Inaction by Republicans and Paul Ryan, not to mention a sleepy-eyed shrug from Scott Walker, will forever brand these guys as family values failures, and an "anything for power" political monster.
Here's audio of Paul Ryan's jaw-dropping juvenile attempt to make it seem like Trump's assault charges aren't his problem. NPR:
Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep asked Ryan about the differences between the allegations against Moore — which the House speaker reiterated he believed were "very, very credible" — and the accusations against Trump. The speaker said he was "focused on Congress" because that's where Moore wants to go. "My job here as speaker of the House is to help make sure that Congress is an institution that we're proud of and that's what I'm focused on," he said. Asked again about the differences, Ryan said, "I haven't spent my time reviewing the difference in these two cases."
Scott Walker was asked about Trump and, well, the answer is pretty much another empty GOP talking point; it's over, we had an election...but he still takes it very seriously:
The unshakable Republican base for Trump should be a wake-up call for Democrats still scratching their heads over Scott Walker's recall win and a majority of Republicans in the legislature.
Nothing Republicans can do will change the minds of their voters, no matter how bad things get or how bad their policies fail. After all, Democrats will destroy the country and shred the Constitution, don'tcha know. New Republic:
They are entertaining the anti-democratic fantasy of
sweeping their Trump enablement out of memory and grabbing the country’s levers
of power in an unwelcome, Trumpian fashion. In rescinding his endorsement, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo
said, “I urge Donald Trump to step aside and allow … Mike Pence who can defeat
Hillary Clinton.” Republican officials and strategists (want) to overturn the
results of the Republican primary, and the votes of hundreds of thousands of
citizens who have cast ballots for Trump already. Republicans want nothing less
than to replace the election the country’s been enduring for months with an entirely new one, and
without wasting a single moment.
Despite Trump's many outrageous dis-qualifiers, using his position and power to sexually assault women should have been a game changer...nope. Like my conservative friend keeps telling me, this was just "citizen" Trump, not the political candidate:
Exclusive poll: GOP voters want the party to stand by Trump: According to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, GOP voters, 74 percent surveyed on Saturday, said party officials should continue to support Trump. Only 13 percent think the party shouldn’t back him. 10 percent of Republicans said the video gave them a positive feeling. 8 percent said it makes them feel more favorably toward Trump. And 25 percent GOP voters could be prepared to punish Republicans who bail on Trump.
Jake Tapper's interview with Rudy Giuliani shows how Trump supporters rationalize and accept whatever it is their candidates do, no matter how illegal or repugnant. Giuliani claims Trump isn't the same man he was a few years ago, so let it go. Can't the same be said about Bill Clinton? Just asking:
JAKE TAPPER (HOST): Right, but I guess the question is he's
talking about actions that are sexual assault. And he was 59 or 60 years old
when he said it. This wasn't something that he said when he was 18 years old.
He is talking about a feeling of entitlement because he's a star. He can go up
to women and grab them by the vagina and it's OK, he won't get in trouble for it.
It's really offensive on just a basic human level. Who did he do that to? RUDY GIULIANI: Yes. Well, first of all, I don't know that he
did it to anyone. This is talk. Gosh all mighty, he who hasn't sin throw the
first stone here. I know some of these people dropping their support --
Giuliani is the spokesperson for the Trump supporters polled above, where it's anything goes against your enemy. They want to "shake things up" and attack "political correctness," an open invitation for racism and bigotry.
You have to wonder if Trump voters were ever willing to commit this same act of irresponsibility with their own home and the well being of their own families. Didn't think so.
Chuck Todd got to take his turn at Rudy Giuliani today on NBC. Like CNN’s Jake Tapper did earlier this morning, he grilled Donald Trump‘s advisor over the candidate’s lewd recordings from 2005 ... so Todd played a few more of those words. Specifically, he played some 2008 clips of Trump saying lewd things to Howard Stern.
Remember when Trump threatened the media with lawsuits over bad press? Sadly, it looks like NBC took that very seriously at the expense of their credibility and the public's right to know:
Why am I not surprised? One of the most arrogant Republican bullies in the legislature, outgoing Rep. Bill Kramer, appears to be breaking the law again. Kramer is using campaign money to defend himself against sexual assault chargers, a personal matter and a legal no-no.
A campaign finance report shows republican lawmaker
Bill Kramer used donor funds to pay an attorney $10,000 to defend him against
felony, sex assault accusations. "There is no way on earth that campaign funds should be
able to be used by an official to defend that official against sexual assault
charges," Executive Director Mike McCabe of the watchdog group Wisconsin
Democracy Campaign tells 27 News. McCabe says Kramer's use of campaign funds for this purpose
appears to be illegal. "This is totally inconsistent with the plain meaning of state law,"
McCabe says. "State law says you can only use campaign funds if you are being
investigated for, or being charged with violations of campaign finance and
election laws," McCabe says.
