The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: mystery-ak on July 11, 2019, 02:00:15 pm
-
Paul Ryan says he saw retirement as an 'escape hatch' from Trump: book
By Rebecca Klar - 07/11/19 09:48 AM EDT
Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), an early Trump critic who ultimately fell in line with supporting the president's agenda and rhetoric, said he saw retirement as his "escape hatch," according to a new book written by Tim Alberta.
A copy of Alberta's "American Carnage" was obtained by The Washington Post ahead of its release and the paper reported some of top Republican's private views of President Trump on Wednesday.
“I told myself I gotta have a relationship with this guy to help him get his mind right,†Ryan recalls, according to the reported portion of Alberta's book. “Because, I’m telling you, he didn’t know anything about government . . . I wanted to scold him all the time.â€
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/452579-paul-ryan-says-he-saw-retirement-as-an-escape-hatch-from-trump-book
-
Weaselly little chicken.
-
If only he had stepped down right after Trump was sworn in; things might have been a whole lot rosier.
-
Weaselly little chicken.
Weaselly little chicken, yes, but I'm glad he's gone.
-
There will be no good choices next time around. It is the most frustrating feeling, for someone like myself who's voted in every election since he was 18, to realize that it does no good to enable the schoolyard brawling.
-
There will be no good choices next time around. It is the most frustrating feeling, for someone like myself who's voted in every election since he was 18, to realize that it does no good to enable the schoolyard brawling.
And this has *what* to do with Paul Ryan?
-
Maybe he is beginning to voice his interest in running against the leader of the deplorables.
I think Ryan thinks too highly of himself. He will never get my vote.
-
And this has *what* to do with Paul Ryan?
I wish sometimes, like Paul Ryan, that I could step away. As a citizen, it is my responsibility to vote. I feel betrayed that neither party is going to give me a choice I can be proud of. Old school conservatives in the GOP have either been marginalized or are too timid to oppose Trump and his ferocious "base", and the Dems have lost their motherlovin' minds.
-
Weaselly little chicken.
Who do I dislike more? Trump or Ryan?
Tough call.
-
Maybe he is beginning to voice his interest in running against the leader of the deplorables.
I think Ryan thinks too highly of himself. He will never get my vote.
If Paul Ryan were to step up and run against Trump, it would be a Godsend. I would be onboard with that so fast it would make your head spin.
It's easier to just retire, I'm afraid. Unfortunately, we citizens still have to vote. The two parties have betrayed us.
-
Who do I dislike more? Trump or Ryan?
Tough call.
*****rollingeyes*****
-
Who do I dislike more? Trump or Ryan?
Tough call.
Not for me it isn't! Ryan by a mile! Both he and his tax lawyer/lobbyist wife!
-
Not for me it isn't! Ryan by a mile! Both he and his tax lawyer/lobbyist wife!
I call your tax lawyer, and raise a sleazy land developer. happy77
-
I wish sometimes, like Paul Ryan, that I could step away. As a citizen, it is my responsibility to vote. I feel betrayed that neither party is going to give me a choice I can be proud of. Old school conservatives in the GOP have either been marginalized or are too timid to oppose Trump and his ferocious "base", and the Dems have lost their motherlovin' minds.
Maybe you need a vacation away from politics to unwind and clear your head. This may make room for a healthier, more positive perspective. Try fishing … or my favorite, boating. It does work! happy77
-
Maybe you need a vacation away from politics to unwind and clear your head. This may make room for a healthier, more positive perspective. Try fishing … or my favorite, boating. It does work! happy77
Oh, I'm done. My type of conservative is as extinct now in the GOP as the Zell Miller-types are in the Democratic party. The Trumpsters despise folks like me, and the Dems have become indistinguishable from Maoists. I may express my views on the internet, but I have no illusions that anyone listens. I am just a boil on the GOP's arse.
-
Unfortunately, we citizens still have to vote. The two parties have betrayed us.
It is impossible for everyone to be completely happy with even one of the two parties. Some people are inevitably going to be upset that some of their views are not reflected in the current stance of their preferred party. I don't quite see how that's a "betrayal", though.
@Jazzhead
-
Maybe you need a vacation away from politics to unwind and clear your head. This may make room for a healthier, more positive perspective. Try fishing … or my favorite, boating. It does work! happy77
I like trying out new pies. (Ducking!)
