one I could see is maybe Lisa Murkowski switching to Independent & caucusing with us.

Remember Jim Jeffords?

But I definitely wouldn't want Mr. 47% Mitt Romney. Let him work on a reformed non-trump republican party of some sort. The man still has presidential ambitions, keep him in the opposition.

[OhNo-Really]

23. Scorpion Frog Hell No. Primary all of them.

[DURHAM D]

24. Too late. Don't want them. nt

[BannonsLiver]

25. I don't see it happening

By my count there are four sane GOP senators. Those are Murkowski, Collins, Sasse and Romney. That’s the sane caucus. Four people. The rest are fanatical right wing nut jobs. None of those senators are in states that are trending blue. I don’t see the motivation to switch.

[LisaL]

29. What's wrong with getting the sane ones?

[regnaD kciN]

26. I would note that this might have been more likely...

...had the Georgia races been split. Then, we would have needed someone on their side to go indy and caucus with us to have a Senate majority. Now, there's little difference between 50-50 with Harris breaking the tie, or 51-49, especially since it's unlikely any such renegade Republican would go along with measures such as eliminating the filibuster.

[bdamomma]

28. More

Independents perhaps??? We may see the end of the GOP or a very extreme Cult Party.

[KayF]

30. I was imagning a scenario like this

isolating the republicans who vote for the coup into a tiny minority that withers away.

[Amishman]

31. my worry is the opposite, looking at you Manchin

Manchin has to think about it, especially after WV governor Justice switched D to R and handily won re-election.

Mitch will give him anything he wants, and switching parties takes a lot of pressure off Manchin as right now our entire agenda effectively has to go through him

[onenote]

35. I can't think of a single R senator that would switch

Wishful thinking that any will do so

[OnDoutside]

36. Someone previously mentioned Biden asking Pat Toomey to serve in the cabinet, which would

make sense. He's not standing for re-election in 2022, so this way he gets 4 years relevance instead of 2, and his replacement would be appointed by a Dem Governor. It makes lots of sense, especially after last night's results.

[onenote]

37. I can't think of a single R senator that would switch

Wishful thinking that any will do so

[dsc]

38. Party switching rarely works out for the person who does it

The only recent one for whom it did is Shelby. Ben Nighthorse-Campbell lost reelection, Specter lost primary, Jeffords didn't run again (though to be fair he was unwell). Honestly people don't appreciate weasels go figure. That said, if Collins or Murkowski want to switch parties I am not going to stand in the way.

[Klaralven]

39. Unlikely. They have more power as the Republican votes needed for cloture.

Besides, party discipline is less stringent in the Senate than the House. The Senate tends to be 100 independents, and the Senators like it that way.