As the Republican base gets crazier and crazier-- whether because of Fox, hate talk radio, fascist podcasts, Russian propaganda, delusional Satan worshippers or QAnon, opportunistic politicians keep rushing to get to the head of the parade/death march.
Speaking of which, one of those fascist podcasts is hosted by one of the very worst of those opportunistic politicians. Texas neo-fascist Ted Cruz-- someone who should have, by his own standards, committed suicide long ago-- has a Nazi-oriented show called Verdict with Ted Cruz. This morning, writing for The Hill, Sarahshi Rai reported that Cruz is giving the far right base red meat while potentially turning off normal voters.
"If we take the House, which I said is overwhelmingly likely, then I think we will see serious investigations of the Biden administration... I do think there's a chance of [impeaching Biden]." He added that the Democrats used impeachment "for partisan purposes to go after Trump because they disagreed with him. One of the real disadvantages of doing that is the more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel, you know, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander."
7 of Cruz's GOP Senate colleagues looked carefully at the same evidence that Cruz saw and make the very tough and courageous decision to vote to convict Trump on the impeachment charges 10 House Democrats had also voted for. The senators who had the guts Ted Cruz could never must-- remember, the Ted Cruz in the picture below-- were Richard Burr (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Pat Toomey (R-PA).
The 10 House Republicans who Cruz-- thought not Trump-- seems to have forgotten when he made up his "weaponized for partisan reasons" bullshit were solid conservatives: Liz Cheney (R-WY), Tom Rice (R-SC), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Jaime Herrera Buetler (R-WA), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Fred Upton (R-MI), Peter Meijer (R-MI), John Katko (R-NY) and David Valadao (R-CA).
Cruz said that there are "multiple grounds to consider for impeachment" of Biden.
"Probably the most compelling is the utter lawlessness of President Biden's refusal to enforce the border. His decision to just defy federal immigration laws and allow 2 million people to come here unimpeded in direct contravention of his obligation under Article Two of the Constitution to take care that the laws be faithfully executed," he said.
"That is probably the strongest grounds right now for impeachment, but there may be others. Because the Democrats decided this is just another tool in the partisan war chest, I think there is a real risk that this turnabout will be fair play," Cruz continued.
...Cruz also spoke on his podcast about the upcoming midterms and said that he's "very optimistic" about 2022. He "put the odds of the Republicans winning the House at 90/10," although he said he believes the chances "may even be higher than that."
However, when it came to the Senate, he said, "I put our odds at 50/50."
"I think it’s going to be a really good year, but it's a bad map," Cruz said.
The House Republicans have no program and no chance of passing any of the sociopathic nonsense they rant and rave about into law, but if you would rather not see the spectacle and waste of time of an impeachment, consider supporting progressive House candidates to
Bernie wrote a very uplifting New Years OpEd for The Guardian this morning. "As we begin the year 2022, in these unprecedented times, I know it’s easy to give in to despair," he wrote. "We are facing a raging pandemic with seemingly no end in sight. We are rapidly moving toward oligarchy and while income and wealth inequality grows, millions struggle to obtain the basic necessities of life. We have a dysfunctional healthcare system with more than 84 million uninsured or underinsured and nearly one out of four unable to afford prescription drugs. Climate change is ravaging the planet and systemic racism and other forms of bigotry continue to eat away at the fabric of our society. We have a corrupt political system in which corporate money buys elections and a mainstream media that largely ignores the pain that ordinary people experience. And, in the midst of all this, Republicans across the country are working overtime trying to undermine democracy by making it harder for people of color, young people and those who oppose them to vote in our next elections. In other words, the challenges we face are enormous and it is easy to understand why many may fall into depression and cynicism. This is a state of mind, however, that we must resist-- not only for ourselves but for our kids and future generations. The stakes are just too high. Despair is not an option. We must stand up and fight back."
And here is some very good news. While the corporate-owned media may not be actively reporting it, working people all over the country, with extraordinary courage and determination, are taking on corporate greed, and they are winning.
Workers at John Deere waged their first strike in more than three decades, stayed on the picket lines and eventually won a contract with strong wage increases, a ratification bonus and improved health insurance.
Striking nurses in Buffalo won raises that moved all workers to at least $15 an hour and a reduction in staff shortages. These nurses fought not only for themselves, but their patients-- and they won.
Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers won a major victory after rejecting a contract that would have given new workers lower wages and benefits.
Nabisco workers, struggling against forced overtime, inadequate wages and pensions, a two-tier health system and the outsourcing of jobs, went on strike and won. Once again we saw workers fighting not just for themselves, but for the next generation of workers.
More than 1,400 Kellogg’s workers in Michigan, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Nebraska went on strike for months and won, fighting back against a plan to give new workers lower wages and benefits.
Starbucks employees in upstate New York, for the very first time, organized a union shop in a fight against a giant corporation that did just about everything it could to stop them.
...The struggles that these workers are experiencing are not unique. There are millions of other Americans in exactly the same position-- people who have to fight tooth-and-nail against wealthy and powerful corporate interests for decent wages, healthcare, pensions and safe working conditions. And let’s be clear. Class warfare in this country is intensifying. Greed is on the rise.
What history has always taught us is that real change never takes place from the top on down. It is always occurs from the bottom on up. That is the history of the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the environmental movement and the gay rights movement. That is the history of every effort that has brought about transformational change in our society.
And that is the struggle we must intensify today. At a time when the demagogues want to divide us up based on the color of our skin, where we were born, our religion or our sexual orientation, we must do exactly the opposite. We must bring people together around a progressive agenda. We must educate, organize and build an unstoppable grassroots movement that helps create the kind of nation we know we can become. One that is based on the principles of justice and compassion, not greed and oligarchy.
The greatest weapon our opponents have is not just their unlimited wealth and power. It is their ability to create a culture that makes us feel weak and hopeless and diminishes the strength of human solidarity.
And here is our new year’s resolution. Like the thousands of workers who stood up and fought courageously in 2021, we will do the same. No one individual is going to save us. We must rise up together.
Happy new year.