-
It is impossible for everyone to be completely happy with even one of the two parties. Some people are inevitably going to be upset that some of their views are not reflected in the current stance of their preferred party. I don't quite see how that's a "betrayal", though.
@Jazzhead
While I agree with many of Trump's policies, the result is that his bellicose, unsteady and unhinged style has radicalized the Democrats into likely nominating a socialist progressive who may well be electable because so many of us are sick and weary of Trump's antics. The choices we face next year are truly abominable - don't forget, too, that the Senate is at risk. What I want is for conservatism (hell, just classical liberalism) to survive. Trump has unwittingly set the stage for so much of what we've worked for to be discredited and undone.
@Maj. Bill Martin
-
While I agree with many of Trump's policies, the result is that his bellicose, unsteady and unhinged style has radicalized the Democrats into likely nominating a socialist progressive who may well be electable because so many of us are sick and weary of Trump's antics. The choices we face next year are truly abominable - don't forget, too, that the Senate is at risk. What I want is for conservatism (hell, just classical liberalism) to survive. Trump has unwittingly set the stage for so much of what we've worked for to be discredited and undone.
@Maj. Bill Martin
Bingo
-
Oh the irony. Pelosi had more guts than the cowardly Ryan.
-
While I agree with many of Trump's policies, the result is that his bellicose, unsteady and unhinged style has radicalized the Democrats into likely nominating a socialist progressive who may well be electable because so many of us are sick and weary of Trump's antics.
I see your point in terms of a progressive being electable, but I think the Democrats have been trending left for awhile and the nomination of a progressive leftist likely would have happened anyway. You may be right about Trump making them more electable, though.
In terms of Trump...I think the GOP establishment dug that hole for itself because of the issue of immigration. It was Trump's signature issue, and became such because the GOP establishment had been so badly out of touch with most of its base for so long on that issue. Having much better control of our border still polls strongly, but amazingly, the GOP still couldn't get it done even when we controlled Congress and the Presidency. I understand that was partially due to the filibuster, but the result is just more grassroots frustration with the GOP establishment on that issue.
I agree to the extent that I don't see where we can go from here. You have the more moderate, anti-Trump elements of the GOP who want to move on from him, but there is a huge segment of Trump supporters who just won't support any Republicans who is perceived as having been anti-Trump.
Nikki Haley may be the one person out there who could unify the party, but that can't happen until 2024.
@Jazzhead
-
It is impossible for everyone to be completely happy with even one of the two parties. Some people are inevitably going to be upset that some of their views are not reflected in the current stance of their preferred party. I don't quite see how that's a "betrayal", though.
It's not just the preferred party. Both parties have taken stances that we not only disagree with, but are causing great long-term harm to us. One need only look at our national debt for the first example. There isn't enough political capital to take on the austerity measures needed to bring the country back into sound fiscal health.
-
It's not just the preferred party. Both parties have taken stances that we not only disagree with, but are causing great long-term harm to us. One need only look at our national debt for the first example. There isn't enough political capital to take on the austerity measures needed to bring the country back into sound fiscal health.
My point is that it is less the parties themselves than it is the voters. You no longer have a majority of voters able to agree on a lot of those issues (except at a level of generality that is useless in terms of formulating policy), so expecting it of the parties isn't reasonable.
-
While I agree with many of Trump's policies, the result is that his bellicose, unsteady and unhinged style has radicalized the Democrats into likely nominating a socialist progressive
9999hair out0000 The President "radicalized the democrats"?!?!?! This thesis is 180 degrees from what is really happening.
The President is forcing the Democrats to shed their moderate skin and expose who they are and always have been. And he isn't doing it by being "bellicose" .... he is doing it by reawaking the enemy to their real socialist agenda .... the American patriot ... and refusing to surrender to them.
Just stop and think what a Clinton II presidency would be doing to the sovereignty and military/financial security of this nation. Sure you'd be loving the sunshine, lollipops and unicorns spit at you by the media and our other elites.
The only folks experiencing hell would be the rest of us.
This moment is our political history has been building for two generations. Damn it, man. Stop and think; truly think this through.
-
What changed in Ryan?
In 2012, he was a deficit hawk?
We all loved the guy.
I wonder who/what got to him in the past few years?
-
What changed in Ryan?
In 2012, he was a deficit hawk?
