Republican Leadership at Odds with themselves.

While there is much to worry about…

I find two quotes troubling…

David Ball from Pennsylvania…

The first is from David Ball a county leader of the GOP in Pennsylvania.

“We did not send him there to vote his conscience. We did not send him there to do the right thing or whatever he said he was doing,” Ball said. “We sent him there to represent us”. I found the quote here. https://www.newsweek.com/gop-county-chair-blasts-pat-toomey-impeachment-vote-1569478

This disturbing. Pennsylvania did send Toomey to Washington to do the “Right Thing”. Sometimes right may not align with party leaders. We all make mistakes, but for the most part we all try to do the right thing. Both parties are flawed, but to expect every vote to be along party lines is dangerous.

Ron Johnson, Republican Senator from Wisconsin.

The next quote is from Ron Johnson, a senator from Wisconsin. “This didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me,” I found this at https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-didn-e2-80-99t-seem-like-an-armed-insurrection-to-me-wisconsin-sen-ron-johnson-says-of-capitol-attack/ar-BB1dImsf. He questions that the rioters were armed, because they lacked firearms.

My definition of insurrection is different the Ron Johnson’s. When rioters overrun the Capital and walk the halls searching for the vice-President and congressional leaders with the intent to do harm. The perpetrators are insurrectionists.

The views of these and other republicans…

Are the cause for the deep divides in this country. These attitudes drive the inability of congress to act and improve our country. Compromise is not possible when facts are contested.

Armed militia on the capital grounds in Michigan. Oath Keepers and Proud Boys chanting hang Mike Pence while erecting a gallows on the Capital steps is not acceptable. Minimizing the damage to our democracy is wrong.

We must not accept Donald Trump’s behavior as the new norm. As a country we can not afford violent demonstrations in attempts to overturn election results. We must be better than this.

Dividing this country is Vladimir Putin’s Goal.

Those who advance Putin’s goal are not patriots, but traitors. It is time to accept this as fact. Any other direction, leads this country down a path of revolution and the end of our great democratic experiment.

So Traditional Republicans and Mitch McConnell

You have lost your battle for the soul of the republican party. You lost your chance to gain back that soul with your vote to acquit Donald Trump of inciting to insurrection.