McConnell says GOP lacks votes to block impeachment witnesses, as Bolton book throws trial script in

[DB]

Bolton is just more destruction left by the Trump wrecking ball. No sane competent person would join Trump's administration. That was Bolton's big error and he should have known better.

[sneakypete]

@DB

Yeah,it's Trump's fault Bolton is such a asshat. Good "thinking"!

[bilo]

Bolton is just more destruction left by the Trump wrecking ball. No sane competent person would join Trump's administration. That was Bolton's big error and he should have known better.

The Pub establishment is self destructive. Trump has been outstanding on the economy, defense, foreign policy, and social issues. The old establishment types (many of whom I used to respect) can't handle being told they are wrong and not being treated with undue respect.

[corbe]

   It seems to me @sneakypete that you have to hear 'You're Fired' from the head honcho in order to earn your 'asshat' wings.  Bolton is just the latest example following Kelley and Tillerson among many others, excluding Omarosa because she was a certified asshat that was fired 3 times.

[DB]

@DB

Yeah,it's Trump's fault Bolton is such a asshat. Good "thinking"!

Right... They're all asshats... At some point the common denominator has to be recognized as the cause...

[Bigun]

John Bolton is just like all other Diplomats and former diplomats!  They imagine that they are VERY much more important than they actually are.

[txradioguy]

The Pub establishment is self destructive. Trump has been outstanding on the economy, defense, foreign policy, and social issues. The old establishment types (many of whom I used to respect) can't handle being told they are wrong and not being treated with undue respect.

Everyone keeps saying he's been great for defense.  Someone point to me where he's been do great for those of us in the military?  Outside of one decent pay raise and his repeated statements about how he loves us...there's no change in how the military had been run from the 8 years previous to Trump being elected.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

McConnell did OK in 2009 - he recognized that the childish 0bama desperately wanted obamacare to be bipartisan so he strung him along for as long as possible, got the mess watered down, then pulled the rug out, all the while running out the clock on other parts of the wacko agenda like cap and trade. Things could have been a lot worse (and would have been if the dimwitted, lazy 0bama had lost to Clinton).

That was more important than just ObamaCare.  By dragging out that process, McConnell essentially ran out the clock on the Dems having that filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  And that may have been literally a nation-saving move because it prevented the Democrats from passing a leftist immigration program, including mass legalization.  The failure of Obama to pass an immigration bill is rightly considered the biggest failure of his Administration from a progressive standpoint.   And it's largely because McConnell fought a fantastic delaying action in the Senate.

[DB]

The Pub establishment is self destructive. Trump has been outstanding on the economy, defense, foreign policy, and social issues. The old establishment types (many of whom I used to respect) can't handle being told they are wrong and not being treated with undue respect.

Right... Trillion dollar a year deficits are a first class sign of an "outstanding" economy... 2% growth on 5% deficit spending...

Wake the f up.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Right... Trillion dollar a year deficits are a first class sign of an "outstanding" economy... 2% growth on 5% deficit spending...

Wake the f up.

We are not going to get those deficits under control unless and until there is major entitlement reform.  That absolutely dwarfs everything else.  And to be perfectly blunt, there were a lot of allegedly conservative geezers here squawking like mad when the prospect of cuts to Social Security and Medicare were broached by Ryan.

Honestly, I think it is the height of irony for so many self described deficit hawks and Tea Partiers to have torn into Paul Ryan.  He was the only Congressional leader willing to get out in front on entitlements, and push for reform.  And he basically led the charge over the top into political machine gun fire to find himself virtually alone.  I really think that's kind of what sent him packing.  His entire long-term goal in Congress was entitlement reform, and when he saw that not even the GOP would back him, he lost heart.

[DB]

We are not going to get those deficits under control unless and until there is major entitlement reform.  That absolutely dwarfs everything else.  And to be perfectly blunt, there were a lot of allegedly conservative geezers here squawking like mad when the prospect of cuts to Social Security and Medicare were broached by Ryan.

Honestly, I think it is the height of irony for so many self described deficit hawks and Tea Partiers to have torn into Paul Ryan.  He was the only Congressional leader willing to get out in front on entitlements, and push for reform.  And he basically led the charge over the top into political machine gun fire to find himself virtually alone.  I really think that's kind of what sent him packing.  His entire long-term goal in Congress was entitlement reform, and when he saw that not even the GOP would back him, he lost heart.

Ryan was the speaker of the house for 4 years and did virtually nothing to rein in spending. He was spending hawk until he actually was in a position to do something about it.

[sneakypete]

   It seems to me @sneakypete that you have to hear 'You're Fired' from the head honcho in order to earn your 'asshat' wings.  Bolton is just the latest example following Kelley and Tillerson among many others, excluding Omarosa because she was a certified asshat that was fired 3 times.

@corbe

I think massive egos are the problem,and Trump isn't the only one that has a massive ego. Here are all these
career State Dept geeks who have spent decades establishing themselves as "authorities" and "advisors to the
President on foreign affairs",and here comes this "RANK AMATEUR" who has never spent a day getting degrees in
diplomacy foreign affairs,never mind teaching those subjects at some Ivy League school,coming into office and
telling THEM that THEY are wrong,and doing what he wants to do,including firing them for not listening.

