Biden's Withering Olive Branch

[Zorro]

The new year will prove whether we have any decency left in us.

By Frank Bruni

The year will turn, Joe Biden will take the oath of office, and we’ll heal.

That was the fundamental promise of his campaign, no? That was the hope.

But I’m struggling mightily to hold on to even a sliver of it.

Like President-elect Biden, I believe in common ground, in comity, in identifying where we intersect rather than where we diverge. I was drawn to him, as were a critical mass of other Americans, because he represented the calm after the storm, the sense after the sensation.

But is calm a mirage? Is normalcy obsolete? In the many weeks since it became clear that he lost the election, Donald Trump has successfully marketed an outrageous alternate reality, so that 70 percent of registered Republican voters, according to a Quinnipiac poll this month, believe that Biden’s victory was illegitimate. Trump has taken his refusal to concede to historic, previously unthinkable lengths. And an overwhelming majority of Republican members of Congress have played along, actively or passively, many of them knowing better, all of them traitors to democracy and profiles in cowardice.

To this crew Biden is supposed to extend an olive branch?

From this bunch he’s expected to wring droplets of decency?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/opinion/biden-mcconnell-republicans.html

[NoMoreRepugs]

1. Decency? I expect an escalation of vitriol unlike ANYTHING we have ever seen.

[onecaliberal]

2. We need to shove everything down their throat. Idgaf what they like or want.

They have fucked over everything 100 ways from Sunday. They need to go away and shut the fuck up.

[MyOwnPeace]

3. I just can't imagine......

any better way to say what I'm thinking other than your entire response! NAILED IT!!!!!

[onecaliberal]

4. I'm seriously pissed.

[MyOwnPeace]

5. Oh, really?

I wasn't sure!!!!

Again, I'm with 'ya!

[pandr32]

6. Agreed 100%

[Hortensis]

12. If only the electorate had brought that conviction to the POLLS.

Now it sounds like noise, followed by something that sounds like realization.

But, Biden has the presidency, and if the Republicans want anything they have to come to him. We certainly didn't blow it completely.

As for this thread, absolutely nothing the Republicans can do will not be foreseen by Biden. He was been in congress with them for 40 years and spent 8 years shooting down incoming while helping run the country and foreign affairs from the Obama White House.

[onecaliberal]

14. No one could have guessed that republicans would sit idly by while a traitorous

Gritting psychotic piece of shit runs amok on democracy and the American people. 330,000 people are dead and counting. Those same 40 year politicians have said NOTHING and done NOTHING to help the country or her people. Biden won by 7 million + votes the electorate DID bring that sentiment to their ballots.

[Hortensis]

16. YES, many did. I DID. You really should have.

The Repub leadership and their donors have been the "organized conspiracy" to keep and seize more power that Steve Schmidt called them for a long time now.

Since the 1990s they've been increasingly smashing laws and norms meant to protect our government from people like them, but they got much worse in the 20-aughts. BEFORE Trump. Bush II did a lot more than just resume torture and lie to America to invade Iraq for the oil. Trump's a symptom and great acceleration of what's been happening on the right, not its cause.

“Maybe you do not care much about the future of the Republican Party. You should. Conservatives will always be with us. If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. The will reject democracy.”

― David Frum, Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic

When Bernie Sanders talked about revolution, he should have been warning those who listen to him that the Republicans' revolution had far more ruthless zealots, was extremely well organized, enormously funded, and already dangerously advanced.

[Hortensis]

17. YES, many did. I DID. You really should have.

The Repub leadership and their donors have been the "organized conspiracy" to keep and seize more power that Steve Schmidt called them for a long time now.

Since the 1990s they've been increasingly smashing laws and norms meant to protect our government of, by and for them people from authoritarian abuses and takeover, but they got much worse in the 20-aughts. BEFORE Trump. Bush II did a lot more than just resume torture and lie to America to invade Iraq for the oil. Trump's a symptom and great acceleration of what's been happening on the right, not its cause.

“Maybe you do not care much about the future of the Republican Party. You should. Conservatives will always be with us. If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. The will reject democracy.”

― David Frum, Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic

They did. That title is NOT about the Democratic Party.

When Bernie Sanders talked about revolution, it should have been to warn those who listen to him that the Republicans' revolution had far more ruthless leaders, was supported by a large bloc of "the people," extremely well organized and embedded, enormously well funded, and already dangerously advanced.

[onecaliberal]

15. No one could have guessed that republicans would sit idly by while a traitorous

Gritting psychotic piece of shit runs amok on democracy and the American people. 330,000 people are dead and counting. Those same 40 year politicians have said NOTHING and done NOTHING to help the country or her people. Biden won by 7 million + votes the electorate DID bring that sentiment to their ballots.

[elleng]

7. ;-(

[movingviolation]

8. Republicans are a treasonous criminal organization portraying itself as a political party.

It's obvious to any decent love abiding American.

[Irish_Dem]

10. Like Russian leaders, just mob bosses. nt

[Skeptical Thomas]

9. Come On, Georgia!

Give us the two seats we need to GOPhuck the Republicans!

[Hortensis]

13. This!

[Skittles]

11. Biden needs to treat repukes as TRAITORS

because THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE

[Kid Berwyn]

18. That is what they are.

TRAITORS. No matter what the voters say, they think they are ENTITLED to political, police and military power.

Can’t believe there are so many of them — and how many others refuse to oppose those who’d destroy the Constitution.