We all loved the guy.
I wonder who/what got to him in the past few years?
His tax attorney/lobbyist wife! Next question.
-
What changed in Ryan?
In 2012, he was a deficit hawk?
We all loved the guy.
I wonder who/what got to him in the past few years?
What gets to all of them .... a deal with the devil to hold onto power.
-
What gets to all of them .... a deal with the devil to hold onto power.
A deal that performed...poorly for Ryan. :laugh:
-
It is impossible for everyone to be completely happy with even one of the two parties. Some people are inevitably going to be upset that some of their views are not reflected in the current stance of their preferred party. I don't quite see how that's a "betrayal", though.
@Jazzhead
Every couple years, you'll get a bunch of mail asking for your vote/money/money/money.
Compare the positions they claim to support when their hands are out with the positions they support in office.
That's your betrayal.
-
9999hair out0000 The President "radicalized the democrats"?!?!?! This thesis is 180 degrees from what is really happening.
The President is forcing the Democrats to shed their moderate skin and expose who they are and always have been. And he isn't doing it by being "bellicose" .... he is doing it by reawaking the enemy to their real socialist agenda .... the American patriot ... and refusing to surrender to them.
Just stop and think what a Clinton II presidency would be doing to the sovereignty and military/financial security of this nation. Sure you'd be loving the sunshine, lollipops and unicorns spit at you by the media and our other elites.
The only folks experiencing hell would be the rest of us.
This moment is our political history has been building for two generations. Damn it, man. Stop and think; truly think this through.
Well said. Trump is not "slick" in the political environment. He is direct and the political establishment here and around the world can't handle it when they are confronted to their faces.
The Rats are radical leftists and when the "soccer moms" finally figure this out the country will be better for it. I think they will by 2020.
-
Well said. Trump is not "slick" in the political environment. He is direct and the political establishment here and around the world can't handle it when they are confronted to their faces.
The Rats are radical leftists and when the "soccer moms" finally figure this out the country will be better for it. I think they will by 2020.
He’s not direct. He contradicts himself repeatedly, makes promises he cannot, or will not, keep, plays fast and loose with the facts when it suits his thin-skinned ego, and he’s gratuitously offensive. He has egged on the democrats for no particularly good reason other than satisfying his ego.
-
What changed in Ryan?
In 2012, he was a deficit hawk?
We all loved the guy.
I wonder who/what got to him in the past few years?
The same thing that got to Kasich and the rest of the establishment Pubs. When push came to shove they loved being a member of the "old boys club" that answers to the chamber of commerce more than being a conservative American patriot.
-
He’s not direct. He contradicts himself repeatedly, makes promises he cannot, or will not, keep, plays fast and loose with the facts when it suits his thin-skinned ego, and he’s gratuitously offensive. He has egged on the democrats for no particularly good reason other than satisfying his ego.
He is direct. He will confront opponents, or people who don't fulfill agreements to their face. There are countless examples if you want to look.
He does contradict himself. I think this happens because he speaks right off the cuff thinking, or working something out, on an issue simultaneously. It can be frustrating, but he's not a life long politician.
I think he makes promises on occasion that he can't keep because he doesn't fully accept how corrupt the political establishment is.
Playing fast and loose with the facts is not as true as it's made out to be. Often he's ahead of the curve and people interpret "puffing" for lying.
I would agree that he is thin skinned, but I also find it refreshing that he won't put up with crap. He fights back and once you get him started he doesn't stop until he has completely humiliated you. Sure we all want the genteel, humble, super nice guy who gets things done, but it never works out. They always get beaten into submission by the socialists who don't play nice. We now have a guy who fights back like a SOB and does so pushing policies we have been crying for.
-
He fights! Which is more than I can say for any president since Reagan.
-
He fights! Which is more than I can say for any president since Reagan.
:yowsa:
It takes me back to how Lincoln viewed General Grant," Lincoln said that Grant’s conduct was so different from other generals in command that he could scarcely comprehend it.'â€
He fights!
Trump isn't Lincoln. He's not the polished Lawyer. He's Grant. He has flaws. He's not smooth. But as Lincoln said, "I can't spare him, he fights".
-
Has there ever been a less effective GOP Speaker?
Even Boehner looks reasonable compared to Ryan. the so-called wonder boy who failed to deliver as VP and did very little as Speaker.
