Is Flake a patsy for McConnell ?

[OnDoutside]

Flake, time and again, has been the GOP's Cowardly Lion talking the talk but reliably wimping out when it comes to voting.

Is there another narrative here ? Normally we see end of the world threats made to wavering Republican senators yet not so much this time. Republicans who were desperate to push Kavanaugh's nomination through asap, now seemingly willing to allow the FBI investigation. They're taking a huge chance that the FBI won't find something.

Perhaps, they recognize that Kavanaugh's toxic and this allows a win win for the midterms. If the FBI find nothing, they win, and if they find something, McConnell gets to replace him with his choice, and they go into the midterms saying we need to keep the Senate to confirm the new choice. If they lose the Senate, they will do the unthinkable and vote during the lame duck.

[irresistable]

1. Hard to threaten a guy that isn't running for re-election.

Flake imagines that he can become President.

[dameatball]

2. There was a post a while back where McConnell alledgedly said something to the effect of

"Anybody but Kavenaugh." If that is true, then he is playing dual roles. He'll be a cheerleader for Trump's pick and be ready with a plan to push through someone else if necessary. The fly in the ointment is Trump tends to pick some really flawed people for almost everything.

[NCjack]

5. Trump prefers flawed appointees. They have more control points

than a porcupine has quills.

[rurallib]

11. can be blackmailed more easily

[OnDoutside]

6. Yes, Kavanaugh's only plus was the presidential powers expansion. After this

bruising, Trump will be less likely to go there....especially with 2020 in mind. McConnell wants another SC win but he must be scared shitless of losing the Senate. I think this might be his best chance, otherwise the blue wave might become a tsunami.

[wasupaloopa]

3. I think he was sincerely concerned that the senate was not doingdue diligence if there was no FBI

investigation.

[Hortensis]

4. This is a very strange take under the circumstances.

It's really hard to live through great events and understand them at all, and impossible without at least trying to find out what expert observers believe they are witnessing. Yes, there is what seems to be a fairly cohesive narrative formed, to be further developed as more is learned over time no doubt.

I'm afraid it is very different from this, but I'll leave you to find their discussion elsewhere rather than relay partial and flawed notions. He's being seen as a hero, though, even if belated, along with those who joined with him in these bilateral actions. There's a clue in this speech by Senator Flake the day before.

"...the toxic political culture that we have created has infected everything...we've only indulged it, fanned the flames, taken advantage at every turn, deepened the ugly divisions.... "These past 2 years we've tested the limits of how low we can go, and my colleagues, I say to you that winning at all costs is too high a cost... ...we have lit a match, my colleagues. My question is, do we appreciate how close the powder keg is."

[OnDoutside]

8. I'm going on his history to date, where he talks about marching up the hill but

never gets there after getting it in the neck from McConnell. We've been here before. He may be touching the rarefied heights of statesmanship but I have a gut feeling that McConnell has done a political calculation on this.

[Hortensis]

9. McConnell always calculates, but that doesn't mean

Flake's his bitch, or patsy.

[OnDoutside]

10. We'll see next week then.

[Hortensis]

13. Yes. When the investigation Flake's group used their

leverage power to have done is produced.

[OnDoutside]

14. Agreed.

[lillypaddle]

7. No. He isn't. nt

[rurallib]

12. Flake is running for President in 2020

and is watching his chances get flushed away no matter which way he votes.

My guess is that Flake is hoping Kavie will have a stroke over the weekend