Republican Panic Grows After Mastriano Wins

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The aftershocks of Tuesday’s big primaries are still rumbling across Pennsylvania, but one impact is already clear: Republican voters’ choice of Doug Mastriano in the governor’s race is giving the GOP fits.

Conversations with Republican strategists, donors and lobbyists in and outside of Pennsylvania in recent days reveal a party seething with anxiety, dissension and score-settling over Mastriano’s nomination.

In the run-up to Tuesday night, Republicans openly used words and phrases such as “suicide mission,” “disaster” and “voyage of the Titanic” to convey just what a catastrophe they believed his candidacy will be for their party.

An adviser to several Republican governors, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there was wide displeasure with the outcome, calling him unelectable. The Mastriano campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/republican-panic-grows-mastriano-wins-124713550.html

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. GOP has plans for the rest of us.

Real bad plans, but by all means let's NOT act like we are in an emergency!

[durablend]

2. What should be upsetting

Is the outcome is going to be bad no matter which way it turns out. If he wins, PA gets pushed back to the 18th century (or worse); if he loses you can bet his supporters will riot. They're not going away quietly.

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. GOP has no intention of certifying any election they lose from now on in states where they

control elections or control govt.

[Cosmocat]

55. That is exactly his appeal

The whole premise of his campaign, and why he has such a rabid base of support, is that he won't certify dems if they won.

[Probatim]

5. Thanks for that uplifting assessment.

I've only been worried about a life in PA if that asshat wins - now I have to think about riots if he loses.

He's a horrifying person but his followers are worse and are angrier.

It's going to be a crazy 6 months (probably 9 months).

[liberalgunwilltravel]

29. It's likely Mastriano will lose but not concede

Look on the bright side, if Mastriano loses, refuses to concede and calls his cretins to arms, after they are convicted of felonies, they won't be eligible to vote in 2024.

I live in Maryland on the southern border of York County, PA. The Mastriano lawn signs are at the same houses that have the Black Flag, Trump Flags, Gadsden Flags, and the Stars and Bars. Traitor/fascists every one of them.

[IronLionZion]

33. The outcome is good for us if he loses

let them riot and get arrested. He was a big part of Jan 6 organizing.

[Girard442]

4. "Unelectable"

I want to believe that. Not sure I do.

[FoxNewsSucks]

8. Yeah, that's what they said about tRump.

[Midnight Writer]

11. "Unelectable" is a quaint notion.

[lastlib]

35. It only applies to fair elections....

In an election rigged by fascists, the fascists candidates are easily electable.

[SoonerPride]

32. I agree. Watch him be our next president.

Because this timeline sucks.

[Hekate]

6. Good. "Suicide Mission" sounds good. Go for it you GOP bastards.

[FSogol]

42. +1. LOL n/t

[Wounded Bear]

7. They say that like it's a bad thing...

Dems need to GOTV at 2018-2020 levels, at least.

[Trailrider1951]

9. Can I say it now?

REPUBLICANS IN DISARRAY!

Josh Shapiro will beat the snot out of him.

[wnylib]

15. Mastriano will refuse to concede

and will foment riots to support him, just as he supported Trump in doing the same thing.

As a native of PA, I am glad to live in NY now. PA election will be violent.

[Trailrider1951]

17. He probably will. Fat lot of good it will do him, though, re: TFG.

I grew up next door in Ohio.

[ancianita]

31. Really think Gov Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov John Fetterman would let riots or violence happen?

[wnylib]

36. They would not condone them, but if people decide

to riot, Wolfe and Fetterman will have to handle it.

It's not a matter of "letting them." Prevention is preferable. But once it breaks out, it's how to handle them when they do something. Just like Governor Hochul did not "let" a NY state resident slaughter people in a grocery store. He decided to do it and she is handling her end of it by developing changes for the future.

Sometimes you can't prevent determined people ahead of time.

[BumRushDaShow]

43. If all that improbable stuff did happen and they even think of coming here to Philly

they will be greeted with all the "ghost guns" that they helped to pump into this city. Because. 2nd Amendment.

