What Congressional Republicans Really Think About Trump and Russia

[babylonsister]

aka burying their collective heads in the sand

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/what-congressional-republicans-really-think-about-trump-and-russia/533784/

What Congressional Republicans Really Think About Trump and Russia
Even as alarm has reached fever pitch among Democrats, most in the GOP see the reaction as little more than partisan noise.

McKay Coppins 6:00 AM ET Politics


With each new revelation in the ongoing Trump-Russia saga, the same question inevitably gets asked: Will this be the moment Republicans in Congress finally turn on the president?

The answer, so far, has been an emphatic “no.” As evidence piles up pointing to the possibility that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, Republican lawmakers have largely ignored Democrats’ calls for urgent action and continued about their day jobs. Instead of a righteous outcry, there have been muted declarations of “concern”; feeble entreaties that the issue be “taken seriously”; careful expressions of confidence that investigators will—in due time—“get to the bottom” of all this messy business. We know the talking points. We’ve been hearing them for months.

But what do congressional Republicans actually think about the Russia controversy? And what would the investigation have to turn up for members to abandon the president and his agenda en masse? Is a breaking point of that sort even possible—and if so, what would it look like?

Over the past week, I’ve put these questions to a wide range of GOP sources on Capitol Hill (granting most of them anonymity in an attempt to elicit more candor). Their answers varied, as did their relative levels of exasperation with Trump’s handling of the Russia affair. As one senior Senate aide told me, the private reactions from Republican lawmakers to the most recent spate of bombshells has run the gamut. “Some people are like, ‘This is bullshit, this just an effort to undermine Trump,’ then some are like, ‘Trump needs to be removed from office.’ It’s all over the place.”

But one one point, at least, there seems to be widespread consensus: All of them believe they’re already doing everything they can within reason to hold the president accountable—and they fiercely reject any argument to the contrary.

One senior GOP aide, for example, described the outrage over Russia’s election meddling, as well as allegations of collusion, as “a lot of partisan noise” generated by opportunistic Democrats. “Is there a cybersecurity issue here that needs to be taken more seriously? Absolutely. But,” he added with a scoff, “democracy is not dying in darkness.”

more...

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/what-congressional-republicans-really-think-about-trump-and-russia/533784/

[dalton99a]

1. The GOP is now the Russia Party

And Putin is their hero

[The Blue Flower]

2. They know what they did to Obama and the Clintons, think we're doing the same

They can't comprehend actual problems since all of their issues were manufactured for political reasons.

[sharedvalues]

5. Yes!! This is the truth

Exactly. The GOP manufactured a ton of fake scandals so now they they can't determine what is a real scandal.

[Achilleaze]

3. republicans are sitting on their asses while America is under attack

and everyone knows it. They are betraying the voters trust by letting the russians hack our nuclear installations, never mind the voting process.

[GoCubsGo]

6. Not just sitting there.

Some of them are aiding and abetting. See: Dana Rohrbacher, for example.

[Renew Deal]

4. Mueller gives them the chance to ignore it

It really is his problem now. Republicans are in on what happened, but Mueller gives them some room to breathe until he concludes his work.

[beachbum bob]

7. healthcare bill failure, next up is the big taxcuts for the wealthy, most likely another failure

a 35% president and congressional approval on life support. Kansas revolting against Koch brother inspired governing, special elections with huge uptick in democratic voting......Trump sounding more idiotic everyday,,,,and the russian investigation barely underway.


2018 coming and Democratic enthusiasm soaring. Sooner or later the GOP will be forced to do something or sink to oblivion

[cally]

8. Must read..thanks

I do not understand the Republicans aiding and ignoring an obvious Russia attack on our democracy. Their arguments are ridiculous but I've been wondering about their rationale.

[bdamomma]

9. let's see if their new hero

Mr. Putin will be addressing the Congress, that would be very interesting and the last nail in the repigs coffin.

[emulatorloo]

10. Interesting: They're very afraid of Hannity and Limbaugh

"Indeed, among GOP lawmakers there remains a widespread fear that wading too conspicuously into the Russia controversy will unleash the wrath of figures like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity—conservative talk radio hosts whom one senior Senate aide referred to as “the modern-day party bosses.”

“It’s tough,” the aide told me. “Every time you speak out against Trump on Russia, you’re gonna get it.”