>

Oh paul!  You laid the groundwork for him!  You and the rest of the GOP aided the rise of assholes like him and embraced the voters that put him there!  You all created this guy.
Trump's campaign manager, financial manager, personal lawyer, and National Security Advisor were all prosecuted for felons in association with Trump's 2016 campaign. During the primaries Cruz, Graham, and Rubio all repeatedly called Trump a conman. Yet today the whole Republican party kneels before MAGA. 
It should surprise no one that Jr Republicans learned from Trump's example. >

Many Republicans are coming to the realization that Santos is a habitual liar and he cannot easily be controlled.  They could manipulate Trump.  On the other hand, Santos is a lying wildcard.  He could very easily vote with with Republicans on stuff they would win anyways, but give a thumbs down 👎 McCain style just for the lols. >

Santos is no different than the rest of the party. The republicans are just trying to pretend they're a legitimate party not built on lies. >

He is different: he’s worse at lying. They want him out because even idiots can see through his lies. >

I mean from what I've seen, it looks like he was sent in with the mysterious backed funding to just continue to sow discord in American government. His "ill resign if 142k ask me to" is obviously bs. You can tell he purposely flash the okay hate symbol to get people riled up online on both sides. If they don't force him out, I am 100% sure he is going to be like mtg and Dumbart doing anything and everything to get his name in the news. >

He could be a spy. Seriously. >

A spy would be more covert. He may be being paid to just disrupt Congress and the government in general. Not sure what the correct term for someone like that is other than professional asshole. >

Eh, what more covert way to hide you're a spy than act like a complete wild card? Everyone will be more worried about what you're next dumb move is to pay attention to any of your boring stuff....Don't actually think he is, but one can never know for sure lol. >

Could you imagine if this were the norm and everyone we elected did this? No one would have faith in the system >


No one would have faith in the system

That's exactly what the MAGA crowd wants. >

Until they lose seats because their people don't actually vote, and then it's suddenly the Democrats' fault again. >

Except depressed voter turnout usually results in Republican candidates winning. This is part of their strategy: when voters only hear about corruption, both sides-ism, the system is broken, etc, they think "What's the point of voting?" And that lets the Rs win.
Vote. It matters. >

Usually, but if they start thinking the elections are all fixed and their votes don't matter, Republicans might stop voting >

Republicans will do whatever their overlords tell them to do. >

They didn't in the last election cycle, by and large. The lock-step autocracy of the Republican Party has been fracturing for several election cycles now. >

I was shocked when they didn’t all fall in line for the Speaker vote. >

To be fair, that was because of a small group of insane people and not because of people suddenly discovering the concept of morals. >

And that small group of insane people got a whole lot of power out of those votes. >

Well, GOP, you opened the fucking flood gates for this shit and now we all suffer for it. Fucking assholes. >

Not only should he resign, but Al Franken should be reinstated … with medals. >

Not really the same though, because Al Franken has to deal with much different kind of voters.  Voters with things like morals and standards. >

I have plenty of morals and standards and the Franken thing was bull shit.  He was a comedian, on a comedy tour, with comedians, doing comedian shit. >

At the time it was a way to show democrats have more integrity than republicans, but republicans didn't care or learn anything from it. They use it as a permanent example of democrats being "just as bad as they are" and while us non-fascist people see right through it, it totally works for their crowd.
Democrats now have to walk on eggshells while republicans can trample over babies. >

IMO it was a really stupid form of political sabotage in their own camp to try to save face. No one cared. Not republican voters who would continue to not only vote republican but to vote for the scum of the earth with people like Trump. Not democratic voters either who would continue to vote democrat. Literally changed nothing except giving republicans a win for no reason. >

He was going to be one of the best male allies feminists had in the senate. At decision making times, i think Democrats need to think less about what things might look like and concern themselves more with what things might occur. The only time the dems ever seem to ignore optics in favor of substance is when they all band together to push Bernie out of races. >

Kirsten Gillibrand deserves a lot of the blame for that one btw. Her moral posturing cost us Al Franken. >

Yep. I also feel some resentment for senators like Elizabeth Warren for not speaking up in his defense when i think she knew he deserved some support and consideration..i want to peer into the alternate universe where he was still in the judiciary committee during Barrett's confirmation. I think roe would have still been stricken down big franken being there would have made them pay a heavier political penalty >

Does Ryan have a book to sell or is he getting ready to run for something? >

He just spoke out against Trump too.  I think he's trying to gear up for a run for Congress or President and is trying to pretend like he didn't support and allow all of this shit when he was speaker.  He's hoping everyone forgot. >

Election for Tammy Baldwins seat is in 2024, potential ramp up for that >

Baldwin is like, the only WI rep that gets elected by more than 1-2% 
Hoping that holds true for 2024.
I'd also really like RJ to get indicted for his part in the fake elector scheme, but I doubt it'll happen >

Basically no chance.  It's ridiculous that he was the only statewide win for the GOP besides the state treasurer. >

Seriously. How do we have a Russian asset/agent as one senator and a lesbian progressive on the other? >

The candidate against the Russian asset was black. Swung the minds of 3% of voters. >

