108 Comments

I am an unaffiliated voter living in the western suburbs of Phila. The Republican party here is on life support if not dead. We were door knocked two times by Democrats. I received numerous texts from Democrats. We received many mailers from Democrats. We received the same flyer 3 times from Oz. That was it from the Republicans. I voted R this time but they did nothing to earn that. My point is that the sickness extends well beyond the players you mention.

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Well, could it be because (D) has the $ printing "machine" on their side? Meanwhile, (R) candidates receive donation from Ma & Pa?

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You need to remember that with the $trillions that have gone out to Democrat special interests, a significant percentage will come back to the Democratic party. The Dems actually fund their campaigns indirectly through taxpayer dollars.

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Its Philly, what did you expect?

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Actually Thomas, I live in a suburb which until recently voted Republican. I don’t understand your comment. Are you saying the Republicans shouldn’t want our votes because we live near Philadelphia?

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That you don't understand that PA refusing to implement election integrity laws and keeping their corrupt Covid-19 voting procedures (mail-in voting, 60 days early voting, Dominion voting machines, ballot harvesting etc etc ad naseum) dis-enfranchised you as a Republican voter is the problem..

The Republican Party made a perfectly rational (in a resourced constrained environment) to not waste money in PA. If you need a Republican candidate to knock on your door to tell you that a vote for Democrats is a vote for multilating children, high inflation, high energy prices, war in Ukraine...well...you feeling me yet?

Blaming Republicans for not reaching out to you as a reason to vote Democrat is you accepting the corruption that is PA. Enjoy your new brain-damaged Senator. He perfectly represents PA.

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Sorry but campaigning is part of the job. I do understand that election integrity laws are needed. I don’t need a candidate to knock on my door. I do expect volunteers to do so. Were there any volunteers? I am feeling your opinion. You don’t really want my vote. Okay. I am surprised that you believe Fetterman perfectly represents Pa. I could say he represents much of the country. What have you done in Pa. To improve voter integrity?

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Did you volunteer?

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No. Spoke with committee person. No outreach. Just yesterday, spoke with an acquaintance in Michigan who was contacted often by Republicans. Also, heard Kellyann Conway say that for some specific reasons( which she declined to state) they cannot win in Pa. I was offered by someone named Lorenzo via text $100. To do a 2 hour “walk list” for Dems. So, not outreach vs. $50. per hour.

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Brother, I live in FL. That you think Republicans don't want your vote is YOU rationalizing the corruption where you live. Republicans wrote off PA (for good reason), why is that so hard to understand?

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Okay. They decided they wanted to flip a senate seat to a Dem. That is hard to understand. Lucky you to live in Florida at this moment.

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And I live in Illinois but for some reason the GOP in Pennsylvania has my cell number as registered to a Pennsylvania man named Wayne. I got texts asking for support for this or that candidate and or money almost every day for months up until Election Day.

Incompetents?

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It's the same in California........there are Republican voters and independents who could be convinced to vote Republican, but the CA GOP is practically non existent.

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See my comment above for why the Republican Party (and I hate Republicans) does not waste time in CA.

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Why do you hate (R)?

I can see being an equal opportunity politician hater, but if I were to single one party out, it would be (R).

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Are you volunteering? The Republican Party is made up of volunteers. Generally people who already have jobs or businesses.

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I couldn’t agree more..it’s a fight within the feckless GOP as much as fighting the outside forces of a corrupt establishment ..

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and the relentless making-it-up-as-they-go bad-mouthing of all things Trump by those same two sides. Breitbart? infiltrated; RedState? RINOs. where's the news reporting that's not biased (apart from substack)?

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There isn't any. Tucker Carlson is about the best you are going to get. And he is a Libertarian.

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yup. never quite liked Tucker C. , even Dan Bongino's podcasts sound more genuine. oh well....substack it is then :-))

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When Trump entered the White House, the Republicans had control of both the House and Senate. On day one someone could have written a one sentence law, "The Affordable Care Act is hereby abolished, and all penalties are to be refunded." They have no track record whatsoever of rolling big government back. So, I watched the elections with the usual amusement and disinterest, knowing that the Uniparty always wins.

