Speaking at an event with College Republicans in Wisconsin earlier this week, Ryan warned that letting the Senate slip back into Democratic hands might give Vermont’s democratic socialist one of the most powerful positions for shaping the federal budget.
“If we lose the Senate, do you know who becomes chairman of the Senate budget committee?,” Ryan said, according to the Nation. “A guy named Bernie Sanders. Ever heard of him? That’s what we’re dealing with here if we lose control of the Senate.”
Ryan’s hit on Sanders backfired, badly. Citing Ryan’s comments in a fundraising blast, Sanders was able to raise just under $2 million in two days for about a dozen Democratic Senate and House candidates — furthering his chances of actually becoming budget committee chair.I heard what @SpeakerRyan said: If the GOP loses the Senate, I'll be the Budget chairman. Sounds like a good idea. https://t.co/9EFfzgimCX— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 19, 2016
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the fundraising haul was North Carolina Democrat Deborah Ross, who could unseat Republican Sen. Richard Burr in the state, according to the Washington Post. Sanders has made helping in down-ballot races a big priority since exiting the presidential primary, and he was quick to jump at the opportunity created by Ryan’s remarks.
I would just like to point out that I called this the minute I heard that Ryan was using Sanders in this way, and pointed out that Ryan was messing with forces he clearly did not understand.
It's not that I'm a genius of anything, I am just smarter than Paul Ryan. Or actually ANYBODY who thinks that threatening voters with the idea of putting more power in the hands of Senator Sanders is going to motivate more conservatives than liberals to come out to the polls.
And I would suggest that that is also true of THIS tactic.
Let's face it, the majority of Americans know that the country is doing significantly better under President Obama and Democratic leadership than it was under Bush.We cannot take four more years of Barack Obama and that’s what you’ll get if you vote for Hillary. #BigLeagueTruth— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016
But if they want to keep on using these tactics who am I to dissuade them?
But, but...it's rigged, I say, it's RIGGED!
ReplyDeleteHow else can you explain a republican controlled senate and house??! How else can you explain DON YOUNG???!!! Gotta be rigged, in the republican's favor.
There just can't be that many knuckle draggin' troglodytes out there, year after year.
https://www.adn.com/politics/2016/10/22/alaska-democrats-face-internal-strife-over-u-s-senate-candidate/
DeleteSpeaking of Alaskan politics, the Democratic Party has guaranteed us another Murkowski term or a first Joe Miller term.
Typical Alaska Democrats...they just can't get along!
Lisa Murkowski is the Republican candidate this time.
DeleteHave Alaska Democrats forgotten that their state sent an unknown Alaska-hating Republican plank of wood to the US Senate two years ago in place of their senior senator because he was a Democrat?
They fucked up completely with Lisa's write in (Joe Miller could have done no damage that she didn't eventually do) but they haven't learned from it- and two wrongs don't make a left. They need to stop always imagining they can win and headhunt and groom candidates for the future. Alaska is not short of talent, it short of commitment.
The wingnuts are scouring their churches twice a week and keeping an eagle eye on every boy that reaches maturity without having run away screaming. The Democrats need to find their own church.
GET FUCKing donnie no longer young 'WETBACK' OUT! vote Steve Linbeck Democrat
DeleteUnited States Representative
Alaska!
Alaska needs to get Lisa Murkowski voted out of office this go around. She's a member of the 'do nothing' Congress and has done nothing but obstruct President Obama and do zero for Alaska!
DeleteShe and Don Young are long past their time in being voted out of office!
2:57 pm
DeleteSorry, but it is the voters of Alaka that select their senators and not the Democratic party in Alaska.
The Republicans have kept the House through gerrymandering. To the extreme in some cases.
DeleteVoter suppression (like we see going on in Indiana right now) is also a factor.
Remove those two and you would see a dramatic shift in both the House and Senate.
In other words, the only way the Republicans can maintain control is to cheat. And they do because they put self before party and party before country.
Too funny. That will surely backfire. I was no fan of Bernie in the primaries, but he will make a wonderful Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. I think he has earned his right to be Chairman of whatever Committee is so inclined to Chair. He is keeping his word and working hard to get Hillary and the Senate Democrats across the finish line.
ReplyDeleteGo Democrats. Go Blue Alaska.