Also some campaign challenges on Barnes' part. I don't want to blame the candidate exactly, but Milwaukee area turnout was some of the lowest it has been in awhile, which certainly didn't help. Ultimately FRJ, but Barnes really could have spent more resources trying to get the vote out in Milwaukee and Madison. >

There were plenty of voters for Evers who for some reason thought FRJ was a better choice for Senate. >

It looks like Koch has activated Paul Ryan for a presidential run. >

more sane than DeSantis or Trump is all I will say about that >

Biden owns his soul since their debate and the repeal of all social safety nets will be on the table if he is the gop nominee.
​
speaker malarkey never gonna be president now. >

I don't really want Biden to run again mainly because of his age, but I would love it just to see him destroy Paul Ryan in Presidential Debate-aroo 2. >

Biden has degenerated so much since 2012. He cannot replicate that performance. >

From what Ive read, Republicans wont let him resign because he actually won a Dem favored area. So to resign would mean a reelection & possibly losing the seat, which the Republicans can’t afford given their very small margin in the House. So it seems they will tolerate a bonafide fraud rather than risk a seat. >

I mean it's the Republicans asking him to resign right now. Both local and national >

How many are in office and how many are out of office calling for his resignation? >


The week after he joined the House, Nassau County Republican leaders called on Santos to resign. “He has no place in the Nassau County Republican Committee, nor should he serve in public service or as an elected official,” county GOP chair Joe Cairo said in a press conference.  
In the House, New York Reps Anthony D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, Nick Langworthy, and Brandon Williams have urged him on January 11 to step down. >

Thank you for that answer! >

I can pretty much guarantee that Paul Ryan would be defending Santos, just like McCarthy, if he was still Speaker.
The republican majority is slim as is and he wouldn't risk giving a seat back to the dems. >

100% these guys are only ever self critical of their own if A. Their jobs are being directly threatened or B. It doesn’t hurt themselves. Otherwise morals, and ethics really don’t matter and you have to support the team. I remember when Ryan was attempting to be tough on trump which immediately backfired on him and the tough talk went to bootlicking real quick.l >

Paul Ryan famously made up marathon PRs, so he knows a thing or two about embellishing. >

Famously? It's ridiculous that would be famous considering it was an off-the-cuff comment in the middle of a long interview about a  subject that doesn't matter anyway.   To my knowledge he didn't embellish his record in any other way - he just remembered his marathon time from 20 years ago. Who cares?
There are in numerable reasons why I hate Paul Ryan, but they are reasons that matter. I hate this trend of reducing someone down to one little mistake, like the Howard Dean scream they came to define his entire career. It's ridiculous. >

Lying about a marathon time isn't really a big thing politically... Especially in context. Like whether his time was true or not I don't think that really changes how a voter is going to view him. 
Santos has lied about...
Where he attended high school.
Where he attended college.
Working on Wall Street.
The source of his finances.
His marriage (he claims to have a husband but there is no evidence of this, he has divorced a woman however.)
His mom dying on 9/11.
His grandmother dying in the Holocaust.
Friends dying in the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Being Jewish.
I'm sure I'm missing other major ones but he has a serious habit of continuously lying about who he is and what he's done in order to manipulate public opinion in his favor.
Those all make marathon time lies look trivial in comparison. >

Santos is almost past the point of being able to point out specific lies. His entire career history is fabricated or cherry picked at best. He suspiciously came into massive wealth, with no explanation, despite being an admitted con man from another country. The whole situation is about as bad as can be >

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Where did Santos get $750K? Who is funding him? I think it's a foreign government. He's a plant to do the bidding of a foreign government. He's a fraud and a traitor. He should be investigated for national security risks. >

I doubt this. It's probably a domestic dominionist-christian fascist with money. >

Backed by a foreign government. >

Why do people assume candidates need/want foreign backing? We don’t live in a poor nation
Most of the worlds millionaires and billionaires are here in the US. And the rich in the US get by far the best value on political lobbying/corruption. 
So if there’s a suspicious financial backing to a US candidate, isn’t it most likely just a rich American group with political interests?
Reddit makes republicans out to be stupid conspiracy theorists and then spouts “Russian money” at every republican campaign without even thinking things through >

Probably because it’s been proven that Russia has been funneling millions of dollars to the GOP through the NRA and other unscrupulous means. If we have evidence the party was operating for years under Russian funding why is it a bad thing to assume they haven’t stopped when they haven’t changed any other reprehensible or unethical activities they’ve been caught in. >

While no laws may have actually been broken by any of his alleged lies, this should be the catalyst for new legislation then that does make it illegal. >

His aide impersonated others to get campaign contributions. He paid for personal items with campaign funds. Laws were broken. >

And this is why the GOP suddenly cares. The completely fabricated history broke a month ago and nadda.
He broke the only rule they have left - Don’t fuck with the money. >

It also shines a spotlight on where exactly Santos got money from, who funded a campaign for a fraudster who was behind on rent?
Republicans do not want people poking around where they get their money from. >

"you start to follow the money, and you don't know where the fuck it's gonna take you"

Lester Freamon >

“Man, money ain’t got no owners. Only spenders.” >

Always former, never current. Repubs need the vote even if it comes from the devil himsef