[wnylib]

49. Sincere question. Do you think that

it is improbable that there will be violence during the midterms and that some of that violence will be in PA?
Outside of Philly and Pittsburgh (and maybe Erie) there are hard core MAGAs in PA.

I expect to see some poll intimidation and attempts to alter election results in some precincts, not just in PA, but in MAGA country everywhere.

NPR had a program a couple weeks ago about poll workers around the country preparing for intimidation and possible violence during voting and especially afterward, when tallying results.

Mastriano supported the stolen 2020 election lie and was at the Capitol on J6, so would he spout the same lies if he loses in PA? And what will his MAGA voters do if he loses?

[BumRushDaShow]

52. I expect there to be "isolated" incidences of it

but I also know that January 6 is very much STILL on the minds of our and others' governors and they are going to pull out all the stops for this election given that this will be the first "federal" election since 2020.

And as long as DOJ feeds the media updates on all the insurrectionist trials and (and Bannon's trial is supposed to happen in July, assuming it doesn't get delayed for some reason), then that can hopefully put a bit of a damper on things. And many of the most ardent and dedicated supporters and "instigators" of what happened January 6 (outside of the planners like Mastriano) now have criminal records, and have been "put out of commission" for the most part.

Also remember the year's worth of Q nonsense about who was supposed to "return and be installed" in office, with a (fill in the blank date that kept getting pushed back), and that still hasn't happened. So you might also have a segment of the disaffected who realized they were "had" and who have "dropped out" of this nonsense.

HOWEVER we also have state elections going on and if anything, I know those GOPers who DO come out to vote will make sure their local loons get reelected. We have a redrawn congressional (loss of 1 seat but the lines are pretty much the same as the previous map) and legislative map, so it will be interesting to see what happens with that. I know after many years, I am suddenly in a new state House district.

[wnylib]

58. Thanks for the feedback.

I am not expecting a big violent event like J6, for all the reasons you gave. But I do expect some interference with outcomes, some dissatisfaction that leads to protests, and expect that some protests will get out of hand. Even as far back as 2000, there were hired thugs in Florida to disrupt vote counting. And the political atmosphere is much worse since then.

I can't believe that the situation in the country has deteriorated to the point that I have such expectations. I want democracy and normal elections again.

[BumRushDaShow]

59. Well as you might recall

when we were doing the vote counts here in Philly down at the PA Convention Center in 2020, where the media was paying rapt attention, there were dozens of election workers doing shifts of 24/7 "canvasing" the ballots (pulling ballots out of envelopes and preparing them for scanning) and the actual process going on inside was literally being streamed and viewable by anyone from that Tuesday all the rest of that week (and I kept the stream going on one of my laptops that week with that stream and I was posting snapshots).



Meanwhile while outside there were many hundreds of supporters and a handful of "protesting" disruptors who were kept separate and there was one "incident" where a bomb plot had been thwarted.

otherwise people had a "block party" down there and were partying -

After all that, when PA was doing its certification in Harrisburg, I captured some snapshots of that process -



and that included when Josh Shapiro added his vote (he was one of the Electors) -



One of the "mailbox" costumes from election night is now at the Smithsonian.

Link to tweet

Spiral Q
@Spiralq
·
Jun 29, 2021
it happened 3
Image
Jen A. Miller
@byJenAMiller
Put the dancing mailboxes in the Smithsonian.
Spiral Q
@Spiralq
"Spiral Q’s mailbox costume is an instant artifact of the history of the 2020 election, materially embodying themes related to the pandemic, voting by mail, voter fraud, civics education, and public protest. The Smithsonian was eager to include it in our collections, alongside...
2:33 PM · Jun 29, 2021

The other costumes were later damaged when the warehouse being used by the organization who made them, was flooded after the remnants of Hurricane Ida blew through here -

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Who remembers from 2015-ish . . . . . "TFG is a clown" . . . . "He can't win"?

Mastriano ABSOLUTELY can win. He is sort of messianic, appealing to dumbfucks, haters, and zealots alike.