We overwhelmingly supported Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary so I don't really see a huge enough turnaround towards Hillary to make that happen.
DeletePlus, our 3 electoral voters are GOP and they will vote GOP even if somehow, against all odds the popular goes to Hillary Clinton.
They are "bound" to vote with the popular but if they dissent from that action it only costs them a $1000 fine each, which I'm sure our state GOP will be happy to scrape from the coffers.
Well, not against all odds. As of
DeleteSat night, chances of winning pop vote in AK were 32% Clinton to 68% Trump, per 538.com
Well don't forget, these are the same geniuses who determined that Romney only lost because "he wasn't conservative enough."
ReplyDeleteThat Obama has managed to bring America back from the economic & immoral cliff that Bush, Jr. left is nothing short of miraculous given his obstructionist congress -- imagine what Hillary could do with the progressive wind of congress behind her & Bernie. Know hope.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans keep referring to Trump as the 'change candidate' (as though 'change' was a word he's ever heard) but the fact is with an outgoing Democratic president with such a high approval rating, change is not what people are screaming for (except the Extremist Right, who always scream for it- so that they can get into power).
ReplyDeleteSo there's that.
How's Bernie going to head any committee in a new administration while on his book tour?
ReplyDeleteStill bashing, I see.
DeleteThis is a hoot! Go Bernie!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you go to any of the looney rightwing sites, they are all screaming and crying about the end of the country if Clinton wins.
ReplyDeleteSame as they did 8 years ago with Obama. These loons wouldn't know what to do if their guy gets in, nothing to complain about?
NO $$$, New Con> The newest line of luxury hotels, geared towards millennials, will be called SCION" Ivanka "“Our business at Trump Hotels is stronger than ever and we are incredibly excited about the future of Scion, the newest brand in our hotel portfolio,” Trump = Scion. It’s another clumsy attempt to protect himself from the destruction he has wrought upon his own brand.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicususa.com/2016/10/22/trump-admits-brand-toxic-changing-trump-hotels-scion.html
It worked wonders for Toyota, so much so, they're slowly putting slow movers on the chopping block. That Ivanka is a real smart one, this move will save Donald's money bigly, very bigly, and she'll get a raise as well.
DeleteToyota isn't going to like that.
DeletePeople will simply start avoiding Scion hotels and properties. The Trumps won't be able to promote anything since once they do people will know what to avoid.
Gee, Donald, looks to me like the last eight years of "suffering" are all of your own doing. Go Bigly!
ReplyDeletecan always count on this nut from the pond to say something "intelligent". I worry for the women of this country if he wins........
ReplyDeleteheypaisano • an hour ago
PC and all the liberal nonsense has emasculated many men. Trump is interjecting some old fashion testosterone back into the mix and women can once again think of their men as men again. Nature returns to it's proper place.
ewwwwwwwwww!
DeleteAn obese mentally-disordered 70-year-old man is loaded with testosterone? Only in heypaisano's fevered imagination.
DeleteSenator Sanders will be great. He is 100% along with Elizabeth Warren.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah its been rigged alright. Republicans drawing lines and redistricting and carpet bagging for the last 8 years. The sneaky sleazy unconstitutional liar t rump party.
ReplyDeleteThey think what worked in the past, will work now. They're wrong. They've been "outed" by technology, in all their self-serving glory. There is no going back.
ReplyDeleteOh, and fuck Mitch McConnell.
GeorgiaPeach
Like this,
Deletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/22/a-superior-court-judge-needed-a-favor-so-he-tried-to-bribe-a-federal-agent-with-bud-light/?utm_term=.09fba5efa548
and this
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2016/10/22/councilman-busted-over-4-year-relationship-with-teen-that-began-when-she-was-13-police-say/
Because
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. John Acton
Oh, and fuck Mitch McConnell
GeorgiaPeach
Cream rises to the top, then sours.
Deletedowl
Don't forget to vote. Oh, and and fuck Mitch McConnell, also.
DeleteReading the writing on the wall, are we Donald? Prepare yourself for a big league bigly loss of epic proportions, it's no secret Paul Ryan, gym model and house speaker for the GOPEE has no love lost in your case, he's just trying to soften the blow, but believe me, you'll feel it hugely.
ReplyDeleteI think the air is so far gone from Trump's balloon that even the deplorables might be jumping out of the way. Maybe back into their holes, realizing their savior is just another asshole.