He then has the GALL to be proven RIGHT! This is just more of a blow to their egos than they can deal with,so
they revolt,as well as being revolting.

Their worlds are turned upside down. They are used to giving bad advise to Presidents and having the Presidents
take the blame,and here comes this newbie and not only ignores their advise,but fires them and then has the gall
to have been right and TAKES THE CREDIT FOR BEING RIGHT.

So their egos are crushed,and they have to get back at him like the emotional 9 year old babies they really are.

[sneakypete]

Right... They're all asshats..

@DB

Yes,they are. Good to see you are finally catching on.

Being a career bureaucrat means never having to say you are sorry.

[sneakypete]

John Bolton is just like all other Diplomats and former diplomats!  They imagine that they are VERY much more important than they actually are.

@Bigun

They ARE important! America can't survive without them! If you don't believe it,just ask one of them.

   The fact that America is in decline due to their advise isn't THEIR fault,it's the fault of people who didn't have
the neccessary wisdom to follow their advise perfectly.

If you don't believe it,just ask one.

Or wait for their memiors to come out and read all about it.

[Polly Ticks]

It's almost enough to make me want to get into state politics in the Commonwealth when I retire.

Run, TRG, run!!
It would be really nice to happily cast a vote.

[sneakypete]

That was more important than just ObamaCare.  By dragging out that process, McConnell essentially ran out the clock on the Dems having that filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  And that may have been literally a nation-saving move because it prevented the Democrats from passing a leftist immigration program, including mass legalization.  The failure of Obama to pass an immigration bill is rightly considered the biggest failure of his Administration from a progressive standpoint.   And it's largely because McConnell fought a fantastic delaying action in the Senate.

@Maj. Bill Martin

Good points. All of them.

[corbe]

   Good point @sneakypete After 8 years of obummer, hellary and Kerry the State Department and the NSC was a den of snakes.  Trump knew this and appointed Kelley and Tillerson to change that culture and particularly at State Tillerson was making a lot of progress there, then he crossed Trump and was promptly called a 'dumbass' as was Kelley, Mattis and Sessions. Just seems childish to me to handle departures in this way, but I've been wrong before.

[sneakypete]

We are not going to get those deficits under control unless and until there is major entitlement reform.  That absolutely dwarfs everything else.  And to be perfectly blunt, there were a lot of allegedly conservative geezers here squawking like mad when the prospect of cuts to Social Security and Medicare were broached by Ryan.

Honestly, I think it is the height of irony for so many self described deficit hawks and Tea Partiers to have torn into Paul Ryan.  He was the only Congressional leader willing to get out in front on entitlements, and push for reform.  And he basically led the charge over the top into political machine gun fire to find himself virtually alone.  I really think that's kind of what sent him packing.  His entire long-term goal in Congress was entitlement reform, and when he saw that not even the GOP would back him, he lost heart.

@Maj. Bill Martin

Maybe I should just stop posting,and have you post for me?

Or maybe you could just add my screen name to your posts?
Just look at all the kilos that wouldn't get bit!

[corbe]

@Maj. Bill Martin

Maybe I should just stop posting,and have you post for me?

Or maybe you could just add my screen name to your posts?
Just look at all the kilos that wouldn't get bit!

   Don't even think that @sneakypete TBR can not afford to lose another cumudgeon   

[txradioguy]

Run, TRG, run!!
It would be really nice to happily cast a vote.

I'm too honest and blunt for Louisville...I'll make the mayor and most of the city council cry.

Maybe I'll just start small in E-Town. :) work my way towards Frankfort from there.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Ryan was the speaker of the house for 4 years and did virtually nothing to rein in spending. He was spending hawk until he actually was in a position to do something about it.

Are you claiming that Ryan didn't try to rein in entitlement spending, or that entitlement spending isn't significant?  Because Ryan's issue for pretty much the entire time he was in the House was entitlement reform.  He just couldn't get enough other Republicans to back him.

Entitlement spending is the overriding issue when it comes to federal spending.  60% of total federal spending is on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  Interest on the national debt is another 10%.  That means only 30% of federal spending is "discretionary" -- the stuff people bitch about all the time.  And military spending constitutes most of that discretionary spending.  Out of $1.42T in discretionary spending, $989B is defense-related.  That means that less than $500B each year is spent on the kind of discretionary programs about which people complain.  And that means that you could completely eliminate every single federal program other than Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Defense, and we'd still be running deficits of over $500B every single year.

Ryan was basically the one guy willing to put himself out front to fix that, and cowardly GOP politicians afraid of pissing off the geezers wouldn't back him.  So, it failed.  And that's why we have these deficits.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

@Maj. Bill Martin

Maybe I should just stop posting,and have you post for me?

Or maybe you could just add my screen name to your posts?
Just look at all the kilos that wouldn't get bit!

@sneakypete

Ha!  But no -- much better to have one of us lay down a base of fire, and then use the other as the enveloping element!

[Cyber Liberty]

@sneakypete

Ha!  But no -- much better to have one of us lay down a base of fire, and then use the other as the enveloping element!

I love it when you talk tactical....

[roamer_1]

Bolton is just more destruction left by the Trump wrecking ball. No sane competent person would join Trump's administration. That was Bolton's big error and he should have known better.

That's right.

[NavyCanDo]

The headline of this thread is now historically wrong. Republicans had the Votes to block witnesses.