There isn't a PTB in the GOP ...

[NanceGreggs]

… who doesn’t now know that what Mueller has against Trump is going to be devastating. And having watched how Mueller works, they know he can prove every allegation he makes, and every word his witnesses have to say.

So now comes the choice: continue to support a man they know is going down, or kick him to the curb in time to build a campaign to re-elect Pence.

Trump was already expendable after the midterms. He’d actually cost the Republicans seats, the majority of those he personally endorsed lost, and his policies were rejected by the voters.

Given today’s news, it is apparent that Spanky McShithole just got promoted from the “Expendable pResident” to the albatross around the GOP’s neck.

I’d bet my life there isn’t a PTB in the GOP who hasn’t been on the phone all day with their colleagues, discussing the choice, weighing the pros and cons, and trying to determine which demise they can resurrect their party from more easily – death by way of execution, or death by political suicide.

[Cha]

1. 40 red seats to be

Exact!

Brilliant points, Nance.. Mahalo

[Jeffersons Ghost]

2. K&R, always and forever...

[RDANGELO]

3. my opinion

It won't happen until Mueller issues his report, if it does. If he reports on law breaking by Trump, and it's one or two peoples word against him, he might survive it to 2020. If they have good evidence, or there's money laundering or tax evasion, he's done.

[NanceGreggs]

4. I feel confident in saying ...

... that Mueller isn't the type of man who takes "one or two people's word against Trump" as proof of anything.

You can be damned sure he has incontrovertible evidence to back-up everything he alleges. And the wording of his indictments thus far confirms that.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

5. It is looking like death by a thousand cuts.....

The longer things go on, the worse it gets. Mike Pence knows more than he is letting on despite taking a back seat to the events taking place by letting Trump take the fall. For Pence has to know he is not innocent in this soap opera being played out.

[Midnightwalk]

6. They have an additional problem

Coincidentally, Craig Unger the author of House of Trump, House of Putin did a Reddit ask me anything (AMA) today.

[link:https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/a1ip6e/im_craig_unger_journalist_and_nyt_bestselling/|]

My favorite quote from that is

The big surprise in my book is that I believe this has been going on for decades, that Trump was first compromised by the Russians in the Eighties back in the days of the Soviet Union and the Cold War. In 1984, my book shows, the Russian Mafia first began to use Trump real estate to launder money and it continued for decades and may have accounted for billions of dollars flowing to Trump. My book traces the major events in that relationship for 35 years. In the 90s, the Russians began sending $ to GOP Speaker of the House Tom Delay, etc. Even in 1988, Trump, after his first trip to Russian, took out full page ads in the NYT and WaPO, etc, touting a foreign policy that was very anti-NATO. I believe most of the GOP leadership has been compromised by RU money. The Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee run by Mitch McConnell got millions from Leonard Blavatnik. Much, much more int he book. As for the endgame, I think it is already begning to unravell.

I think the GOP might have a harder choice to make than your post suggests. There needs to be a broader house investigation on Russia buying influence in our government. The motives of the senators and representatives who have been throwing wrenches into the investigation have to be exposed.

[diva77]

15. +1,000,000 this! Absolutely!

[erronis]

21. Oooh. I absolutely knew that Delay would be fingered. Any info on Nunes, Gingrich?

I'll have to look into reading the book. Thanks!

[Midnightwalk]

30. Not in the AMA but there's other good stuff

I'm also going to pick up a copy of the book.

[Pluvious]

24. Thanks for sharing this

We'd (mostly) all be totally shocked at the degree to which the GOP is compromised...

[madamesilverspurs]

7. They've stupidly poisoned their own brew.

So I'll go you one farther in that "there isn’t a PTB in the GOP" who isn't, to some degree, implicated in Trump's mess, starting with Manafort's boy Mike Pence. The money trails from Russia, via the NRA, lead to way too many GOPers; their pot is totally poisoned. If Pence doesn't go down with Trump, he needs to be so severely hobbled that he'll need help to feed himself as he does nothing more than sit in the big chair with nothing more than ceremonial powers until the GE in 2020.



.

[Garrett78]

8. They have a 3rd, more nuanced choice.

They can focus on defending their party, attacking Dems and protecting their own seats as necessary, knowing that most incumbents win--even in wave elections. They can opt to suffer short-term losses, rather than fracture their base by going full-on anti-Trump. And then make a comeback (in 2022 and 2024) after Trump is gone.

[diva77]

9. PTB? Pulmonary Tuberculosis? sorry, googled and could not find out what it is

[Scruffy1]

10. I don't have a clue either.

I don't twitter so I'm not up on jargon.

[royable]

11. Predictably Treasonous Bumbler?

Permanently Twisted Buffoon?
Presidential Turd Barfer?
I don't know either.

[diva77]

13. very educated guesses

[tomg]

12. Powers That Be

I am normally lousy at abbreviations, but this one of the few I know.

[diva77]

14. ok, thanks!

[erronis]

22. Sorta goes along with PHB (Pointy-Haired Boss - Dilbert)

[kiri]

23. PTB Pain in the Butt?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

33. Same here.

I wish people would not assume everyone else knows every singe abbreviation and acronym they do.

[Awsi Dooger]

40. Abuse of abbreviations is a terrible trait

I have no idea how that is not understood.

Abbreviations are not clever or interesting

This thread forfeited at least 50% value based on the abbreviation alone

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

44. I think you're mocking me!

But you made me laugh out loud, so great post!

[Volaris]

36. the Powers That Be.

