this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2025
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Politicians: Take the job and the paycheck to represent the people, bow out when it's time to do that.
I might get called extremist for this, but senators and representatives should be willing to kill their career and reputation in politics to fight for their constituents. Otherwise, are we just paying them to have a good time??!
There definitely needs to be a restructuring of incentives
"but what if I get primaried?" They ask as people are being sent to life in prison without being charged with a crime.
Jesus Christ, how do you make it this far in politics with this little spine or conviction? Is it really that easy?
Chris Van Hollen travelled to a dictatorship to free a man wrongfully imprisoned without due process by two authoritarians, while these simpering cowards whine about the monster they created.
I have emailed my congressman this article and asked if he was just a coward. I'm unhopeful for a response.
But they’re fine with letting the country burn so they can keep their jobs.
Gutless treasonous scum. The face of the GOP.
I remember when my politicians had, yknow., a fucking spine and principles. Yes. Im that old.
Didn't think there were any Revolutionary War Veterans left alive.....
Punished how? you cowards
The fascists won't invite her to their birthdays anymore. It's a real dilemma for Murkowski.
They don't have birthday parties in federal prison
If only there was anything anyone could do before we got here
Welp them’s the breaks
Every republican in this situation should resign, let someone brave take their place.
Or, keep their seat, and vote in lock-step with the opposition.
Wouldn't that just allow Trump to install one of his puppets?
Some states prevents the governor from appointing senators. Some republican senators have Democratic governors, who (hopefully grows a spine) wouldn't appoint a republican. Regardless, they would eventually have to face a special election. Special elections and midterm elections usually are in favor of the opposition.
She's 67 years old. She's been in the Senate for over 20 years. She can decide to retire after her current term and they can't use the threat of a primary against her. It's her choice to cower in fear and empower the destruction of our democracy. Because she is watching that happen. In the end she's just another pathetic boomer willing to bow to trump to cling to power.
67 year old politicians aspire to cling to power for 20 more years
they can't use the threat of a primary against her
She lost the 2010 primary during the height of the Tea Party movement, ran a campaign to have people vote for her as a write in candidate, and won as a write in.
In the end, the problem is that her vote doesn't actually matter this cycle, at least not by itself. In order to flex any muscle she'd need to actually persuade some colleagues to stand up to Trump. At this point she's more of a Republican Fetterman than a Republican Sinema/Manchin.
Yeah, I'm aware she's an outlier in that she beat back the crazies once before, but 2010 is not 2024. In 2010 Trump wasn't a factor. The cult was forming, but there was no messiah yet. If tomorrow trump singled her out for hate like he did Liz Cheney she'd get wrecked instantly, and she knows it.
Alaska is just weird, and I wouldn't attribute too much in national electoral trends to that specific state. It now has an instant runoff general election after a top-4 jungle primary, which makes the craziest candidates less viable. Sarah Palin is very much a Trumpist, but couldn't win a statewide election in 2022 (enough Republicans in the state hate her that they voted for Begich first, then flipped to the Democrat or didn't vote once Begich dropped out in the instant runoff).
It'd be hard to properly analyze a hypothetical about Murkowski running for reelection amidst a Trump attack campaign and an endorsement of a more Trumpist opponent, but I wouldn't discount her chances even in that environment. Especially if she does succeed in forming a mini caucus with other Republican Senators that fight to preserve legislative power to check the Presidency.
"We are all afraid", says one of the literally only people on the planet with the power to actually do something about it.
Seriously. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, YOU FUCKING CHODE.
This whole ordeal can be stopped by about half a dozen Republicans any time they want.
Threaten to leave the party, go independent, and caucus with Democrats to appoint a new House and Senate speaker. It would take, what, 3? Maybe 4 Republicans in each chamber to flip control of Congress. You don't even have to hold your nose and vote with Democrats on actual funding bills or anything. Just vote with Dems on curtailing Trump's actions and impeaching the fucking bastard. Even if you can't get him removed from office because the rest of your party are spineless cowards, you could at least pass bills to do things like reverse these stupid tariffs and actually reclaim power that was granted to you by the Constitution in the first fucking place.
This woman, Rand Paul, and Susan Collins have all spoken up. All they need to do is find one more Republican willing to say "We are willing to caucus with Democrats to elect a new Senate majority leader unless our demands to curtail these damaging Trump tariffs, reclaim Congressional powers, and reverse these destructive policies are met." That's it. Same in the house. 3 Republicans in the house willing to stand up and caucus with Democrats to get shit back under control.
But if all you're going to do is complain about being "afraid" when you're simultaneously rubber-stamping his entire agenda, then have a coke and a smile and shut the fuck up, because you voted for this. And if the rest of us are going to have to suffer because of your cowardice, then we're going to at least get some entertainment out of it along the way once the leopard starts eating your face.
I have absolutely zero pity for some of the most overpaid, well-protected, resourceful people on the planet when they're the ones complaining about being afraid. Fuck you. What about the rest of us? You seem to have been perfectly OK with it when it was just the brown people and poors being effected.
“We are all afraid!”, …but we don’t want to lose our privilidge by opposing him.
Fuck you cowardly cunt.
As noted, a small group could end this.
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Fuck every last one of them.
Right wing ideologies depend on fear
“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
You took an oath. Being afraid isn't an excuse.
We expect 19 year old soldiers to run into fire and destruction to honor their oaths. We expect no less from our elected representatives.
**“I believe in the sacredness and dignity of the individual. / I believe that all men derive the right to freedom equally from God. / I pledge to resist aggression and tyranny wherever they appear on earth.” ** also this one, its german translation is broadcast in german public deutschlandradio every sunday at noon followed by the ringing sound of berlins freedom bell
Yeah and if they haven't noticed - creeping fascism only gets worse the longer you let it linger. Time to bite the bullet and do something, it's not going to go away on its own and we're all going to be in more danger (including GOP senators) the longer it goes on.
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For anyone wondering, she did vote to convict trump during his second impeachment.
Not sure what’s she’s done between now and then, but she’s no McConnell or Green,
Clearly they are not yet NEARLY afraid enough about the path they're allowing the Trump admin to take.
Oh no, you might get primaried?
They're terrified that if they get primaried, they will no longer be in a position where they can mostly avoid the impact of trump's petulance.
You know, like the common people
Hey. I'm terrified of living under a fascist regime! Twinsies.
Confirmation of something we already know, or should already know - elected politicians are craven cowards.
This is actually great news. We can get them to side with us against HitlerPig. All we have to do is make them fear the citizens more than HitlerPig, and there are a LOT more of us than them.
“We are all afraid,” Murkowski told the crowd on Monday.
Pausing, she added: “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. And I’ll tell ya, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”
- This, right here, is the most open and honest admission of what the US is today, by the ruling party elite: A dictatorship. An authoritarian state.
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And there it is.
They lack the courage it would take to step down, and the strength it would take to stand up.
These are the exact qualities he needs from the sheep that are required to serve him.
It's not the trump organisation, it's the republican party, and by not doing anything, you're supporting them, and saving your own ass in the case the republican party fails.
Keep up the good work propelling fascist imperialism forward
Cowardly traitors.
Fascism requires such cowards to enable their regimes.
Spineless traitor. She has a crucial vote and ability to impeach trump and says this shit. Lady if you dont grow a spine you're gonna burn either way.
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