Besides the decades long morphing of the GOP into the “Stupid and Proud of It Party,” Republicans have also become known for the mobster tactic of hostage taking.  The latest example is Moscow Mitch’s cynical filibustering of Democratic efforts to raise the debt limit to pay for Trump’s $7.8 TRILLION spending spree during his 4 year infestation of the WH.  While smirking and speaking with the weight of a law school professor while peddling manure to an eager press, McConnell has said that the Democrats must solve the debt ceiling crisis by themselves while preventing from just that by filibustering their efforts.  Of course, because it can’t be put on a bumper sticker, the press is unable to explain to the public exactly what McConnell is doing, so they report that the Dems are “split”, “in disarray”, and “bear the responsibility” for the problems that were created exclusively by Trump, McConnell, and the lockstep marching GOP caucus in the Congress.

This is not the first time this has happened, and won’t be the last until the idiotic “debt ceiling” fabrication is killed, dead and buried.  In 2011, 2013, and 2015 McConnell, with the aid of our own Ted Cruz, threatened the good faith and credit of the United States by taking the economy hostage with debt ceiling battles and government shutdowns to blackmail the Obama administration to stop Obamacare and other programs that actually help people.  The 2011 shenanigans caused S&P to downgrade the credit rating of US debt for the first time in history.  Since then, they’ve taken immigrants, women, racial minorities, children, the aged, and the environment hostage every single time that a Democrat dared tried to do something positive for the American people.

McConnell and his enablers are no better than petty mobsters playing confidence games with small neighborhood business people by threatening to destroy their businesses unless they pay up.  “Nice economy you have there; it would be a shame if something bad happened to it.”

As JJ talked about on Saturday, Moscow Mitch voted along with 42 other Republicans to acquit Trump, which was expected.  What wasn’t expected was that after the vote, he got up in front of national television and then excoriated Trump for his incitement of the crowd to insurrection and even said that he could be prosecuted by state and federal authorities.  He also said that it was unconstitutional for the Senate to try him, since he’s already out of office.  Never mind that history, precedent, and over 200 legal scholars disagreed, this was the tree he hid behind to excuse his immoral vote to acquit.

We also have to keep in mind that McConnell always plays the long game, always focused on his own position and power.  He was never going to vote to convict because doing so would start a loud mutiny and he’d be ridden out of his minority leader spot in a nanosecond.  Also, politics comes first; everything else comes second.  Everything.  McConnell’s strategy is to create a political dilemma for Biden.  McConnell always had control of the process here.  He now says it was unconstitutional to try Trump after he was out of office, but HE’S the one who refused to take the case before the election.  He created the problem he says in unfixable.  That’s classic McConnell.  Second, he says that the criminal justice system should prosecute Trump – and guess who’s shoulders that falls on?  None other than Biden, who has already nominated Merrick Garland as AG.  The moment Garland would dare move against Trump, McConnell would rush to the microphone to decry “criminalizing politics” and “Biden “politicizing the DOJ,” which, by the way, Trump had already done.

It’s the long game.  It’s always the long game.

Mitch McConnell signaled the end of the Trump presidency today by telling associates that he’s “pleased” that the Dems are impeaching Trump and that impeachment will make it easier to purge him from the party.  Said associates immediately leaked the comment to the press.  That’s McConnell’s way of communicating to Trump to pack his shit and get out. Clearly the money stream is drying up due to Trump’s attempted coup last week, and McConnell now sees him as a liability.  Folks, it’s over.

Looking into my Crystal Bourbon Bottle, I predict that Trump will be gone by Friday.  Republican resistance to the impeachment effort in the house is tepid at best, coming mostly from Drooler Caucus, and even McCarthy is backing away from Trump.  Having lost McConnell’s support Trump is toast.  Now it’s just a matter of how Trump leaves, and I predict he will try to resign rather than face a conviction and removal from the Senate.  The thing is, though, to purge Trump, they’ll have to convict, then vote again to disqualify him from holding any other federal offices.

“Turn out the lights, the party’s over…”

Yesterday, the House passed, with a wide bipartisan margin, an increase in relief payments from an anemic $600 to a measly $2,000.  Let’s be clear – $2,000 is a pimple on the ass of the problem of millions of Americans who have been suffering for almost a year, while other countries have paid up to 90% of lost wages and revenues for small businesses.  Just now, Chuck Schumer made a motion on the Senate floor for unanimous consent to take up the House bill to increase the payments.  Other Republicans have said they would join the Dems in that effort. Even Trump is demanding it.  The roadblock?  Again?  Moscow Mitch.  He objected to the motion, and is blocking the measure.

So, if you’re evicted or lose your house, or can’t put food on the table, be sure to send a thank you note to Mitch McConnell.

Very early this morning, Mitch McConnell rammed through his rules avoiding a vote on witnesses and documents until AFTER the House and Trump’s goons present their cases.  The only small victory for the House was him caving to “moderate” Senators who forced him to extend the time for case presentations and allowing evidence already presented.  This vote tactic has become a standard fare for McConnell, dragging proceedings out into the wee hours of the morning and holding votes when most Americans are in bed.  Remember he did the same thing when he tried to kill the ACA; McCain’s midnight thumbs down was the only thing that stopped him.

Yesterday was a circus.  Schiff and his team presented clear, detailed evidence of Trump’s criminal activity, alternating with Trump’s lawyers acting like chimpanzees hurling their own feces at zoo visitors.  Their behavior was shocking to the senses with the WH counsel and Jay Sekulow actually shouting at the senators; their case strategy is primarily yelling “Nuh Uh!” to every bit of evidence presented by the House team.  Knowing that the fix is in, they’re not even trying to present a defense, preferring to play full time to their audience of one.

This is a very high risk strategy for McConnell and the Republicans, including Susan Lucy Collins, who is voting in lockstep with her party.  As Schiff said in his arguments, the truth WILL come out.  The suppressed evidence will become public, and every single witness will eventually tell the truth, either in books or television interviews.  The tragedy will be that it will then be too late to remove Trump by impeachment.  If (when) he’s voted out of office, he won’t go quietly, and it’s a virtual guarantee that he won’t go quietly knowing that he’ll then be facing a lifetime of trying to stay out of, or get out of jail.

This is now all on McConnell and the rest of the Republicans enabling this lunatic.  Hopefully millions of Americans who are glued to Dancing with the Stars and America’s Got Talent, will be able to pry themselves away from their television pablum long enough to go vote.  I’m not hopeful.