Why are Republicans behaving as if the next election cycle won't matter?

[Alpeduez21]

From trying to do away with ethical oversight to the current tax bill Republicans have consistently set forth a political agenda that is anathema to the general population.

Why do these repugnant people act like their actions won't have consequences? What do they know about the upcoming midterms that we don't know?

That is the thought that keeps me up at night.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Simple answer? They don't think beyond today.

Sticking it to Americans in the name of corporate greed is all they know.

[pnwmom]

23. Or that the next election is fixed. n/t

[pangaia]

26. I suspect that is basically it...

[LenaBaby61]

51. "Or that the next election is fixed."

THIS ^^^^^

[Golden Raisin]

55. 2016 basically proved that we no longer

have Election Integrity here. Internal and External forces (gerrymandering, "Russification", and other manipulations) are successfully at work. Old rules and thoughts of what was normal in the electoral process no longer work or apply. Thinking we will "throw the bums out" in the next cycle may just not work. I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

[Amaryllis]

64. Yes. Nothing has been done about all the ways they stole the last one. THey do not need

to answer to constituents.

[uponit7771]

67. +1

[TheDebbieDee]

78. Bingo!

Or, there will be several smallish terror attacks throughout the US late in the summer/early fall and the elections will be CANCELLED!

[Drahthaardogs]

53. Yep. I saw this mentality in the oil fields

Live for today. Period!

[Alpeduez21]

2. It is a mistake to think the repuke representatives

are stupid. Their voters certainly are.

I fear the truth is much more nefarious. Iran in the 1950s was on the verge of true democracy. It has been under dictatorial rule for 3 generations at least now.

[guillaumeb]

3. The GOP assumes that their donors will be able to buy every election.

All they have to do is please the donors and count on the FAUX News watchers for the rest.

[Alpeduez21]

6. If Virginia showed us anything

it's that GOTV works. Congress saw this. They know there is an overwhelming anti-republican tsunami on the horizon. Why are they pleasing people who already cast their vote instead of looking at the future voters?

I am seriously thinking there will be no midterm elections.

[guillaumeb]

10. History shows that midterms are generally low turnout elections.

Emphasis on generally.

A wave could be coming, and if the GOP loses control of at least the House, they will be free from the burden of governing.

[Merlot]

43. Doesn't Virginia have paper ballots?

What Virginia showed us is what happens when all the votes are actually and honeslty counted.

[drray23]

81. yes its all paper ballot now.nt.

[unitedwethrive]

4. Or they know how to fix the electronic vote.

It was likely done successfully in the presidential election, because there is no way to trace one dishonest person tampering with a memory card...so surely it will work again for smaller elections.

Yes, this is speculation, but can anyone honestly say that this is not something the GOP would do? They are a party of dishonest, manipulating, power-hungry people who have shown over and over that their party is more important than their country.

[Generic Brad]

7. Winner, winner chicken dinner

That is exactly why they are not worried. Their thumbs are on the scale and they believe the fix is in

[Alpeduez21]

8. Exactly

Does anyone really think McConnell was so obstinate about judicial appointees if he didn't know something?

[diva77]

9. +1000 This!! A combo of gerrymandering, voter suppression, scrubbing of voter rolls,

wingnut media domination, corrupt elections officials, oligarch donors, HAVA, etc. have made them a shoo-in with no accountability required. We need LANDSLIDES to win and retain seats.

[TheDebbieDee]

79. I think the vote totals of some of the primaries were tampered with as well...

Also, the down ballot vote totals in the general elections in some of these states were tampered with in favor of the republicans...

[uponit7771]

5. They got some "help" ... wink wink

[Egnever]

11. I think they already gave up and are trying to de everything they can before they are removed

I think they see the writing on the wall that the majorities wont last. So they are trying to push their wet dreams through before their opportunity is over.

[Freddie]

56. Agree

They are rushing to do as much damage as possible before the next election AND before impeachment hearings make it impossible to do anything else.

[Willie Pep]

66. I agree with you.

They know their of window of opportunity is short. I honestly don't think they expected Trump to win but because he did and they control the entire federal government they are going to try to get everything passed before they lose their majorities.

[NCjack]

12. The GOP is setting the table to run the most dirty and slimmy

election in US history. All Obama, Clinton, and DEMs fault. No policy -- just dirt and slim.

[Volaris]

15. 'The Witch hunt was successful, Trump is gone...

What more do you liburls want? Haven't we suffered enough? Why do want to keep dragging us through the mud? Why do you hate america???'

