The G.O.P. Has a Bad Men Problem

[Zorro]

How upbeat is the Republican Party about its prospects for taking control of the House and Senate next year? So upbeat that it apparently is cool with the fact that in three Senate races — Georgia, Missouri and Pennsylvania — it has leading candidates who have been accused of harassing, abusing, threatening or otherwise mistreating women.

Once upon a time, this situation likely would have provoked a major display of concern, or at least an attempt at damage control, by the Republican establishment. Instead many party officials are brushing off related questions like pesky bits of dryer fluff.

While the particulars of these cases vary — the allegations, the candidates’ responses, the warmth of the party’s embrace — the creeping not-so-casual misogyny is indicative of the dark path down which former President Donald Trump continues to lead the G.O.P.

It is not simply that Mr. Trump has long worn his shabby treatment of women like a perverse merit badge — a symbol of how the rules of decent society do not apply to him. He also has made the Republican Party a welcoming place for other like-minded men. As president, rarely did he confront a harassment or abuse scandal in which he didn’t make clear his sympathies for the accused and his skepticism of the accusers. Pity the poor harasser. So misunderstood. So persecuted by humorless prigs. It almost takes the fun out of groping random chicks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/opinion/trump-gop-misogyny.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqohlSVUaCibSRdkhrxqAwuTV3bkkw3D5NG2QSC1FwPUTEs6A50LJL-JFVucE4g66FpVHIaN9A7t71PNeNEhgDAP1_JLbw8hbZnpk89j2A24_j9edB7xhtDXhZzTjduwmzeLvsVjOKjW_ANyp2n0hJA9mo5VkZAvqjSROnvGZZ7Yzjtpu3v4hBoR5RSMDbESKvPrpDBZ_PbaWf02Wq1l2C6wCB2alzZPL4KkAcQ5RFVrGUHp-hG0849lYM9kQV73t-EP7SWNYdMXuM19V7hYQdw&smid=url-share

[Goonch]

1. "rogue's gallery of chauvinist pigs and accused abusers"

https://www.salon.com/2021/11/12/2022-primaries-will-take-gold-in-the-misogyny-olympics/

[11 Bravo]

2. It WOULD be a problem if the GOP was comprised of decent human beings.

But since the slimy coterie of racist, sexist, seditionist assholes currently calling themselves Republicans contains few if any decent human beings, it's not a bug, it's a feature.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

3. The gop

Has become the dark triad personality party.
And the enablers of dark triads in power or wanting power.

Americans are in an abusive relationship with the psychopath party.

They say abusers get worse when they suspect thier enablers and abused captives decide to leave the abusers.

They ruin,bully,abuse bigotry and dream of killing all of us ,because sociopaths do not care about Other peoples suffering that they cause and do not care about life in general.

They have no guilt,remorse or anything else a person with empathy would feel about doing such harmful bullshit.

They don't give a shit,but if they get hurt they want vengance and act like snowflakes when caught.

[Pinback]

4. Interesting article about Herschel Walker's demons:

Will Herschel Walker’s Troubled Past Keep Him Out of Georgia’s Senate Race?
By Ed Kilgore - New York Magazine, July 23, 2021

In his 2008 memoir Breaking Free: My Life With Dissociative Identity Disorder, football legend Herschel Walker disclosed some troubling details of his own conduct while in the grip of a serious mental illness, including an incident in which he put a loaded gun to his wife’s head. According to the book, Walker turned around his condition and his life in 2001 through a combination of behavioral therapy and religion. So when Donald Trump began promoting his old friend and Celebrity Apprentice contestant for a U.S. Senate run in Georgia in 2022, it was immediately understood that Walker’s mental-health history and its byproducts would likely come up. But it seemed his courage and honesty in disclosing this painful side to his life, and his apparent recovery, might counteract any criticism.

Now, with Walker still equivocating about a Senate race and several potential Republican challengers to Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock staying on the sidelines as they await his decision, the Associated Press has published a story that could call into question the premise that Walker’s problems are far in the rear-view window:

An Associated Press review of hundreds of pages of public records tied to Walker’s business ventures and his divorce, including many not previously reported, sheds new light on a turbulent personal history that could dog his Senate bid. The documents detail accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior.

The AP rehashed evidence kicking around for a while that Walker’s ex-wife Cindy Grossman had to get a protective court order against him well after their 2002 divorce to deal with what she called “violent and controlling behavior,” mostly stemming from apparent jealousy. “Grossman told the court she got calls during that period from her sister and father, both of whom had been contacted by Walker. He told family members that he would kill her and her new boyfriend, according to Maria Tsettos, Cindy Grossman’s sister.”

Walker denied the allegations, but a judge did issue the order, which also banned the former star from possessing firearms for a while.

The AP also published evidence that Walker’s business dealings have been characterized by exaggerations of their size and successfulness, and some of these allegations are quite recent

(SNIP)

That Walker would even need a PPP loan might be of concern to some Georgia conservatives. The AP, moreover, reports that just last month “a Texas bank sued Walker and another business partner over an unpaid $200,000 debt secured to help finance a pizza restaurant. According to court filings, Walker personally guaranteed the loan.”

More at link: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/07/will-new-allegations-keep-herschel-walker-from-senate-race.html

I've thought it bizarre from the beginning that Walker is the presumptive Georgia Republican nominee for U.S. Senate:

• Texas resident who recently moved back to Georgia just to run for this Senate seat.


• Widely known as someone afflicted with "multiple personality disorder" (Dissociative Identity Disorder).


• Documented cases of domestic violence.

But hey, he's a Black Republican, and therefore worth his weight in gold. Also, as a former University of Georgia football star, he's got "rube cred" across the state.

From the article, it sounds like he has the Trumpian "flair" for exaggerating business success and treating women like crap. In other words, perfect for today's GOP!

I'll be helping the Warnock campaign, and am already a recurring contributor. This is a highly winnable race for our incumbent.