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If it isn’t a DeSantis vs Trump civil war (I agree) then why is Trump taking shots at DeSantis? Why not work together to change the party? Both will stand up for what they believe in and not run from a fight unlike all the useless bought and paid for members of Congress. We are the product delivered to special interests by them, they don’t serve us. The Uniparty continues to move left because the GOP has as much to gain by not speaking up as the DNC has by virtue signaling.

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Great comment. Your work together idea doesn’t consider who Trump is. He cannot share the limelight which means all the movement must come from DeSantis.

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The Republican Party is made up of two factions.

One faction is the status-quo (establishment) Republicans that do not represent their constituents, only their special interest donors and themselves (McCarthy, McConnell are examples).

The other faction in the Republican Party is the conservative base.

Establishment Republicans are afraid of Trump, because they know he is coming for them. He naively thought after he was elected in 2016 that the Establishment Republicans would work with him on fixing the country. Instead they facilitated treason (Russia Hoax, 2 BS impeachments, Covid 19 response).

That is the battle. GOPe vs Conservatives. As this talk of Trump v DeSantis is to distract you.

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And when Trump found out that the establishment GOP were against him what did he do about it? Nothing, other than some ridiculous tweets. Trump enacted gun control and fast tracked the poison jab. There is no reason to vote for him again.

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To be fair, Trump did a lot of good things too. ALL politicians must compromise, otherwise they would need to be dictators. As to fixing the GOP, imagine becoming the CEO of a corrupt company where the entire management hated you, but you had no power to fire anyone. This happened to Carlos Ghosn when he became the first non-Japanese CEO of Nissan Motors. They eventually found a way to frame him for embezzlement. Trump believed, as most Republicans did, that the GOP shares our values, or at least implements them to get reelected. We were wrong.

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I agree with your assessment of the GOP. I have zero faith that another term for Trump will enable him to do any good. He did do some good things but failed on some things that were very important to me. He will be up against the same bad actors that he was before and I really don't understand why he put some of the worst ones in his cabinet.

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Good points thanks

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I will be polite and not draw your attention to a point that Peter Schweizer documents.

How McConnell and Chao used political power to make their family rich

By Larry Getlen

In 2004, current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, current US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, had an average net worth of $3.1 million. Ten years later, that number had increased to somewhere between $9.2 million and $36.5 million.

One source of the windfall, according to a new book from Peter Schweizer, was a 2008 gift from Chao’s father, James Chao, for somewhere between $5 million and $25 million.

But this gift could be seen as more than just a gift. It may have been acquired, according to Schweizer, thanks to the couple’s fealty to China, the source of the Chao family fortune. And that fealty may have occurred at the expense of the nation they had pledged to serve.

https://nypost.com/2018/03/17/how-mcconnell-and-chao-used-political-power-to-make-their-family-rich/

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All part of the uniparty? Absolutely.

Where were the RINOs during the Democraps run of the table? Any RINOs jumping up and down screaming? Gone.

Trump’s benefit to us all was he wasn’t connected to the swamp.

No political history and cronyism coloring his decision making.

Problem was his decision making was premised off of his ego and personal power/attention grabbing.

Trump thought he was “King” which really pissed off the WEF, Federal Reserve, True Power Mongers, etc.

Once you piss off “true power” they’ll find a way to show you the door.

Just ask MLK, JFK, RFK, Lincoln, Hamilton………and the list goes on and on.

Doesn’t matter who you vote for as long as they’re part of the uniparty.

All we the people do after that is spend the next 4 (or 6) years trying to get rid of them, all in hopes we can elect someone who isn’t connected.

Enjoy the dance.

Thank you Jordan Schactel for the well thought out article and spot on analysis.

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My word. Anyone that thinks Trump isn't an issue is kidding themselves. He is toxic waste to independents and moderates in the Republican Party, imagine how toxic he is to Independents and moderate Dems. People need to wake up or Biden is going to be the least of your concerns compared to an effective leftist in the WH.