Can Democrats consider maybe allying with some of the these concerned and disaffected Republicans to deafen him?

[inthewind21]

21. Three words

Trump, Green and Boebart. And that is just three of many. Yes, I agree, he absolutely can win. And the answer to your question is no. If they were THAT concerned, why are they still republicans? And why are they just now "concerned"

[ProudMNDemocrat]

12. GOOD!!!

Perhaps now, Republicans will finally realize they backed the wrong horse starting with TDFG and this clown who won the nomination for PA Governor. Perhaps now they see that Dictatorship in any state IS NOT a great idea after all.

Josh Shapiro has a heavy load to carry with Democracy on the ballot in November. Shapiro has a crack team already pouncing and letting voters know that the GOP candidate is not a good fit for the birthplace of American Independence and FREEDOM.

[inthewind21]

22. Perhaps now

I'll win the lottery. The odds are about the same.

[FakeNoose]

13. Lawrence O'Donnell explained it very clearly last night

"It's up to Josh Shapiro to save Democracy"

I believe Shapiro is up to the task, and he'll be our new PA Governor next November.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Democrats need to open their hearts and minds

and homes to any Democrats from other states who can relocate their businesses and lives to vote in November to save democracy.

This is a 50 alarm fire, it's for all the marbles.

[malthaussen]

14. Like there was a better alternative.

Dr Oz? Seriously? The GOP in PA needs to come up with somebody more reasonable if they hope to appeal to anybody outside the radical fringe -- who are, admittedly, a sizeable portion of the GOP base in Pennsyltucky.

-- Mal

[obamanut2012]

24. Oz is runing for Senator

[malthaussen]

60. Oops, my bad.

Senator, governor, dog catcher: they're all unsuitable for any of them.

-- Mal

[bucolic_frolic]

16. GOP turnout was far heavier than Dem turnout

and TDFG delivered at the last minute. What you don't realize is that Pennsylvanians go through life with blinders on. They don't know jack about politics. Their preacher is the political guy. This is a Jesus-loving, state privatizing turnout.

IF we're going to win we need the BIGGEST OF NUMBERs. As many as we can get and then 50% more.

[obamanut2012]

25. Josh Shapiro ran UNOPPOSED, of course GOP turnout was heavier lol

[bucolic_frolic]

27. Trump can't win. HRC has got it in the bag. /nt

[BumRushDaShow]

45. Interesting enough in 2016

Last edited Thu May 19, 2022, 06:11 PM - Edit history (1)

when Josh Shapiro ran for and won his current Attorney General position, he got 130,569 more votes than Hillary Clinton (and that 2020 election is also when we lost the Auditor General and State Treasurer positions).

From here - https://www.electionreturns.pa.gov/General/SummaryResults?ElectionID=54&ElectionType=G&IsActive=0



And if you look closer, you'll note that he also go more than Toomey AND more tha 45.

[bucolic_frolic]

48. The stats don't lie

but we need a repeat performance.

[BumRushDaShow]

50. Yup and agree

Many of us are still scratching our heads about that because it sadly established that people were consciously splitting their ticket when it came to Clinton and McGinty vs Shapiro.

And this was BEFORE Act-77 was passed (became law in 2019), which not only allowed no-excuse mail-in ballots but got rid of the straight-party voting option (that was the trade-off with Democrats to give us the mail-ins). Thus this is showing you didn't have that much straight-party voting in 2016, based on that type of mixed result.

So I expect he might have also had a bunch of indie/no affiliation votes as well.

[BumRushDaShow]

54. I also meant to add this too - from 2020

(forgot that Shapiro had run for his 2nd term as AG in 2020)

Shapiro got 3,243 more votes than Biden and 83,798 more than 45.

[karynnj]

28. In fairness, on the Democratic side, Shapiro was unopposed and Fetterman blowing the race out

Now, I like most here, if I lived in PA, would have voted. However, many might not go out of their way to vote when the two big races were so overwhelming. (A good question, in any district with a close House race, were the numbers better.)

At any rate, you are 100% right -- we need to vote like our democracy depends on it.

