doing to this country, and the world really, since Nixon. They created this. People like Drum were perfectly OK with his gang of troglodytes and what they stood for.

It’s an opinion, like you own, it’s not a command or an edict.

Everyone is free to do as they please but I will NEVER kiss some republican’s ass or normalize their behavior or ideals.

When people think republicans are great just ask the tens of thousands of the old, poor and sick that republicans are kicking out of nursing homes in Louisiana soon.

Just look at that “tax cut” McCain voted to pass.

but one man's dying. Why make his last time horrible? We'll have a lot of time to go over JM. I'm no fan, but, I'd hope if my life was slipping away that humans around me would be compassionate. We are the 'go high' party are we not?

Made likely his last major vote in his life, likely his last official act as a republican senator, to vote to pass that tax cut bill and all it included.

None of the wonderful superlatives some want to attribute to him are earned or of value.

I wish a dying man no less than he wants for others.

I TOTALLY agree with what you said. However, as human beings that set the standard for creeps on the right and the rest of the world, I wish him no extra burden nearing the end of his time on earth. His own stupid daughter makes his death all about her. (As if she hasn't lived a charmed life already right?).
Just wish we'd be the ones who really ACT like Jesus even though that's not our balliwick(sp) by and large. The idea being that we are a good and generous country. At some point we want to conquer the nastiness of the rw and times like this are a good time to go high. Nothing is going to change what he did at this point. I DO NOT agree w the positions he's taken but, do unto others...
If we can't act what we desire for other amongst us who haven't lived the American Dream, what good are any of our platitudes we espouse? Everyone dies. I hope people care about, and say kind things to me to allow me to close my eyes the last time and know I did my best. Looking back I bet right now he wishes he'd done differently.
Megan can take a flying leap. She's a malignant version of her dad and the creep husband. She'd be nothing without her Dad.

With showing kindness and understanding, I really do not begrudge anyone a peaceful death.

I just believe we should keep in perspective that as a republican, with his votes, has not shown that same kindness to the least and most vulnerable of us all.

Enumerating all those things over the media just doesn't seem to be the time or place to spike the ball. We are Democrats, politics used to be gentlemanly. It can be again. I hear what your saying. I don't think any Democrat has forgotten his voting record, and Sarah Palin. Omg, Anyhow, Peace.

Most of the anti-Trump Rethugs are horrific by almost every other measure and they are NOT in Congress, so thus will never be called upon to impeach (House) and especially convict and remove (Senate).

Fuck McCain, he always was a RW war monger.

Schmidt just doesn’t like trump and pence, he is still a republican, he call himself a republican and is little different than most republicans in Congress.


McCain made likely his last major vote in his life, likely his last official act as a republican senator, to vote to pass that tax cut bill and all it included.

I wish a dying man no less than he wants for others.

However, he can be an occasional ally.

Rethugs, amd his "ally" part is also just reduced to rhetoric that changes nothing. His life's corpus is anti most everything I stand for. He can sod off overall.

I don't dislike normal Republicans. I just disagree with them. However, whoever opposes Trump I want to be friends with.

To say that Schmidt and McCain are “no less vile” than Trump and Pence is an absurd comment.
That sort of absolutism is more typical of the other side.

The key is to find non-insane Republicans and build relationships with them so effective COMPROMISE can take place. Anything less, and you've become Mitch McConnell.

Unfortunately, non-insane Republicans are an endangered species...

They voted to repeal the ACA over 90 times

They held children’s healthcare hostage.

They held a Supreme Court spot vacancy for over a year to stop Democrats from filling it.

In Louisiana they are kicking poor, old, handicapped and sick people off Medicare and out into the street. No place to live, no place to go.

They are ripping apart years of hard work on everything for civil rights to protecting the environment.

All republicans, including McCain, voted for that tax bill.

