By Hook or By Crook

I mentioned in some prior posts that the Republicans are now completely comfortable with gaming the system to get what they want. They don’t try to change minds, they change rules. They rig systems right out in the open. They cheat and lie. And they accuse their opponents of doing the same but never seem to have any proof.

This is such a widely used tactic now, that it might as well be a plank in their party platform (if they ever actually create another one). Here are some current examples:

Setback: Losing the “Youth Vote.”

GOP Solution: Raise the voting age! Who cares what they think if they can’t vote? They can have any gun they want and be forced to have babies, but they’re not old enough to reasonably consider their vote.

Also, put the squeeze on by eliminating the Dept. of Education, cutting funding for schools and programs, keeping student loan interest rates high, purging faculties of suspected liberals, and replacing them with reliable conservative or religious mouthpieces.

Setback: Unpopularity of strict abortion laws, losing the “Woman” vote.

GOP Solution: Since The People keep voting for referenda that support the right to reproductive freedom (by either refusing to enact harsh limits or passing privacy guarantees), not only are Repubs refusing to propose abortion-limiting referenda, they’re trying to kneecap the process by attempting to enact higher thresholds for passage of any referendum, or raising the degree of difficulty in even proposing one. (See: Ohio.)

In another angle, because abortion has become such a wedge and they’re becoming much less successful at attacking abortion in the states, they’re now pushing for a national ban. That takes the states out of play completely and puts the matter in the hands of the 6 bought-and-paid-for, anti-abortion Supreme Court justices. All they need is a way to weasel it past Democratic rivals in the legislative and executive branches, through either elections or horse trading.

Late Update: Now the Ohio Secretary of State has rewritten the language for what is to appear on the referendum ballot to add loaded terms like “unborn baby” in place of “fetus” or “embryo.” He also eliminated language describing the other ramifications of the referendum, covering contraception, miscarriages, and fertility treatment. See? They never stop trying to erect barriers to The People’s Voice, when it differs from their party goals. Deter them on one front and they just open another.

Setback: Their Orange Idol is being prosecuted by the state of Georgia, with irrefutable evidence already public, where the possibility of a pardon is non-existent.

GOP Solution: Pass a law allowing them to fire the prosecutor. Is the prosecutor doing anything illegal or inappropriate? No, they just don’t like that “one of theirs” is being charged. Doesn’t matter what he did, fire the prosecutor.

And to keep the rage stoked, Rep Gym Jordan opened an investigation into the Georgia investigation. That they clearly have no jurisdiction over the matter is irrelevant. It’s all a dog and pony show to be peddled on Fox “News” and the like.

Setback: TFG’s presidential campaign is very much in danger, if not by the various indictments, but by prospective voters. He’s already lost the popular vote twice.

GOP Solution: Create an “independent” third party, to peel away votes from Biden. The No Labels “party” is a smokescreen created by wealthy Republican donors who can read the tea leaves and know TFG is toast. If they can’t push his bloated corpse to victory on his own, they can at least attack opposition voters by hyping a Democratic Trojan Horse. Guys like Manchin or Lieberman have no real chance of winning, but if they can steal enough votes in one or two tight swing state races, it may allow a devoted MAGA crowd to turn out and grab another Electoral College win.

Setback: Losing enough close elections in former blood-red states that they no longer have veto-proof majorities.

GOP Solution: Run a candidate as a Democrat who agrees to flip to Republican after winning the election. See: South Carolina.

Also, pass a law allowing the state legislature to overturn election results they don’t like, as they did in Texas. They set up the standard so that it only applies to one county, the largest one in the state, which “coincidentally” happens to include Houston and skews Democratic.

Democracy is meaningless when a legislature can just set aside any election result they don’t like.

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Some other stuff:

I didn’t watch the first Republican debate because I’d rather ram a sharp stick in my eye than watch two hours of that blather. But I heard that Vivek Ramaswamy made a big splash. But I’m not worried about him for two reasons.

1.       Though he may be posturing to be named a VP candidate, TFG will never choose a running mate who’s as big of a spotlight hog as he is. See also: “MT Greene.”

2.       More importantly, no one named Vivek Ramaswamy will ever win the Republican nomination.

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This cracked me up and pissed me off at the same time:

Excellent response… funny. But to me, much like Junior, he misses the point.

“Violated his due process???”

Due process is precisely what’s going on. You have an investigation, testimony, evidence, indictments, charges, and a trial. That’s due process and he’s getting all of it, right up the old wazoo. The part Junior is looking for is probably the part where rich people pay other people to look the other way. That’s the kind of process this family is used to.

“Tainted the Grand Jury?” No one even knew who they were until after the fact. How the hell are they being “tainted.” If the jury was tainted, it was by an overwhelming pile of evidence. Junior wouldn’t recognize “taint” if it was right in front of his nose, which it probably was, considering where his head’s been for so long.