DeleteGryph. Didn't you predict Bernie would go back to Vermont, wouldn't campaign for Hillary and would tell all of his supporters to vote Green. I don't recall but was it you that said he'd run on the Green ticket. And something about a book, writing and promoting instead of helping the Dems. Yeah, and that he was taking all these donations for himself instead of helping the Democratic down ticket.
ReplyDeleteHow's that working for you?
It's working fine for me now that Bernie has stopped letting all that hipster adulation go to his head, and recognized his place in this election cycle as a surrogate for the only person who could have defeated Donald Trump.
DeleteBernie will have a great and important role in the Senate majority along with Al Franken and Elizabeth Warren, helping their President move this country in a more progressive direction.
8:51 ~ R'amen.
DeleteGryph ~ In the battle of our sophomoric wits, i bow to your prowess.
Go Hillary! And i know Hillary will unite as much of the country as possible the same way SHE has soothed a LOT of the Berners.
The problem for Ryan was that his remarks quickly ricocheted around the web and national media. And Sanders doesn’t just retain a big and loyal following that can quickly raise big gobs of cash — he also remains wildly popular with the American public at large.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, as Princeton historian Matt Karp noted this week in Jacobin, Sanders has the highest favorability ratings of any major American politician. Turning the congressional elections into a referendum on Sanders himself is not, from any strategic standpoint, a good move for Ryan:
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/10/21/13358274/paul-ryan-bernie-sanders
Ryan isn't as smart as he or his party thinks he is.
DeleteI really hope all the Bernie die hards will recognize this fact and come out to vote just for the senate. Bernie on budget & Warren on banking...hahahha, what a nightmare. I guess Chuck will be leader...thank goodness Mitch will be packing.
ReplyDeleteI also read today some awesome news...Obama and Eric Holder are going to team up after the election to form a group going after the gerrymandering bullshit. OMG can you imagine? Citizens United gone, gun control, voter ID laws out, voting rights back...Obamacare tweeked to work better. Tons of money going to infrastructure, good jobs..I know calm down, until Dems take back Congress that ain't gonna happen.
I am already going thru major Obama withdrawal. Just seeing Michelle looking gorgeous at their last state dinner,sigh. Basically we have to elect Hillary because no other regular couple could possibly come close to this family. They both made the WH so elegant, cool, funny and modern. I feel like we are getting 2 for the price of one, who better to understand from day 1 than this power couple. I also read they are changing the name of Trump's hotels as their empty, let's see how much his "brand" is worth after this fiasco.
They're going to need to put lobbying on that list too. It will be come a major problem. Way more than it already is.
DeleteThey should do a Federal version of California's old time lobbying bench.
Lobbyists had to sit on a bench in the hall of the capital (in Sacramento). They could only talk to a legislator if they were sitting on the bench. That meant a legislator had to come to them and the conversation had to take place in public in full view. No behind closed doors bullshit or junket trips.
That's they way it should be if it is allowed to exist at all.
Georgia may be in play. Obama didn't put enough ground game in there but Hillary has money, time and staff to spare and is making a push. It may be paying off. If she doesn't win Trump will have the narrowest of margins in that red state.
ReplyDeleteBut it does look like the nasty women of Georgia are getting shit done.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-georgia-women_us_580aada3e4b02444efa39cbe?section=us_politics
"For Republicans nervous about an electoral catastrophe next month, Lesley Jones could be a harbinger of doom.
She’s 41 years old, has a University of Georgia bachelor’s degree, and considers herself a solid Republican. Yet she walked into the Chastain Recreation Center gym in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood this week and cast her presidential ballot for Democrat Hillary Clinton rather than Republican Donald Trump.
“There’s been nothing. He’s presented me with nothing. And what he has presented me has been so offensive,” Jones said, adding that she actually considered supporting Trump back when he first secured the nomination. But she said the more she heard from him, the more disgusted she became. His recorded boast of being able to sexually assault women because of his celebrity was the last straw. “I’m embarrassed to be a Republican and have this nominee.”
It would be one thing if Jones, who supported former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the Republican primaries, were an anomaly. Unfortunately for Georgia Republicans, she instead represents a key reason why a state won handily by 2012 GOP Mitt Romney is, according to polls, statistically tied just four years later."