So, compromise on what!?! Republicans do not compromise. They do nothing that doesn’t make the rich more rich and poor more poor.
Lastly I will add: Compromise is great as long as you are not the one being compromised.

The Democratic Party is "far left" and incapable of compromise, despite ample evidence to the contrary.

Be bigger than them.

We do not compromise on issues of racism, LGBT rights, gender equality, and the like.

There is no middle ground to be found with bigots, you just work to get more progressives to the ballot box than they can get the bigots to em.

"My Way or the highway" is the provenance of the repigs, NOT of the Democratic party...

...then you lose every time. Glad I'm not you.

Been one for 46 years, since the age of 7 when I stuffed envelopes for George McGovern.

Oh, and what makes you think I'm white? That's some racist shit on you part...

If you're sooo sure you're RIGHT every time, you probably aren't. Again, that's the provenance of Trump supporters, not MY Democratic Party.

The rights of women to access reproductive healthcare?

Compromise on a light version of “gay conversation therapy”?

On tests to determine if someone can vote at their polling station?

Compromise on healthcare for kids? Maybe only cover a million and let the other million die?

Compromise like the republicans are doing in Louisiana right now? Cutting Medicaid and likely kicking thousands of people in nursing homes and long term care facilities out into the streets and firing tens of thousands of medical professionals.

As I I’ve stated many times:
Compromise is great as long as you are not the one being compromised.

That's life.

Again:

Compromise is great as long as you are not the one being compromised

Look, you're angry in your chair, I get that. Without ANY compromise, you land where we are right now with the repigs. They won't compromise on anything and that's why this country is fucked. You really wanna be like them???

you willing to make?

The words of a Republican pundit.

We are Democrats. They are not. The overlap in our Venn diagram is infinitesimal. When we agree, it's fine to point it out. For those of us who wonder how in the hell a Donald Trump can even BE, it's reassuring sometimes to hear the same point made by someone from that side of the aisle.

Doesn't mean we now accept Steve Schmidt's point of view as one of our own, empirically. If, after a tirade against Mike Pence, Schmidt wants to advance a right wing policy cause, each and every one of us would methodically shoot it down.

If you lack that level of discernment, then this OP applies to you. Otherwise, I see no reason that we can't agree on points in common made by a Republican without embracing the individual as one of our own.

I wish they were all like that. Then we would really have a two-party system where if the other party won, it would be undesirable, but it wouldn't spell doomsday for poor people, women and minorities, the environment, consumers, the economy, etc.

I am happy to give praise whenever it is due. John McCain is a war monger. He also stands up to say no to torture. I can dislike the former and admire the latter. Few people are all evil. Most of us are just a mix of many things, some good, some bad.

doesn't mean we are loyal followers of his every word.

We need more Republicans to step up and do so.

None of us here agree with Republican policy, so don’t pretend that we do.

...not the professional conservatives who try to pretend Trump mysteriously came out of nowhere. Who get the vapors on TeeVee that Kremlin Don is in office but won't acknowledge he did so by thumping the very same drums they have in order to gain power and put themselves in a position where they can get what they want by just forming a unyielding phalanx against Democrats.

One of the pro-Trump Republicans is running ads about "Team America vs Team Terrorist". You know what NeverTrumper Rick Wilson used to call that sort of campaign? "My job."

We do need people across the aisle we can work with, but do not let the bad actors off the hook just because they're saying bad things about Trump these days. "Real" conservatives still idealize the Guilded Age and still want a government that is basically a banana republic run by them. Their counterparts are not Democrats, it's outright Maoist's willing to burn everything down to grab all the marbles.

They will knife is in the back the moment they see the chance. As they have done repeatedly.

It’s about normalization of republicans, any republicans, for any reason. It’s about thinking there is any compromise with a group of people that voted to repeal the ACA 90 times.
That held a USSC seat vacancy for over a year to prevent a vote Obama’s choice.
McCain’s last official vote as a senator was the tax bill and all it included.
Tell me again how it’s a purity test?