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Your affected by TDS...and an obvious lefty

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I'm a right wing extremist bro. Trumps a 80 year old lead boot on the party now. He served his purpose and I appreciate what he did back in 2015/2016, but if you Trump4Eva loons don't wake up we are toast.

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Agreed Josh - I voted for Trump twice but he lost me when he signed the CARES Act and let Fauci and Birx take roost in the White House and has been an utter disaster since then. Always knew he was a narcissist and figured he'd do fine as long as he had an adoring base but once that starts to erode he'll turn into a total monster. Here we are.

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Completely agree. He woke up a lot of people to the craziness in DC in 2015/16. But he also hired the worst people possible (omarosa? jeff sessions? the mooch? john bolton? bill barr? Everyone he hired in his cabinet attacked him, and we want that again? He elevated Fauci. He elevated Birx. He STILL claims the vaccines and shutting down travel saved millions. It's laughable. He's unstable, and he won't let go of the 2020 loss. The dems cheated, but whining ain't gonna win in 2024. He's gotta go. DeSantis is way smarter, way more strategtic, and way more effective.

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Bingo. He could have spent the last two years exclusively and soberly dedicated to fixing voting laws in the swing states but no... chaos and Sydney "the Kraken" Powell instead. DeSantis has none of these problems and he is the only Governor (aside from Noem) that treat his citizens like caged animals.

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What's astonishing is that people read articles "in the mainstream media!" about DeSantis maybe meeting with Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. Do they think DJT didn't do that before? DJT was the one supporting McCarthy, the most milquetoast pathetic RINO right up there with Ryan and Romney. DeSantis is trying to build a coalition, which is what is needed to win. He's not going to bow down to those guys and he most certainly isn't going to play by their rules when he is the one chosen to represent the Republican Party as leader.

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Yes I hear you but you read to much lame stream liars. Alyinsky rules apply.

Divide and conquer bro…the good news many trump loyalist like desantis too.

Trump made him…will he go for the establishment 🤮🤮or play for the REAL MAGA PEOPLE

not you.bro

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I went to HS with DeSantis, played baseball with DeSantis, grew up with him. I know the guy. He's not a Paul Ryan or Mitt Romney Republican. He's Trump without the baggage and with better policies. If his actions don't prove that, nothing will. Support Trump, it's your right, but it's going to end badly.

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If you know DeSantis, please tell us this: what will his foreign policy be like?

DeSantis didn't want to negotiate with the Russians. He even called Russia "a gas station masquerading as a country" and seemed to feel that the US/NATO/Ukraine forces would have an easy time expelling Russian forces from Ukraine in a matter of days or weeks.

But things haven't played out like that. Russia has annexed a large chunk of Ukraine for the second time in a decade.

By contrast, for all of his many faults, Trump seems more likely to keep US soldiers away from futile, long term, expensive, very deadly wars in far-flung locales against formidable enemies we shouldn't enrage. Trump seems more likely to be guided by pragmatism and realism in geopolitics.

On the other hand, our swamp dwelling neocon/neolibs bask in an idealism that always places Washington DC and themselves at the center of global affairs. Is that who DeSantis is? Is a vote for DeSantis a vote for more US wars?

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You want me to tell you his foreign policy? I said I know him and went to high school with him. I don't work for him or represent him. I simply know for a fact he is not a Ryan, Romney, Bush type big government Republican.

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Word.

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That means you are from NE FL. So am I. New Smyrna Beach. Its not Trump v DeSantis. That's the what the Left wants you to think.

Its Establishment v Conservative.

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Dunedin.

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Trump did not make DeSantis. DeSantis made DeSantis.

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100%. Trump's help got him across the finish line for sure, but he that doesn't mean RD needs to bow down and lick Trumps boots forever. The people that feel that way need to seek help. Trump has obviously not only lost a few steps, he seems completely insane. All of RD's success is sue to him and his team in Tallahassee, not the man badmouthing him for not sucking up enough. Pathetic.