Glad he ditched it to pursue his true passion, to retire before 50.
IN NEW BOOK, PAUL RYAN ADMITS HE WAS A FRAUD ALL ALONG
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/paul-ryan-admits-he-was-a-fraud-all-along-tim-alberta-book (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/paul-ryan-admits-he-was-a-fraud-all-along-tim-alberta-book)
-
What changed in Ryan?
In 2012, he was a deficit hawk?
We all loved the guy.
I wonder who/what got to him in the past few years?
He didn't change. He just was never leadership material.
He never wanted the Speaker position but took it because they couldn't get anyone that everyone agreed on. The liberals in the GOP wouldn't accept a Freedom Caucus leader and the Freedom Caucus wouldn't accept Kevin McCarthy, who the establishment wanted. So they settled on Ryan.
But for all the crap Ryan took, they passed most every bill conservatives wanted, while McConnell, who's nowhere near as reviled anymore, allowed Murkowski and McCain to block most of the important priorities and sat by while Democrat Doug Jones get elected to a seat in Alabama.
-
:grouphug: I think we all can agree that the new Speaker of the House has been far more effective utilizing the power of the seat. Except for one piece of legislation where the rats were tricked into providing funding for blankets and toothbrushes for the children locked up at the border, the new Speaker has done a remarkable job as a check and balance against the other branches of government.
-
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/738478522813972480
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
So great to have the endorsement and support of Paul Ryan. We will both be working very hard to Make America Great Again!
2:12 PM - 2 Jun 2016
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_QpZH5UcAAZdLs.jpg)
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1149516400341348354
Donald J. Trump
â€Verified account @realDonaldTrump
Paul Ryan, the failed V.P. candidate & former Speaker of the House, whose record of achievement was atrocious (except during my first two years as President), ultimately became a long running lame duck failure, leaving his Party in the lurch both as a fundraiser & leader......
....When Mitt chose Paul I told people that’s the end of that Presidential run. He quit Congress because he didn’t know how to Win. They gave me standing O’s in the Great State of Wisconsin, & booed him off the stage. He promised me the Wall, & failed (happening anyway!)......
....He had the Majority & blew it away with his poor leadership and bad timing. Never knew how to go after the Dems like they go after us. Couldn’t get him out of Congress fast enough!
-
Well said. Trump is not "slick" in the political environment. He is direct and the political establishment here and around the world can't handle it when they are confronted to their faces.
The Rats are radical leftists and when the "soccer moms" finally figure this out the country will be better for it. I think they will by 2020.
As more states pass these horrific laws that allow taking babies, pre—and some postpartum, who are ready to begin living their lives, waiting with anticipation mother’s loving arms, only to be murdered in the delivery room in order to protect someone’s “choice†*spit*. This is not the world we want to create.
I sure hope soccer moms are watching in disgust, this creeping infanticide brought about by democrat politics.
-
Donald J. Trumpâ€
Verified account @realDonaldTrump
Paul Ryan, the failed V.P. candidate & former Speaker of the House, whose record of achievement was atrocious (except during my first two years as President), ultimately became a long running lame duck failure, leaving his Party in the lurch both as a fundraiser & leader......
....When Mitt chose Paul I told people that’s the end of that Presidential run. He quit Congress because he didn’t know how to Win. They gave me standing O’s in the Great State of Wisconsin, & booed him off the stage. He promised me the Wall, & failed (happening anyway!)......
....He had the Majority & blew it away with his poor leadership and bad timing. Never knew how to go after the Dems like they go after us. Couldn’t get him out of Congress fast enough!
8:10 PM - 11 Jul 2019
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1149516403075981314
-
He is direct. He will confront opponents, or people who don't fulfill agreements to their face. There are countless examples if you want to look.
He does contradict himself. I think this happens because he speaks right off the cuff thinking, or working something out, on an issue simultaneously. It can be frustrating, but he's not a life long politician.
I think he makes promises on occasion that he can't keep because he doesn't fully accept how corrupt the political establishment is.
Playing fast and loose with the facts is not as true as it's made out to be. Often he's ahead of the curve and people interpret "puffing" for lying.
I would agree that he is thin skinned, but I also find it refreshing that he won't put up with crap. He fights back and once you get him started he doesn't stop until he has completely humiliated you. Sure we all want the genteel, humble, super nice guy who gets things done, but it never works out. They always get beaten into submission by the socialists who don't play nice. We now have a guy who fights back like a SOB and does so pushing policies we have been crying for.