[BSdetect]

16. How was this money laundering allowed to persist by the ICs?

That really pisses me off.

We put millions in prison for SFA and these aholes are raking in millions undetected? Or unprosecuted?

[Cosmocat]

17. No

Have you not been paying attention to the last 30 years? It's important to be grounded in reality, and be realistic about where we're headed.
Congressional Rs have done absolutely nothing to check this guy. Because, they're scared of their primary voters. Yeah they care about their majority, they care more about their own butts.
Will see more Democrats in Congress that don't agree to checks on him, then we will see Republicans who break ranks against him.

[Garrett78]

19. Yeah, see post #8. It's not as black and white as the OP suggests.

It's similar to all the posts suggesting the Republican Party is at death's door. More fantasy than reality.

[duforsure]

18. I think his supporters will

Get tired of his they're all liars routine except him, and his phony claims he never can back up against everyone he opposes. They are seeing a serial criminal , and liar abuse his power, lie constantly daily to the American people, and whine about investigations of him and his corrupt family and administration with accusations of it being a hoax , after so many have been indicted and charged, and convicted, and shows his contempt for the rule of law, and again completely the opposite of his claims . The truth will prevail , his biggest nightmare, and Mueller represents just that , the truth, and like a spoiled child he doesn't like it. They know he's a crook.

[Nitram]

20. They wouldn't be "re-electing" Pence if he ran for president.

[NanceGreggs]

35. If Trump leaves office ...

... before the end of his term, Pence would become pOTUS - and would run for re-election in 2020.

[Nitram]

43. He was never elected president, so he would run for a second term but not "re-election."

[Hermit-The-Prog]

25. nutball path to righteousness

Pence resigns the same day TrumPutin is impeached. McTurtle kicked out and convicted. Senate convicts TrumPutin. Pelosi becomes President, picks Hillary as VP, resigns, Hillary is Pres, Fox explodes, 20 million deporables implode to compost.

It could happen.

Oh, almost forgot. We all live happily ever after.

[erronis]

34. Toto - we're not in Kansas anymore. Rainbows and lollipops, sweet dreams, everyone.

For me, I still have nightmares of what has and can happen.

[Volaris]

37. Theres an argument that says they live in such a state of brain washing

That what you just described will be viewed as a deep state coup, and they will take up arms against their own government.

Because they're idiots.
But that's rather again the point if you're one of the Koch's, isn't it?

[Mr.Bill]

47. One problem here,

the current Senate will never approve Hillary Clinton as VP. Unless, as it all comes crashing down, there is an exodus of republican Senators switching to the Democratic party.

[Gothmog]

26. The GOP is going to live or die relying on trump

The GOP has made their bed and now have to sleep in this bed. I hope that trump destroys this party

[vlyons]

28. and don't forget that the NRA got Russian money too

some of which went out to Republican campaigns.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

29. If the PTB know Trump is going down, they also have to know how deep in it Pence is.

I suspect they won't roll the dice on Pence but will instead get rid of him first, ala Agnew. Maybe get Pence to step down for personal reasons. They might have to move quickly on a replacement (to avoid a Pelosi presidency) so they'd opt for a Republican that Democrats wouldn't fight too much about confirming. A while back I might have said John Kasich. I'm not so sure now but a 'Kasich-type' would fill the bill.

[Volaris]

39. For that to happen, they would have to know what the Kompomat is on Pence.

Not sure about that....

[Gidney N Cloyd]

42. The premise here is that they know what it is on Trump so why not also Pence?

IIRC Manafort chose Pence and Pence brought in Flynn so he 's right in the thick between two guys already found guilty, just for starters.

[grantcart]

31. One small amendment to your thesis

In the current GOP crises there is only one PTB and that is Rupert Murdoch. Even the donating class led by Koch brothers and Eidelson ate no longer relevant.

They are waiting for FOX News to determine that they have greater rewards and less risk in moving to Pence then Trump is history.

The GOP is waiting for Murdoch to cut the line and then every will be "I had no idea".

It could be tomorrow orca year from now but I don't think It will stretch beyond that because they don't want it to bleed into 2020.

[pwb]

32. My guess is they continue to over step.

They can not help themselves. They are that stupid, so i say please continue?

[Tom Rinaldo]

38. Yes, but few will get out ahead of Mueller. They will wiat for their moment and it isn't quite now

I doubt many will want to be identified as a bright target by Trumpahoics as Trump's enemy before the chips fall as they will. That is when a group of them will likely turn on Trump together, using Mueller's presented evidence as their reason and a pack as their best hope of defending themselves from rabid Trump believers.

[Volaris]

41. The rabid Trump believers , believe Mueller's evidence is all fake news tho.

What's a GOP treason-weasel to do?

Hahahhahahahaha!

[Firestorm49]

45. Good God almighty, I HATE acronyms.

[quakerboy]

46. There is no savior

Especially not a Righty like Mueller.

Mueller, who of his own free will went along with the Bush administration, is not going to be the one to take down Trump unless somehow forced to do so.

And the Righties who have knowingly and willingly made themselves complicit in the Trump debacle aren't going to suddenly grow a conscience, much less become self sacrificing.

Please dont make that bet. Its a loser. If they are making calls, its to see what they would have to do to cover this up, or break down the electoral system in order to cheat out future "wins". And to find out of they have consolidated enough power to just take over, or if they have to keep "playing" at democracy a while yet.

[Moral Compass]

48. Glad I wasn't the only person that didn't know what PTB meant...