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GOP Senator: Trump is a dangerous liar, and GOP is being complicit

ataraxia

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Senator Jeff Flake, R-AZ, has just given a speech where he called out the president for deliberate misrepresentations and misguiding of a large, but gullible, racist, and/or ignorant, base of supporters, and the GOP for failing to act as a check. He has called his attacks on the press as "Stalinesque", and warned of the consequences if we stay on this road.

On democracy:
"Without truth, and a principled fidelity to truth and to shared facts, Mr. President, our democracy will not last."

On Stalin:
"It is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president uses words infamously spoken by Josef Stalin to describe his enemies."

On "fake news":
"When a figure in power reflexively calls any press that doesn’t suit him 'fake news,' it is that person who should be the figure of suspicion, not the press."

On foreign correspondents:
"I dare say that anyone who has the privilege and awesome responsibility to serve in this chamber knows that these reflexive slurs of “fake news” are dubious, at best. Those of us who travel overseas, especially to war zones and other troubled areas around the globe, encounter members of US-based media who risk their lives, and sometimes lose their lives, reporting on the truth. To dismiss their work as fake news is an affront to their commitment and their sacrifice."

On Congress' refusal or failure to act as a check on the presidency:
"An American president who cannot take criticism – who must constantly deflect and distort and distract – who must find someone else to blame -- is charting a very dangerous path. And a Congress that fails to act as a check on the president adds to the danger."

On politicians and pundits vs. the media:
"Of course, a major difference between politicians and the free press is that the press usually corrects itself when it gets something wrong. Politicians don’t."

On the Russia investigation:
"To be very clear, to call the Russia matter a “hoax” – as the president has many times – is a falsehood ... What might seem like a casual and routine untruth – so casual and routine that it has by now become the white noise of Washington - is in fact a serious lapse in the defense of our country."

On inspiring dictators:
"Not only has the past year seen an American president borrow despotic language to refer to the free press, but it seems he has in turn inspired dictators and authoritarians with his own language. This is reprehensible."
Today in politics: Live updates - CNNPolitics
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Thank you, senator, for your integrity and character, for your courage to speak truth to power, and for your willingness to put the welfare of the country above petty partisanship and narrow special interest groups.
 
I'll say one thing for Flake...he has a good speech writer.
 
Senator Jeff Flake, R-AZ, has just given a speech where he called out the president for deliberate misrepresentations and misguiding of a large, but gullible, racist, and/or ignorant, base of supporters, and the GOP for failing to act as a check. He has called his attacks on the press as "Stalinesque", and warned of the consequences if we stay on this road.

On democracy:


On Stalin:


On "fake news":


On foreign correspondents:


On Congress' refusal or failure to act as a check on the presidency:


On politicians and pundits vs. the media:


On the Russia investigation:


On inspiring dictators:

Today in politics: Live updates - CNNPolitics
______________________
Thank you, senator, for your integrity and character, for your courage to speak truth to power, and for your willingness to put the welfare of the country above petty partisanship and narrow special interest groups.

Now the question is whether or not Trump will postpone the fake media awards to bash fake flake instead. :popcorn2:
 
Now the question is whether or not Trump will postpone the fake media awards to bash fake flake instead. :popcorn2:

Trump won't have any problem doing both.
 
Now the question is whether or not Trump will postpone the fake media awards to bash fake flake instead. :popcorn2:

The other question is whether any of the other GOP congressmen will have the character, courage, and integrity to step forward and call for the madness to be stopped. McCain has supported Flake previously when he has called out the president. Here is to hoping the others will, too:

“I have seen Jeff Flake stand up for what he believes in knowing full well that there would be a political price to pay. I have seen him stand up for his family. I've seen him stand up for his forbearers.

We look all of us at some point in our time that we have spent here, whether it be short or whether it be long, we look back and we think about what we could have done, what we should have done, what we might have done and the mistakes we made and the things we're proud of. Well, when the Flake service to this country is reviewed, it will be one of honor, of brilliance and patriotism and love of country, and I thank you, and God bless you and your family.”
-John McCain, 10/24/17
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So will the other congressmen gather around their colleague and support him on this stand against our democracy as well? Or do the Koch brothers just pay their employees that well?
 