I can see it coming.. And the poor, put-upon, persecuted Treason Weasels will have their sad, and that shit will work you can bet your ASS.

[NBachers]

32. The system works, and we Republicans cleaned house

[Volaris]

47. And And the Minority-Party Democrats didn't do a single thing to help, did they????

Yep. That will be the line, for sure.

Gods, you and I should apply for jobs as Republican Party Political Consultants; we'd make a damn fortune;...it appears we already KNOW what they want to say lol...

[Alpeduez21]

16. This is what I think, too.

What do we do to stop it? This Republican administration could declare Martial Law because of the war with N. Korea. It could declare no elections till national security is restored. So, what do we do?

[Volaris]

48. Ignore their bullshit and go out after curfew.

There's what? A Hundred Million of us???
They don't HAVE enough cops.
Fuck em lol.

[Alpeduez21]

50. That's just another problem with cops.

They are enforcement for the conservative status quo. Why do you think repukes want to arm them like they are the military?

[Volaris]

54. Oh I agree.

If I were a local law enforcement officer, I'd leave my personal sidearm in the car, for a number of reasons:
1) I'm not Wyatt Earp.
2) I'm fucking very nearly Batman WITHOUT the damn thing.
3) if I paid attention in training, I understand that my job is to DEescalate, and if that can't happen, aren't I supposed to have had enough self-defense training to be able to subdue and handcuff EITHER a belligerent local drunk OR a black teenager (see #2)?

Just sayin'.

[DangerousUrNot]

77. Preach!!!!

[wiggs]

13. tax plan and healthcare consequences won't kick in for everyone to see until after 2018. plus, the

2018 congressional voting deck is stacked against dems still.

They can continue to lie through the 2018 mid terms without breaking a sweat.

[Alpeduez21]

17. This was also true for the Virginia elections

but there was an overwhelming response, anyway.

[Drunken Irishman]

14. I think they're behaving exactly like they know the next election cycle will matter.

Get it all done before they lose the Senate.

[unblock]

18. the next election cycle is exactly what they're thinking about. unfortunately, that's the primary.

if they could be assured they would be renominated and proceed straight to the general, they'd behave far more reasonably. well, ok, let's just say far less unreasonably. they might even get rid of donnie.

they can't bring themselves to do that because it would piss off their base enough to primary them.

[Alpeduez21]

19. What will it take for repukes

to regain a sconce of integrity? Trump is a criminal. Moore is a child molester. Cruz is a cretin. I could go on and on. At what point do repukes decide they want human beings on their ticket again?

[unblock]

21. they won't change until they lose foxnews.

if foxnews turns on donnie, then republicans in congress will follow suit.

hard to imagine what would cause foxnews to do that, though.
likely they'll insist the charges are fake and partisan to the end.


of course, if republicans were to behave more reasonably after foxnews directed them to, i wouldn't call that "integrity", but it would be better behavior in any event....

[annabanana]

49. By the time they lose FOX, Sinclair will be up and running

in every goddamn market.

[FreeState]

20. They think the Russians have the midterms rigged too n/t

[AmandaRuth]

22. getting the donations

they are fighting for today certainly isn't going to hurt -

[Skittles]

24. because they will have accomplished their destruction by then

Putin won

[tinrobot]

25. They know they're screwed in 2018, so they're going for broke (literally.)

I think the current bill is a reflection of that. If they had a better chance in 2018, they might be a little more cautious.

[AmericanActivist]

27. Because US elections are not auditable, verifiable

Or transparent and can be hacked by Russia. Remember, “it’s not who votes that matters but who counts the votes” said Stalin.

[Alpeduez21]

29. This is what I think, too.

I believe the fix is in. They didn't expect Virginia to be such a turn out and turn about. They will be more prepared come November 2018

[AmericanActivist]

39. The only thing I can think of is these elections,

for now at least, have to appear plausible; my two cents.

[Irish_Dem]

28. The GOP empties the piggy bank, then they let the Dems take power to fill it up again.

The cycle continues.
They make their money and don't care what happens.

[nocoincidences]

31. Wiener winner!

There is a big surprise coming in their future that will tear all of that up.

For the win...

[Ninga]

30. THEY KNOW THAT PEOPLE VOTE IN UNDERWHELMING NUMBERS.

When Democrats vote, Democrats win. Period.