I may not agree with a large portion of Republican views but not all Republicans are created equal. I can disagree with them but not completely demonize all of them because of a difference of opinion. It's not that black and white. I have conservative friends and family, I don't like them demonizing all Democrats because of a difference of opinion and I hate either side playing 'politics' and putting party above country.

We need the McCains and Schmidts to bring the 'moderates' along here. While i dont agree with a lot of their politics they have the balls to be vocal about this trump nightnare and this war isnt going to be won without it. We're never going to enact any of our polocies until this nightmare chapter in our history is over. So, yes the enemy of my enemy will be my friend during this battle. The future of our democracy depends on it.

compromise with a group of people that voted to repeal the ACA 90 times.
That held a USSC seat vacancy for over a year to prevent a vote on Obama’s choice.
That held children’s healthcare hostage?
Republicans that willfully lied to start a war with Iraq?
That spent years holding up hundreds of judge nominees from even getting a vote?
Republicans that insisted that Obama was not a US citizen and called him all kinds of nasty and racist things?
That is voting to kick tens of thousands of poor and sick people out of nursing homes and into the streets in Louisiana.
McCain’s last official vote as a senator was the tax bill and all it included.

This is just a small snapshot of who republicans are and what they do.

What possible middle ground is there to people more than willing to kick old people out of nursing homes?

All repubs are not the same and do not universally support every item you list. Clearly they don't as Schmidt and Navarro and many others who you are tarring with this broad brush have railed against the attacks on Obama and not following traditional rules of procedure on things like Senate judicial votes.

I can think of few if any Dems who have bene as brilliant in their takedowns of this brand of repub politics as Schmidt and Navarro.

Compromise is what got the voting rights act passed, the EPA created by a repub and other accomplishments over the years.

You've also written about repealing the ACA 90 times about 90 times. BTW, remember McCain's vote on that?

Anger is understandable but facts and strategy in fighting the good fight are what counts in gettign good deeds done.

Schmidt still calls himself a conservative republican.

Knowing all Schmidt knew about Palin, after the election was over, said this:

He did know she was a liar.

He did know she was unhinged.

He pushed forward anyway and he clearly stated in my included quote that was months after the election in which she personally lied anout and verbally assaulted Obama, that she was good for their campaign.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/revelations-from-the-campaign/

Doesn’t change the fact that he supported her as a candidate and still thought she was a positive influence on the campaign despite being a liar and a nut job and completely unqualified.

Who actually is in office right now.

I take exception with people trying to rewrite history or turn Schmidt into something he is not.
He learned his craft at the side of Cheney and Rove. He brought us Palin.

His entire career has been to put people like that into office. To give them power that don’t respect or deserve.

His actions speak louder than his words.

People are agreeing with the attacks on trump and some seem to have a problem with trump being attacked .

With people that think that ANY republican attack on trump is altruistic or meant to help Democrats.

Trump has not said or done a damn thing that republicans haven’t said or done themselves, including Schmidt or McCain.
It’s just that republicans, up to this point, have done it in the shadows and spoken it in private conversations behind closed doors.

My point is this: Let no one be fooled that every square ugly inch of trump is republican and no republican is any different.

And trump is actually in office as president.

Nobody is being fooled. As i showed, Biden and other Democrats defeated mccain during the 2008 election even if they liked him and viewed him far better than how trump is seen.

I disagree.
Again, Schmidt is a Cheney and Rove disciple. His entire career has been to empower and embolden people like trump.

2008 was 11 years ago. Most do not remember nor have a real perspective of what it was even like before Obama. A 30 yr old today was 17 when they first heard Obama’s name. Many don’t remember what the Bush Administration was like. I do.
I am friends with adults that were not even born when Reagan was president.

I have a very long memory and I know exactly who republicans are and what they want to do.

