The GOP will likely walk away from it now.

BIG k&r

suddenly discover the word ‘bipartisan’.

Or just that he allows some Democrats to come into the House each day to watch the GOP bilk our country of life and livelihood.

At that point, there were issues - especially the environment - where he was willing to work with Democrats. He is from an old NJ family that has represented NJ at some level since the revolutionary war.

It was shocking when he bowed to the tea party in the Obama years. This might have been the impact of getting a primary challenge - even though he easily beat his tea party opponent.

It was an area that was "old fashioned" Republican to the extreme. Unless one has been elected in the 5 years since we moved to Vermont, they have not a single freeholder seat go to a Democrat in over 100 years. The goal in our county in statewide elections was to hold the Republican margin ... not to outright win in Morris County.

I remember being disheartened that even the most committed, most talented Democrat who ran against him tended to lose by the same amount as when there was an obviously weak candidate. This district was so Republican that years ago, when Bill Bradley, Rhodes scholar and Knicks player wanted to enter public life, he was advised by one of the top Democrats in the district that he could easily win STATE WIDE for Senate, but would likely lose if he ran for House.

That district is up in horse country. Don't know how flippable it is although I looked it up and Drumpf only won there by 1%.

Given that Ryan has been in lockstep with Trump, this may be a rare instance when that district might see that the House may be the only effective brake on Trump and that one is needed. You can throw in, that this is an area that fully understands that it there upper middle class Republicans who got the worst deal on the tax cuts for the wealthy.

NJ income taxes and property taxes are high and they will be hit by the cap on deducting them. In addition, some might have mortgages that are too high to fully deduct. Many will be in the group that still benefits by itemizing, so they get nothing from the standard deduction doubling, but they lose their personal exemptions. So, losing exemptions and being able to deduct less will likely eliminating any gain from changes in the tax rates.

Not to mention, I suspect that the "old money" people here are part of the NY area "old money" elite that never liked Donald Trump. Here, I am only guessing - as I was far from that class.

Nope, you are right on the money. There are all those estates up there with people who didn't want to live in the toney NY & CT towns near metro NYC. I expect a number of them are associated with the pharm industry in central/north Jersey - notably the biggies like Pfizer and Novartis around the Parsippany area. I.e., all the "Senior VP of such-and-such" and what not.

I know Jerseyites are pissed along with folks in NY & CT.

I knew some wealthy people on a superficial level, but I clearly would not presume that I would know that I know their view on people like the Trumps. It is true that many of the upper middle class and middle class people do work for the pharma industry. (At one point many worked in the telecommunications industry.

There are also people - like Frelinghuysen - whose families are OLD OLD money. (The county's arboretum was the property of a long deceased relative of his and includes her mansion - the Freylinghuysen arboretum. )

you will see that most of the multi-generational old money/blue-bloods shunned him - mainly because he pretty much refused to get serious with the philanthropy scene that was expected from that class. The more they rejected him, the more gaudy and conspicuous-consumption he got. That's why he ended up trying to hang out with entertainers and media moguls.

You can tell what blue-bloods Poppy & Shrub think about him, mainly by how Jebby handled him.

Winning baby!!!!! So much winning!!!!!

That way the "new" replacement Repugs can claim that they would not have voted for any of the Repugs most unpopular bills. Plus claim that they are magically "for" issues their constituents want (net neutrality, healthcare, economic & social justice, DACA etc) without the counter proof of a voting record.

Darrel Issa's resignation is the perfect example. He has a disgraceful voting record, and time was simply up for him not being taken down by it. Now the Repugs have not one, but two very popular replacement candidates in the 49th who can run unburdened by pro
Ryan, Trump, Koch voting history.

It would have been way easier for the Dems to run against and defeat Incumbent Repugs in 2018. The RNC knows this and has
strategized for it accordingly.