[orwell]

18. Of course he will win...

...and the race to the bottom will continue.

We left the sanity train long ago.

How else can you explain the global obsession with business as usual while the entire biosphere collapses...

[elleng]

19. Good

[Demsrule86]

20. I went over to Freeper land to see them suffer...and a fair number of them were very unhappy

about Mastriano and the icing on the cake, a fair number of them thought Fetterman would beat either Oz or McCormick.

[sarcasmo]

51. When worship of Trump is the platform, these are the candidates you deserve.

[packman]

23. can't believe the comments of "disaster", etc.

Seems like that what many of us were saying a few years back when the most qualified Dem candidate ran against a bigoted, racist, failed businessman.

[KS Toronado]

30. Quite a few Rs considered Agolf Twitler a catastrophe in 2015

but when push came to shove, they circled their wagons around him and
declared he was the second coming of something.

[IronLionZion]

34. GOP in disarray

[C Moon]

38. All they'll do is work on more cheating methods.

[BumRushDaShow]

39. I don't know why they are whining

they MADE that bed.

Mastriano is the result of what they vomited forth when they decided to go full loon and they are ALL associated with it.

There were 7 U.S. Senators, all Republicans - https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1171/vote_117_1_00002.htm#position

YEAs ---7

Cruz (R-TX)
Hawley (R-MO)
Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Lummis (R-WY)
Marshall (R-KS)
Scott (R-FL)
Tuberville (R-AL)

And one hundred fucking thirty eight (138) House loons - https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/117-2021/h11

including 8 of the 9 GOP members of Congress from Pennsylvania (the lone exception being Brian Fitzpatrick)

(roll call: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202111?Page=44_

Joyce (PA) | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea
Keller | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea
Kelly (PA) | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea
Meuser | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea
Perry | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea
Reschenthaler | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea
Smucker | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea
Thompson (PA) | Republican | Pennsylvania | Yea

who voted to exclude Pennsylvania's certified electors, and thus were on record as insurrectionists who promoted "The Big Lie®". The PA GOP leadership supported it, participated in it, and stoked it.

[Bettie]

40. The thing is, it isn't the things he'll DO that they don't like

it's that he talks about doing them. Openly.

They don't like that. They like their evil to be couched in weasel words.

[Emile]

41. He still has that magic R. They'll vote for him.

[Hulk]

44. NOTHING is out of bounds for the cult.....

I wouldn't rule him out. There are enough bat-shit crazy magat cult stooges and disgruntled ignorance to elect someone as nuts and unqualified as this sack of human waste. The cult has the ill-informed, apathetic but-pissed off electorate controlled to do their bidding to bring Pennsylvania and the country down. These are NOT sane, stable times by any means.

[BumRushDaShow]

46. I used to use the term

"batshit crazy" all the time but mostly in reference to batshit crazy Michele Bachmann...

But now I gotta start using it more for all the rest of them.

[malthaussen]

61. In a few short years, we've come to the point...

... when Bachmann and Palin actually seem moderate.

-- Mal

[BumRushDaShow]

62. That is what is just bizarre

And we lived through the transition from them and Steve King, to people like Mick Mulvaney, Kellyanne Conway, Blake Farenthold, & Sarah Huckabee Sanders, to a complete loon meltdown with the likes of Madison Cawthorn, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, & Doug Mastriano.

[RobinA]

47. Hoist

on their own petard. Boo hoo!

[DFW]

53. "The Mastriano campaign did not respond to a request for comment."

Oh, really? Well, DUH! What were they expected to say? "He is, TOO, electable, so nyahh nyahh!"

I bet half of the people working "for" that campaign are enjoying Republican money for as long as it lasts, and will move as far away from Pennsylvania as they possibly can if he wins--and I'll bet that half the Republicans working for his campaign hope he does not. No one will have seen more clearly than they what a jerk he is.

[Skittles]

56. they cannot control the monster they created

fuck ALL of them

[Takket]

57. you can't change what you are..........

the gop is going to keep putting up lunatics even in an environment that is supposedly ripe for "change", because that is what they are. lunatics.