Right. Where’s that wall, by the way? What ever happened to denuclearization of North Korea?
What about deporting those millions of illegal aliens?
None of that happened. Because Trump can’t negotiate himself out of a wet paper bag when it comes to political matters, as opposed to separating fools from their money on his real estate boondoggles and reality TV shows.
-
Have we ever had a president who was able to contradict himself at least once in every sentence.
He slams our allies from afar and then in person he turns on the charm. Ineffective, inconsistent, and a true bully.
-
Have we ever had a president who was able to contradict himself at least once in every sentence.
He slams our allies from afar and then in person he turns on the charm. Ineffective, inconsistent, and a true bully.
Maybe you should listen to the President directly and give CNN a rest for a while. @Rivergirl
Just sayin' :smokin:
-
Maybe you should listen to the President directly and give CNN a rest for a while. @Rivergirl
Just sayin' :smokin:
Indeed. Don't believe the haters, the fake news, and his press conferences. Listen to the President yourself and learn how he single-handedly brought back the American Dream. He defeated ISIS, created 98 million new jobs, border crossings have been reduced to one a week, and he brought all of America together in a spirit of furious anger. Hopefully today he will put tariffs on everything so we can go back to the way America was when she was great!
-
Right. Where’s that wall, by the way? What ever happened to denuclearization of North Korea?
What about deporting those millions of illegal aliens?
None of that happened. Because Trump can’t negotiate himself out of a wet paper bag when it comes to political matters, as opposed to separating fools from their money on his real estate boondoggles and reality TV shows.
Okay, so you want to change the focus of the discussion.
The wall is being built, not as fast as any of us would like but it is moving forward and it is not a fence of corrugated tin.
The issue of illegal immigration has swung over to Trump's side despite the best efforts of the Rats and Chamber of Congress Pubs to stop it. He is moving ahead with the deportations.
Just like the Rats, when push comes to shove the discussion reverts to a personal attack of the individual when all else fails along with what ever he does is not enough.
I've never seen a POTUS fight like this guy. He just doesn't quit. I didn't trust him when he ran for office because he was a lifelong NY liberal. I was wrong. He's done, or tried to do what he said he would. He deserves our support.
-
Have we ever had a president who was able to contradict himself at least once in every sentence.
He slams our allies from afar and then in person he turns on the charm. Ineffective, inconsistent, and a true bully.
This seems to be the new talking point on the left.
I've always thought bullies were those who picked on people that couldn't defend themselves and who never did anything to the bully.
From what I've seen Trump only attacks those that have attacked him. It's unusual to see a Pub fight back and even more a Pub who once he response to an attack doesn't let up until he has completely humiliated his opponent. I don't think this is bullying.
-
This seems to be the new talking point on the left.
I've always thought bullies were those who picked on people that couldn't defend themselves and who never did anything to the bully.
From what I've seen Trump only attacks those that have attacked him. It's unusual to see a Pub fight back and even more a Pub who once he response to an attack doesn't let up until he has completely humiliated his opponent. I don't think this is bullying.
Trump may have the thinnest skin I have ever seen in a public figure. What is sad, is that he is too obtuse to realize that he is often baited.
-
Some people are truly living in a yellow submarine.
Or as it is commonly referred to...……..alternative universe.
-
Some people are truly living in a yellow submarine.
Or as it is commonly referred to...……..alternative universe.
And some have not the most remote clue about what's actually going on.
-
What gets to all of them .... a deal with the devil to hold onto power.
Ryan was so desperate for power he hesitated to take the speaker's title until forced to by the lack of intelligent candidates, and then he quit altogether. Just my opinion...I think it is dumb to believe Paul Ryan was motivated by power.
-
Ryan was so desperate for power he hesitated to take the speaker's title until forced to by the lack of intelligent candidates, and then he quit altogether. Just my opinion...I think it is dumb to believe Paul Ryan was motivated by power.
It's entirely possible Ryan accepted the post just to stymie Trump. A Wisconsin version of Jeff Flake.
-
It's entirely possible Ryan accepted the post just to stymie Trump. A Wisconsin version of Jeff Flake.
It's entirely possible Trump believes the only reason he is such a failure is somebody else's fault too.