[Alpeduez21]

34. +1000

[LonePirate]

33. There will still be a Repub President in Jan. 2019 regardless of what happens next year.

There is no way Dems will secure veto proof majorities in both the House and Senate next year so anything they pass this year or next will remain until 2021 at the earliest. So, next year’s elections don’t mean much other than it may stop future pain. Of course that doesn’t matter because they are front loading the pain right now.

[Thekaspervote]

37. Oh I hate to hear anyone say an election doesn't matter?? Really

[LonePirate]

40. As I said, next year can prevent more pain. It simply wont reverse or cure any current pain.

[Alpeduez21]

41. Dems may not be veto proof

but they can certainly do things through reconciliation.

[LonePirate]

57. Yes but reconciliation bills still need to be signed to become law. Don't bank on that signature.

[Terry_M]

35. They need to do now...

Until 2021, President Trump/Pence/Ryan can veto all efforts to un-do.

[Nevernose]

36. The tax cuts are win-win

They and their owners make a shot ton of money for 4-6 years. Democrats repeal. Republicans win the next election because “Democrats raise taxes!” Plus we/they don’t vote like we should, plus Trump Fever will have worn off. That’s a win-win. Money for now, victory for later.

They’ll have stacked courts and probably gerrymandering to protect them for decades.

Finally, we got Reagan only six years after Nixon and only four after a Republican.

[Honeycombe8]

38. Because they know a secret: The stupid public FORGETS.

If the tax bill passes, it will be a dim memory to most Repubs. And there isn't time for damaging effects to be felt, for the tax bill issues to be current and in the news next November.

[Captain Stern]

70. That's pretty much it, right there.

And not only does most of the public forget, they don't understand most of this stuff good enough for it to even matter if they forget it.

The general public isn't upset about this bill because they don't see anything bad about it. Heck, the bill is called "The tax cuts and jobs act". Tax cuts are good. Jobs are good. So, what's the problem?

Most people aren't really going to see that much difference come tax time next year, so they'll just move on. Meanwhile, the rich will get richer, and our nation will slide further into debt. And when the time finally does come when we have to deal with that debt, it won't be the rich who suffer....it'll be the rest of us.

[Honeycombe8]

73. Hits nail on head.

Most don't even understand it.

I live in a "bubba" area. Nice people, but mainly uneducated. They don't keep up with the news except to watch Fox an hour or two at night, if that. They talk among themselves. Talk of God n'guns, and how horrible "them libruls" are. How them lubruls are to blame for (insert anything bad here).

Tax cuts is good! Jobs is good! Fox says it's good, so it's so. Anything them libruls don't like is good!

I looked at a chart of the tax cuts (a Repub site, BTW), for you to see what your income level taxes will look like over the next years. That's when I saw that the cuts are coming in gradually, increasing every year. As the cuts for the uber wealthy increase over the years, the taxes for the middle class decrease only slightly over the years, or in some cases INCREASE over the years.

So like a frog boiling in water, the Repubs won't even know that their taxes have increased 5 years from now while the wealthiest's taxes have decreased substantially.

And the Medicare & Social Security cuts that will be proposed to pay for those tax cuts...if that passes...they will not associate those with the tax cut bill. The Repubs & Fox will tell them it's because those programs are unsustainable, are bad programs. And the frogs boiling in water will believe it. Because they won't know any different.

[D_Master81]

42. simple

b/c the American people have hardly ever held them to the same account as dems. Repubs were kicked out of office, the economy crashes w/ Repubs in the WH, but suddenly the economy was an obama problem and they were swept back into power 4 yrs later. They probably assume even if they're voted out they'll be back in an election cycle or 2 yet the things they push through will remain. Plus most house seats that they hold we may cut into the difference, but are still considered safe to leaning republican and the senate will be nearly impossible for dems to take back this time.

[ThoughtCriminal]

44. Two Words

Scorched Earth.

[mythology]

45. Because there are two parties

No matter how badly they screw up, the Republican party is unlikely to go away. Look at how it took 4 years to go from getting hammered in 2006 to dominating us in 2010.

Also there is institutional stickiness. Look at the ACA. It was passed, helped get us killed in 2010, and people fought to keep it in 2017.

[Jspur]

46. They think they are invincible

The old saying power corrupts applies to the republicans. I think they truly believe that their base is really that stupid and will still vote for them in 2018 despite what they did. The sad part about this is that there is a good chance that their base will re-elect them.

[AJT]

52. They think in the very long term.....gerrymandering, voter suppression, social issues.

They know they will hold at least the house in perpetuity.