The statement about their core principles being no different than trump is totally ignorant of what they have said over and over. Their "core" principles are what seperates them from the trumpsters. If you don't know that then you have not read or heard anything they've said. I'm well aware of their past but that does not change the fact that they are standing on the right sid eof history now whe we need a smany people opposed to this attempted ob takeover of our country as we can get.

Nothing you have posted shows that people like Schmidt and Navarro are exactly the same as trumpsters. You obviously are unaware of Schmidt's opposition to Palen during and after the campaign. Do a little research; the results may conflict with your broad brush painting but to portray Schmidt as her supporter becasue of one quote that was probably in fact true as to her effect doesn't prove your point. The facts are not on your side on that one either.

And repeating things like "they are not our friends" over and over does not justify your broad brush strokes. Yes they are conservative repubs but they are standing up for the rule of law against a tide of fascism in the repub party. I will continue to applaud them for that no matter what orders you feel like dishing out to people on here or snarky commetns about "fanboys". You may or may not be aware of Reagan but liberal Democrats like Tip O'Neill worked with him to get things done.

Not to mention the fact that we need sane repubs in that party for our democracy to function. This tendency to demonize everyone who doesn't agree with us on everything is counterproductive. There are enough out there who are demons to contend with. If we truly want to get rid of trumpism we are going to need at least a few from the other side in order to do it. Then we can go back to fighting them on things we don't agree on and which they are wrong about.

He did think Palin was a benefit to McCain’s ticket and said so, AFTER the election:

I answered that in my other reply. What he said was TRUE - she did help the campaign not lose by such a wide margin. If you don't know the ways he opposed her I suggest you read Game Change, watch the movie or read any of the many other accoutns of the campaign which show you are wrong. Of course he campaigned for McCain - he was their campaign manager.

Your assertion that he and Navarro and others who have stood up against trumpism are the same as the true trumpsters is just flat out wrong. I've shown the reasons why and you are just repeating the same assertions that don't refute anything I've said. It just shows your lack of rational arguments on your side. Yes he is better than them and so is Navarro and Nicolle Wallace, etc.

I gave the reasons why, which are pretty obvious to anyone except those who see people as black and white and think they themselves are pure. You choose to ignore them and just repeat the same things and tar with a broad brush. You might try reading more and understand more. We are in a war for our democracy and sometimes wars requires being on the side of those we generally oppose. These repubs like Schmidt and Navarro have chosen to be on the side of decency and the law and we should appreciate that - not act like petty ideologues.

The point I’m making is not to hate anyone but to keep perspective and context when these people speak.
He is the former spokesperson for the NRCC and was a senior member of Rove strategic planning group. No student of Cheney and Rove is doing anything without a self-serving or party-serving motive.

It’s great that he is speaking out againt trump but he is a republican to his core and no republican does anything that isn’t a direct benefit to them.
Sorry, I’m never going to bow and grovel at the feet of any republican.

I showed why it is wrong to claim as you have - go back and look at your posts - that there is no difference between trump and trumpsters and people like Schmidt. That is completely wrong. I'm not the one who needs to keep a perspective. That is you when you lump them all together.

And who asked you to bow and grovel? That's as ridiculous as calling people who appreciate their stances as "fanboys" as you have.

I know all about Cheney and Rove and to claim that Schmidt is operating out of party-serving motives to take on trump really shows a lack of knowledge. The repubs have turned their party over to trump and Schmidt as a political consultant has no doubt hurt his business. The only way he is serving his party is by trhing to change its direction away from thre hate. For that I applaud him.

Look, people can like and do what they want. If people want to grovel and kiss a Rove acolyte’s feet I am nobody so what does it matter what I say.

That some think Schmidt or McCain or ANY republican are the good guys says a lot more about our future than trump.

You win, I concede the floor.