It's difficult for me to consider what Flake is doing an act of bravery. He's retiring from the Senate. To me it's no different than throwing a water balloon at someone and running away. I echo your question - will any active member of the GOP congress stand up for what they truly believe or will they continue to favor party over country?
 
It's difficult for me to consider what Flake is doing an act of bravery. He's retiring from the Senate. To me it's no different than throwing a water balloon at someone and running away. I echo your question - will any active member of the GOP congress stand up for what they truly believe or will they continue to favor party over country?

A guy I fired egged our building once. Flake is acting like a spurned woman.
 
Frankly I love it, its showing everybody what a holes republicans are. This just tops the cake. Their hypocrisy is astounding, they don't even care. Their mindless constituents will just continue to watch fox news and pretend its all made up. Trump is a disgrace, and the republicans are worse off for condoning it. They don't even hide it, even having some admit that they passed tax reform for their donors. This should line up for a slaughter come midterms.

And hoping that Trumps elections showed a lot of people the importance of voting. STaying home or thinking the person you would vote for is going to win easily is how we ended up with Trump.

Sadly this may impact this country for a long, long time
 
It's difficult for me to consider what Flake is doing an act of bravery. He's retiring from the Senate. To me it's no different than throwing a water balloon at someone and running away. I echo your question - will any active member of the GOP congress stand up for what they truly believe or will they continue to favor party over country?

We don't know what pressure Flake is under to toe the party line. I'm surprised they let him give his speeches.

The tax bill made it clear as daylight: the republican party is run by a handful of wealthy donors who orchestrate the agenda in private.
 
We don't know what pressure Flake is under to toe the party line. I'm surprised they let him give his speeches.

The tax bill made it clear as daylight: the republican party is run by a handful of wealthy donors who orchestrate the agenda in private.

It wasn't even just the tax bill itself. Multiple Republicans came out and publicly stated that their donors wouldn't support them if they didn't pass it. It was incredibly transparent in that sense. I'm not sure why anyone, who isn't rich, would trust them after that.
 
Many of their base don’t care about policy. Trump and a Republican Congress were just payback for making them endure a black man as president for 8 years.
 
We don't know what pressure Flake is under to toe the party line. I'm surprised they let him give his speeches.

The tax bill made it clear as daylight: the republican party is run by a handful of wealthy donors who orchestrate the agenda in private.

Flake is a lame duck. I doubt there is any pressure that worries him.
 
It wasn't even just the tax bill itself. Multiple Republicans came out and publicly stated that their donors wouldn't support them if they didn't pass it. It was incredibly transparent in that sense. I'm not sure why anyone, who isn't rich, would trust them after that.

Who said that?
 
Flake is a lame duck. I doubt there is any pressure that worries him.

If that were true, he would demonstrate more consistency between his actions (based on his voting record) and his words.
 
Many of their base don’t care about policy. Trump and a Republican Congress were just payback for making them endure a black man as president for 8 years.

Talk about butthurt lunacy!:lamo
 
Jeff Flakey has disagreed with President Trump from the beginning. This goes back to Flakey being a part of the GOP establishment, where President Trump was a hostile takeover. Now Flakey is retiring, and he wants to get vengeance. It's really no surprise, but I wouldn't read too much into what is said, either. As I hoped, President Trump is slowly reforming the GOP whether they like it or not.
 
Who said that?

Lindsey Graham on tax reform: "The party fractures, most incumbents in 2018 will get a severe primary challenge, a lot of them will probably lose, the base will fracture, the financial contributions will stop, other than that it'll be fine," he saidGraham: 'Financial contributions will stop' if GOP doesn't pass tax reform | TheHill

Chris Collins on tax reform:“My donors are basically saying, ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again,’ ” Collins replied.GOP lawmaker: Donors are pushing me to get tax reform done | TheHill

And here is one from a donor in reference to his check book: "Get Obamacare repealed and replaced, get tax reform passed," Deason said in a pointed message to GOP leaders. "You control the Senate. You control the House. You have the presidency. There's no reason you can't get this done. Get it done and we'll open it back up."https://www.yahoo.com/news/koch-urgency-conservative-network-fears-closing-window-075811642--election.html

There are other examples as well, but they are a mix of super PAC guys, and just general political operatives.
 
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