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De Santis, being a governor is positioned to do as President something no other President has done, and that's returning responsibilities to the states. One of Trump's most impressive actions as President was when he had sections of the Dept of Agriculture move from DC to the midwest, Kansas City I think. That sort of policy operation is what is need in spades.

GUT DC!

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There are no independents or moderates in the Republican Party. There are only Establishment grifters and conservatives. The rest of your comment indicates you are victim of the Uniparty psyop.

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You been watching too much CNN/MSNBC. Trump is not the problem.

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Better read from the beginning billy..perhaps your comment is meant for another

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We need a RINO hunt and purge.

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Term limits anyone?

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Uh no. SCOTUS has already ruled that term limits are Unconstitutional. And they are.

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Weird how we're still complaining about the exact same people we complained about during the Ron Paul days. (John McCain being a happy exception)

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McCain was a war criminal posed as a hero. He was bombing water and power supplies illegally in Hanoi in an illegal invasion and then was rightly taken prisoner. He got better treatment than the poor sods in Gitmo and Abu Ghraib or the Bagram air base or the hundreds of black sites run by the USA.

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So, are you saying all Vietnam vets are war criminals?

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I said that way back in 1966 when I was 13 years old and understood that no one in Vietnam threatened Australia or America, I can't think why I would change my mind now. John McCain's daddy was the criminal who covered up the bombing of the SS Liberty by Israel while his son was bombing water supplies in Hanoi.

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You didn't answer the question. Bombing water supplies is not listed as a war crime. We bombed German civilian targets in WWII. Was that a war crime? If all the soldiers in Vietnam are war criminals, then every soldier in every war is a war criminal. The list of what constitutes war crimes is very specific. You might want to read it.

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They've been a feckless bag of farts since railing against Obamacare then doing absolutely nothing.

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Yep. And now watch them 'pass' all these 'amazing' bills because they know they'll never go anywhere. Just like they 'repealed' Obamacare 1,000 times -- until they had the power to actually repeal it. Then crickets.

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It's too late. This election proved that the Demons in Meat Suits have already won the war. The US I grew up in is effectively done. FL, TX and a few others will be havens for only a little while longer, but once they end the filibuster, it's lights out for all liberty in the US.

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Today’s I hope you’re wrong comment. The odds don’t look good

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This is beginning to piss me off. We are seeing the a Democrat and never-trump GOPe information operation and smear campaign going after Trump and his family. Look people we won the midterms we have the house and I call the odds of winning the senate at over 80% and yes that is largely due to Trump and his picks. I would remind you Mitch McConnell and the GOPe did everything they could to stop that because, like they did to the Tea party, they want to destroy the MAGA movement, that's right, it was not Obama that destroyed the Tea party it was Mitch and the GOPe, WE WON THE MIDTERMS! Don't listen to the GOPe mouthpieces and the ministry of truth Pravda media. All those calling for and amplifying the fake narrative of a Trump, Desantis fight need to STFU. We have a Senate seat we need to concentrate on winning in Georgia right now.

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TQ

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Perhaps Conservative Kentuckians should take one for the team and all vote democrat for Mitch’s seat next go. There need to be a few drastic moves to get us out of this mess.

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Or just primary him out.

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I'd be interested to know how much, if any, of the hundreds of thousands Trump made at his rallies was sent to candidates. If it's a failure for McConnell and McCarthy to not help candidates financially, it's a failure for Trump as well.

As for the RNC, via the Alabama Republican Party's effort to "Restore America" and put the $1M that was raised at the Trump rally in Cullman, the Mighty Alabama Strike Force took a number of volunteers to Georgia and knocked on over 57,000 doors in 3 weeks. The RNC helped fund that effort as did our state party as well as many of our local county parties. We also send volunteers to work for Glenn Younkin. Unless you're involved at the local and state levels of the Republican party, you may not always know what's being done to help.

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Totally Agree. That’s why I won’t give any money to the GOP party until they get rid of those crooks and install new blood.

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YUP.

Perfectly stated Jordan.

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Exactly right. Write your Republican representatives (if you have have one) an email and advise them that a vote for McCarthy or McConnell will be their political demise.

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