No one groveled to these repubs - that was just a way to deflect from the fact your "point" was ludicrous from any rational viewpoint. As is the statement about "good guys". As I wrote, few people fall in the category of all good or bad - dump certainly does and many people who support him do whne it comes to bad. Schmidt, Navarro and Wallce are certainly not all bad. Not that it would make a difference but Navarro and Wallace voted for Clinton. But it's easier to dismiss facts that like that and make personal attacks about supposed grovelling. That says a lot.

The fact that some here need to paint the world in broad strokes of all good guys and all bad guys just shows they are doing exactly what is done each night on Faux News. That is really scary for the future of our democracy.

with Democrats.

Take a cue from the politicians, who make friends across the aisle. Understand the difference between disagreements over policies and ideology, and the person. Two reasonable people can have different opinions, and both people be good people.

And that's the truth.

When you speak of a Republican or a Democrat, of COURSE they voted or pushed for things for their party, or toted the party line. That's WHY they belong to that party. Has nothing to do with whether they are good people.

These are NOT just votes. Your politics are not just “politics”. They are a reflection of who you are as a person.

What is important to you.

What drives you.

How you see the world and how the world sees you.

Human rights is just an opinion? A party line vote?

A women’s RIGHT to healthcare is just an opinion? A party line vote?

An gay couple’s RIGHT to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness is an opinion? A party line vote?

The Voting Rights Act is an opinion? A party line vote?

How we treat Immigration, legal or illegal, is an opinion? A party line vote?

How you feel about human rights, the environment and the type of government you want and how they should spend your money are more than “politics”. It goes to the very core of who you are as a person and how you see the world. It’s far more than a simple opinion or party line vote.

You won't be friends with them, and that is your choice. But we don't want to start avoiding facts like you know who. The two party members ARE friends...many of them.

If you remember Reagan & Tip O'Neill...a strong Repub and a strong Democratic Speaker of the House....friends.

McCain & Biden - friends for years.

And other are others.

You say "human rights." They believe in human rights. But how you define it may be differently from them, and vice versa.

Reasonable people can differ on issues.

I think McCain is a good person and a hero. I have Republicans in my family. They are good people in certain respects.

If you decide to be enemies with everyone who isn't in lock step with every belief and viewpoint of yours, you will be an island.

You said:

Nothing you said refutes that fact that Repubs & Dems ARE friends. Let's first agree that we will recognize facts.

Your choice is different. That's fine, for you. But the reality is still that others choose to accept differences of opinion in their friends.

McCain & Biden have been friends for years.

Obama has Republican friends.

The Clintons have been friends with the entire Bush family for years and other Republicans

Reagan and Tip O'Neill were friends.

Obama, the Clintons, the Bushes, Repub Senator Tom Coburn, and others accept that their friends have different policies, ideology, viewpoints.

Millions of Americans have both Republicans and Democrats in their families. They still love each other.

Your choice is different. But that doesn't change the reality that for millions, their choice is different from yours.

I'm talking about taking out a common enemy here. If they are willing to say some truths about 455, Pence etc.. we need to help their voices be heard.

You don't need to explain republicans to me. Move along.

Younger people have grown up seeing only the polarization that developed in recent decades.

There will be differences of opinion, even within a party. That's no reason to disregard the decency of the person or the things you have in common.

I will NOT listen to anyone who tells me to hate someone, when I can see the person is a good person.

But good for you.

If I agree with somebody I agree with them and I don't care if they are black white or a REPUBLICAN.

Was to vote for the tax bill and all it included.

To be clear, there are lots of people dying. How many times did he vote to repeal the ACA before that last vote?
How many people will die or suffer due to the tax bill and all it included, he voted to pass?

I wish him no personal ill will or harm but I’m not going to excuse his votes or actions, as recent as weeks ago, just because he is sick.

And trump supporters.

Such as the 2008 elections.

But right now they are not the enemy. And i welcome all who want to go after trump.

But I think we should keep things in perspective when we load praise on people that have shown by their actions and deeds to be little different than people like trump in the big picture.