-
Reagan faced his 3rd party kook,John Anderson.
In the end of Anderson's political career,he was a Ralph Nader supporter.
Anderson, Flake, Amash, McMuffin, all runningg for Potus.
-
The only "escape hatch" Ryan took was the one from being blackmailed. Just wish he would have taken it a lot sooner.
-
It's entirely possible Trump believes the only reason he is such a failure is somebody else's fault too.
Whatever you say.
-
What's the difference between Paul Ryan and a burning paper bag full of excrement?
The flames.
-
It's entirely possible Trump believes the only reason he is such a failure is somebody else's fault too.
Given that this failure of a president has already moved the ball further in my direction than any other since Reagan, I'm for more failure of that kind!
-
Given that this failure of a president has already moved the ball further in my direction than any other since Reagan, I'm for more failure of that kind!
He's real good at dribbling but unless he scores a point it don't count. I'm glad you are satisfied with ridiculous spending, a more porous border than Obama, world wide ridicule, a swampier Washington, and the most divided nation of our lifetime. Enjoy. I am not satisfied.
-
What's the difference between Paul Ryan and a burning paper bag full of excrement?
The flames.
:thumbsup: @Right Reason
-
Given that this failure of a president has already moved the ball further in my direction than any other since Reagan, I'm for more failure of that kind!
:yowsa:
-
Whatever you say.
How can anyone be taken seriously when they refuse to acknowledge the good Trump has done, and fixate only on criticism?
-
How can anyone be taken seriously when they refuse to acknowledge the good Trump has done, and fixate only on criticism?
Because there are several here who can not admit that the POTUS can do anything wrong. And if they had their way this place would become an orange echo chamber like TOS. I am thankful to Myst every day that she has not allowed that to happen.
Trump has done a lot of good, but he has also acted like an idiot on several occasions. It's a mixed bag at this point.
-
Because there are several here who can not admit that the POTUS can do anything wrong. And if they had their way this place would become an orange echo chamber like TOS. I am thankful to Myst every day that she has not allowed that to happen.
Trump has done a lot of good, but he has also acted like an idiot on several occasions. It's a mixed bag at this point.
There is a happy medium somewhere in between. Donald Trump was my 16th choice out of 17 back in the '16 Primaries. As expected, I find myself having to defend a man of poor character because of the over-the-top attacks from the left-wing wackos.
-
There is a happy medium somewhere in between. Donald Trump was my 16th choice out of 17 back in the '16 Primaries. As expected, I find myself having to defend a man of poor character because of the over-the-top attacks from the left-wing wackos.
Same here.
-
There is a happy medium somewhere in between. Donald Trump was my 16th choice out of 17 back in the '16 Primaries. As expected, I find myself having to defend a man of poor character because of the over-the-top attacks from the left-wing wackos.
NEVER voted for him but the fact is that he IS the president now.
-
What changed in Ryan?
In 2012, he was a deficit hawk?
We all loved the guy.
I wonder who/what got to him in the past few years?
Ryan was a do nothing liar from the get go. Then he had the audacity to make a speech after Trump was sworn in saying that now was the GOP's opportunity and things were going to change? I knew then he was creating yet another lie. You can't have the same FAILED leadership and expect different results.
The guy makes my skin crawl. He rates right up there with McCain.
He IS in part the reason why we have the crisis at the border.
-
Ryan was a do nothing liar from the get go. Then he had the audacity to make a speech after Trump was sworn in saying that now was the GOP's opportunity and things were going to change? I knew then he was creating yet another lie. You can't have the same FAILED leadership and expect different results.
The guy makes my skin crawl. He rates right up there with McCain.
McCain has always been a fly in the vaseline, but Ryan has not. Something definitely shifted in him during Boehner's tenure. Ryan's biggest betrayal of all was voting to do away with the debt ceiling and handing the President blank check authority, bypassing Congress. It was an affront to our Constitution and everything Conservatism stands for. It is not something he ever would have done a decade earlier.
Someone got to him. Someone turned him. Someone had something on him that made him sell out America. I am 100% convinced he was being blackmailed. Not an excuse, only an explanation. His crime was not what he did to be blackmailed. His crime was allowing himself to be blackmailed. The proper course of action would be to come clean, expose the extortionists, and resign. He simply lacked the courage and conviction to do so.