Van Hollen: GOP 'civil war' message in primaries will hinder Republicans in general elections

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill

BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 12/17/17 10:08 AM EST

Link to tweet

Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on Sunday that the message surrounding the GOP "civil war" in the party's primaries will hinder Republicans in general elections.

"You've got this civil war in these Republican primaries. They flock toward Donald Trump in the primaries. That's not going to be a winning message for them in the general," Van Hollen said on ABC News' "This Week."

The senator's comments come after Democrats won a surprise victory in the Alabama Senate race last week, sending the first Democrat from the state to Congress' upper chamber for the first time in 25 years.
Republican candidate Roy Moore was largely resented among establishment Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had supported his primary challenger Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.).

However, President Trump and his anti-establishment allies such as Stephen Bannon threw their support behind Moore.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/365313-van-hollen-gop-civil-war-message-in-primaries-will-hinder

---

Van Hollen on Russia probe: 'What is the White House afraid of?'

BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 12/17/17 09:42 AM EST

Link to tweet

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on Sunday urged the White House to let special counsel Robert Mueller complete his federal probe into Russian election meddling, saying Republicans are making a "concerted effort" to undermine its credibility. "The question is what are they afraid of? What is the White House afraid of? Let's let them [investigators] finish the job and get the facts," Van Hollen said on ABC News's "This Week."

"I think Republicans should end their concerted effort to undermine the credibility of the Mueller investigation. You've got somebody who by all accounts who is an independent person, somebody who's got lots of integrity and you see a concerted effort out of the White House to undermine the investigation," he continued. "I really hope our Republican colleagues will not join in subverting that process and trying to end this investigation," he said.

Van Hollen's comments come as Republicans have pounced on the investigation after a series of text messages showing an anti-Trump bias from FBI agents serving on Mueller's team surfaced from the 2016 presidential campaign.

Republicans have accused the of probe of having a bias against Trump.

###

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/365309-van-hollen-on-russia-probe-what-is-the-white-house-afraid-of

[Irish_Dem]

1. Honest question: Do southerners still not believe slavery is evil?

Do they still hang onto a romanticized notion of plantation life?

I am trying to understand the mindset of the typical southern voter.

[bearsfootball516]

2. I think a lot of them begrudgingly accept that slavery is evil

But still feel a real superiority over African Americans. They're more stuck in the 1960s, not the 1860s.

[Irish_Dem]

3. So they admit slavery is evil, but are still quite racist. nt

[Nitram]

4. Please don't lump all of us Southerners together.

There are many of us who are fighting against exactly that frame of mind. Doug Jones won!

[Irish_Dem]

5. Yes I know, but I am trying to understand the mindset of what you

are fighting against.

[Nitram]

6. Join the club!

[paleotn]

7. Some still cling to the lost cause mythology....

The great rationalization of the evils of slavery and rebellion, after reconstruction, in order to heal and cement the nation back together. It had its proponents in both the North and South. In simplest terms, no one wants their ancestors, or countrymen in the case or Northerners, to be evil, racist, scum traitors. That's a nut shell version, but it's actually rather complicated. In the South, it's a mix of faux-history and culture based on a more stratified society than in the North, built on a foundation of racism and economic exploitation. The South was, and still is in some cases, stratified based on class and / or race. And stratification doesn't correlate nearly as well with wealth as it does in the North. It's based on family blood lines, reputation as well as race. My maternal grandmother would consider the Trumps, even with all their wealth, to be nothing but white trash, as much because of their family history as much as what they say or do. With any stratified culture, no one wants to be on the bottom...and in the case of the South, that was reserved for African Americans. It's a vile, silly system viewed from the 21st century, as much as the South Asian castes.

As for the typical Southern voter, that depends on what you mean. Like most places, there really aren't "typical" voters, but loose groups with lots of overlap. Urban and suburban voters vote based on different narratives, some accurate and some utter Faux News inspired bullshit. In rural areas, fundy religion plays a big part than in others places, along with the Republican propaganda based on racism. What is "typical" really depends on where you are and who you're talking about

Many white Southerners have come to grips with reality and recognize the evils of the past for what they are, don't white wash them, have embraced diversity and equality and moved on. Some white Southerners seem to have a hard time doing that. Why is the $64K question. They just can't seem to shake loose the cultural spandrels that we're bullshit to begin with and are even more so today. And why that recalcitrance correlates roughly with latitude is equally puzzling. Maybe it was easier for me and my family, I guess, since I'm a bit of a hybrid. On my maternal side, I'm exclusively pre-revolution South. Paternally, I'm 3rd generation Irish immigrant.