[RhodeIslandOne]

58. They know its rigged.

[Jakes Progress]

59. Because they are counting on stupid

to rule the day.

It has worked for them many times before. Shortly before the election, they will point to a black man on the street or an immigrant at the store or a gay couple holding hands. The stupid (so many, so many) will shriek, clutch their palpating breasts and run to vote for the worst possible person available.

[dflprincess]

60. A lot of the pain this bill will cause won't become obvious until after the 2018 election

meanwhile their dupes may see a reduction in the their Federal Withholding Tax on their paychecks and be so happy that they're taking home a few more dollars that they'll still vote Republican. It won't be until they file their 2018 returns that they'll find out they're screwed.

[Takket]

61. they have al their bribes/kickbacks for passing the tax scam

They will be filthy rich, and why should they care if they are voted out? if they are they will just go to work for a lobbying firm and get more filthy rich.

in reality the "vote you out" threat does nothing to their own personal situation.

[democratisphere]

62. GOP knows they will have the same fakebook, Twitter Sh'tter and Russian

support to aid them in winning the 2018 elections. The GOP is out to obliterate our democracy.

[Garrett78]

63. They "have consistently set forth a political agenda that is anathema to the general population."

Yes, for many decades now. Yet they have the White House, US House, US Senate, a clear majority of governorships and a clear majority of state legislative bodies. So, yeah, why would they worry about there being consequences?

The fostering and exploitation of both bigotry and ignorance, billionaire donors, media consolidation, Gish Galloping, voter suppression and gerrymandering have been used very successfully for many, many years now. And now they also have help from a hostile foreign power.

Trump is an idiot but even he and those around him know that maintaining his base is sufficient. Even if they suffer a setback in 2018 or 2020 (far from guaranteed), they have enough weapons at their disposal to stay the course.

[Initech]

65. Because according to them, they own the next election cycle.

And the one after that, and that, and that, and that. That's what happens when one side gets drunk with power.

[WinkyDink]

68. Bribes. Money changes everything.

[Demsrule86]

69. They think they can buy off the next election...and it makes sense to get what you can while you

have the chance...the GOP in my opinion will not have a chance like this for decades. But we can roll it all back in 2021. ALSO, target the house...they are the weak link...if we can break them, there will be no tax bill.

[Nanjeanne]

71. Two words. Citizens United.

[muriel_volestrangler]

72. More words - the House tax bill allows political activity by "charities"

House Tax Bill Opens Door to Expanded Political Activity By Charities

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady proposed an amendment, which was adopted into the final House bill, that dramatically expanded that exception to include all organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3), not just religious organizations, in any of their normal operations, again, so long as they did not incur more than de minimis incremental expenses. There was no similar language in the Senate Finance Committee’s bill released last week.
...
First, having the limits set at “not more than de minimis incremental expenses” will presumably allow these organizations to shift certain existing fixed costs, such as in-house staff, to partisan political activity, for this will not result in any “incremental expenses.” In addition, much internet advocacy involves only de minimis incremental expenses. Finally, ambiguities in interpreting what “de minimis” and “incremental” mean will presumably come within the Presidential Executive Order’s directive that “to the greatest extent practicable” the provisions shall be interpreted to favor more political speech.

Second, for donors interested in political spending, politically active 501(c)(3) organizations are vastly preferable to other types of nonprofits, for they contain a double tax advantage: not only is the entity exempt from tax on the income it receives, the donors also may deduct their contributions from their income taxes.

Third, 501(c)(3) organizations, like social welfare organizations operating under Section 501(c)(4), are not required to disclose the identity of their donors. This makes charities unlike more transparent political entities, such as candidate campaigns, party committees, PACs and Super PACs, which must disclose their donors.

https://www.insidepoliticallaw.com/2017/11/28/house-tax-bill-opens-door-expanded-political-activity-charities/

[tnbadger]

74. i,too, have insomnia and night terrors about the gop

i totally agree with your fears --- did you see where mcconnell made a comment right after the passage that the democratic hold out would cost them (the democrats) grave consequences for the 2018 elections....the gop is totally cut off from reality... in one way, tho, maybe the tax bill passage will be good for trump/gop base in that when it is implemented on 1/1/2018, the stupid base will see their taxes go up, healthcare become non-existent, etc.

[Alpeduez21]

75. Welcome to DU!

[jberryhill]

76. Ever been in a casino when there is a fire alarm or other emergency?

They are grabbing the chips off the table and getting ready to run.

[Botany]

80. HAVA and Cross Check

HAVA = help America vote act