Why shouldn’t they? No one questioned it.
Which of these scenarios do you feel is more likely?
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A bunch of Republicans acknowledge their collective responsibility for causing a bad situation. They learn from this experience and resolve to be less gullible in future elections.
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A bunch of Republicans put 100% of the blame on somebody else. This was all George Santos’ fault. He betrayed us and we hate him.
- What they don’t totally ignore, they blame on Democrats and Fake News.
Where have you been the last four or five years??
Madison Cawthorn is an illustrative example. Have y’all been watching his new Fox show, or keeping up with his super-popular column on NewsMax?
Certainly some of this.
I heard an interview with the publisher of the local North Shore independent paper that broke this story (before the NYT) and he said local Republicans he’s talked to are indeed pissed off at Santos and feel betrayed that they were conned. Regardless of what else happens, he’s not going to hold that seat more than the two year minimum.
No, but I’m sure some people have been and he’s making more than he did in Congress. There will always be some room somewhere for former congressional representatives that espouse right-wing views and ended their tenures in disgrace.
Uh, I think you’ve been whooshed. The point is that he doesn’t have a TV show or a column.
I’d rather smash my ankle with a ball peen hammer.
Yeah, I think my snark was the kind that needed facial expressions. Cawthorn is somewhat analogous to Santos, inasmuch as both of them have pants that are on fire, and both of them are despise by local party officials.
Cawthorn’s ride on the legislative merry-go-round is over, and he’s moved to Florida and has no prospects that anyone can tell. He’s no parlayed his ridiculous term in office into anything, despite being (and I recognize the competition here) Trump’s biggest lickspittle.
I don’t expect Santos will have any more success than Cawthorn at monetizing his term in office, once it’s done.
I’d disagree about this bit. He did raise the money to run from somewhere, so he has some talent for schmoozing and I expect we’ll learn he has some plan or opportunity set up. But yes, his name is now tainted and only a fool would give him another chance. Of which the world is well-supplied, of course.
I encourage folks to read the article I linked above. Here it is again:
Two takeaways:
- It looks really likely that his source of campaign dough was illegal, given his claim of loaning his campaign $700,000 despite having no clear source for that kind of money; and
- It looks really REALLY likely that he was spending the money illegally, given how many times he spent $199.99 on meals, or on hotels that don’t have rooms that cost less than $500.
And that’s setting aside the possibility that he impersonated McCarthy’s staff in fundraising calls.
This only counts as “schmoozing” under the most generous interpretations of the word.
He’s got no power, relative to other politicians he’ll be dealing with on the national scene. He’s probably being used by some criminal enterprise. He didn’t get caught quickly enough, but he got caught even before he was seated in Congress, and there’s a good chance he’s got felony charges in his near future. His most prominent new appearance other than for lying and corruption is for making a White Power sign.
Folks who predict great things for him are, I think, way off base.
Ehh… they’ll make the C-(or maybe D-)list circuit of podcasters, or of addressing meetings of low-rent wackaroon organizations gathering at the local Motor Inn conference room, once the immediate heat cools off. They won’t be living large off of it but it will help keep a roof on their heads. There are certainly many, many more losers of similar political alignment who are cleaner, for the upper-tier outfits to use in shows/conventions/columns.
As these sorts of vermin go, I would credit Santos with a little slicker production values than Cawthorn, though in a way that now makes Cawthorn look like “at least a regular-guy kind of phony” and of course the party in his NC district can tell those in NY “oh, so we are supposed to be the ignrent rubes… what’s your excuse?”
I suppose it’s a reverse “once-bitten twice shy” over people who believed Trump wouldn’t amount to anything.
Trump is a marvelous demagogue. He has that particular brand of charisma in spades. He also has decades of entertainment media experience that he brought to bear on his campaign.
Even villains need skills.
Not that he’ll pay any mind to calls for resignation, anyway – what can they do to him? As long as the House Republicans don’t go beyond a Susan Collins furrowed brow, he’s immune to pressure for now.
Can’t he be recalled?
I don’t believe recall of Senators and Congress people is provided for in the Constitution.
I believe this is correct. They cannot be removed except by congress removing them (which is super unlikely to happen).
The one saving grace is their terms are short in the House. I would be shocked if he got re-elected.