The Republican Clown Car Races On

“At every turn this past week, when the spotlight was on them, Republicans showed the public their worst: marching toward a government shutdown wholly of their own making; botching their first hearing in an impeachment inquiry into President Biden that was launched without serious forethought or evidence of criminal wrongdoing; squabbling and shouting by presidential candidates during a nationally televised debate that mostly ignored the elephant not onstage.”

Dan Balz

A GOP Lunatic Calls the GOP Lunatics Lunatics

“This is not conservative Republicanism. This is stupidity. The idea that we’re going to shut the government down when we don’t control the Senate, we don’t control the White House. These people can’t define a win. They don’t know how to take yes for an answer. It’s a clown show. You keep running lunatics. You’re going to be in this position.”

— Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), on CNN.

Jeffries: GOP Is ‘Chaos, Crisis, Confusion and Craziness’

“Look at what’s happening right now. House Republicans are attacking Senate Republicans. Senate Republicans are calling House Republicans silly and immature. The leadership situation is in chaos. … Marjorie Taylor Greene is fighting with Lauren Boebert. And George Santos appears to be starring in the sequel to Catch Me If You Can. And it’s not even January 3rd. … The circus has already come to town. Chaos, crisis. Confusion and craziness. Versus Democrats who deliver for the American people.”

— Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the leader-elect of the House Democratic caucus, reported by Mediaite.

Trump’s Hitlerian Rise Is Attributable to Mainstream GOPers

Like Hitler, Trump is a radical, authoritarian figure who lies outside the normal parameters of his country’s conservative governing class. Thus, there is a parallel between the two men’s unexpected rise to power that is worth considering: Why would traditional conservatives willingly hand power to a figure so dangerous that he threatened their own political and economic interests? Why, having failed in their halfhearted efforts to nominate an alternative candidate during the primaries, don’t they throw themselves behind a convention coup, a third-party candidacy, or defect outright to Hillary Clinton? Why do so many of them consider Trump the lesser rather than the greater evil?

— Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine/h2>

Gingrich Advocates a New House Un-American Activities Committee

Let me go a step further, because remember, San Bernardino, Fort Hood, and Orlando involve American citizens. We’re going to ultimately declare a war on Islamic supremacists and we’re going to say, if you pledge allegiance to ISIS, you are a traitor and you have lost your citizenship. And we’re going take much tougher positions. In the late 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt was faced with Nazi penetration in the United States. We originally created the House Un-American Activities Committee to go after Nazis. We passed several laws in 1938 and 1939 to go after Nazis and we made it illegal to help the Nazis. We’re going to presently have to go take the similar steps here.

— Newt Gingrich, in an interview on Fox News.

Lawmaker Offers AR-15 as Fundraiser Door Prize

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Day after the worst mass shooting in American history, Rep. Andy Holt (R-TN), is firmly standing behind his decision to give away am AR-15 semi-automatic rifle as a door prize at his next fundraiser, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Said Holt: “It has nothing to do with the style of weapon. It has everything to do with who’s behind the weapon.”