Both McCain and Beau Biden have/had the same form of cancer.
Joe sees that connection and is drawn to it. Nothing wrong with that.

Doesn’t change who McCain is inside or wash away the votes he willingly and happily made.

He Loved Mccain in 2008 also when he was on the Obama ticket running to defeat MCain in the election.

I am sure it’s possible. Joe is a kind and loving man. Would not be out of character.

That said, doesn’t mean I have to excuse McCain’s voting record, as recently as a couple months ago or the things he has said.

It’s great we have nice, kind and friendly people but it should be the job of at least some of us to remind the others that that ex- you’re falling for again was a dirty lying nut job and hasn’t changed.

But that was a lifetime ago politically.

I also don’t agree with the normalization of bad people.

It’s creates these intellectual dichotomies of being for and against the same people.

It’s literally a Lucy and Charlie Brown football analogy: they will do the right thing THIS TIME. They don’t. We rinse. Repeat.

It's why we have elections.

I'm glad Biden is nothing like Trump and being limited in how they view other people.

were friends & went to lunch together. O'Neill was a big Democrat.

This hating on people of the opposing party is ridiculous. Don't listen to that talk. Look at the person, oppose his views, but don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

than some we have here.

Is loading praise on Schmidt, Will, or any of the others.

We are just glad they are telling the truth about Trump and what their party has become.

I will gladly lambast them when they are wrong.

IIRC it included a 25% cut to Medicaid among its many horrors. Makes me think of other states that would start joining Louisiana frightening seniors and disabled with kicking them out of nursing homes. Not to mention the big loss of Obamacare subsidies that would make health insurance unaffordable for lots more people.

These so called pundits or the come-to-Jesus enlightened, somewhat critics of Trump are not allies. They might be embraced as such by ethically-principled voters here and elsewhere, if indeed all these years since Reagan they proclaimed their repub positions as abhorrent then as they are clear
ly now.
No? They (particularly those with the corporate-media-entitled platform). No, not a peep.

Those on the air speaking their false wisdom are well-paid cowards without a soul.

I am not impressed or fooled. It’s important to remember-repub worldview requires the humanists, skeptics and freethinkers to always yield to their insanity and hypocrisy.

Schmidt and other Republicans who stand on principle deserve respect. Calling those who endorse their honesty "fanboys" is using the Republican Party playbook to discredit them.

As for me, I'm not gonna do the Republicans dirty work for them. Nobody on DU should either. Being a Republican is a choice, not something people are born with. I support people's principled positions, and reject hypocrites and right-wing ideologues by their actions.

But God forbid we show an inkling of human kindness to a man who is dying of brain cancer.

running, or Trump. If and when Republicans win, I would rather they not be tea party lunatics. Of course, I would prefer we beat all Republicans, but it doesn’t always work that way.

I’d rather have “I hate abortion but won’t do anything about it” Republicans challenging us than “Any woman who gets an abortion should be shot immediately! I also hate all black and LGBT people, and want a Christian theocracy!” Republicans. If a Republican absolutely had to win, I’d rather it be McCain than Don Blankenship, for example.

I never thought I’d yearn for “sane Republicans” in government in case we lose.

His last vote in the senate was to vote for the tax cut bill.

I could write for hours about the votes of republicans and what they stand for and how they have treated Democrats. Why should I have to remind fellow Democrats? How can memories be so short.

Blankenship or trump or pence are very low bars and no matter what favorable light people cast McCain or Schmidt in, history and voting records show us they are little different than them.

He's an honest person (for a politician), and a good person, as far as I can tell. He is a war hero, and his circumstances as a tortured POW speaks of his bravery. He refused to be released earlier than the other prisoners, which speaks to his humility, bravery, and decency.

I refuse to hate such a person. I disagree with his ideology, though.

and someone who spent seven years in the hole enduring what most Americans can only imagine.