QOTD

Here's former Florida Republican congressman David Jolly yesterday on MSNBC's "Deadline White House," reacting to scurrilous Republican questioning of impeachment inquiry witnesses:

“These are the moments where my anger is somewhat palpable because you’ve just got to be honest. These are — in today’s Republican Party — spineless politicians rotten to the core, without virtue, without any level of human integrity, devoid of self-respect, self-reflection, without courage, and without the moral compass to recognize their own malevolence.

“And one day maybe they will have the recognition of how they failed the country and themselves in this moment, but that would be giving them credit that somewhere down deep they have the goodness to recognize how to reconcile their own failings with what is right and just in American politics and frankly what is right and wrong in the eyes of adults and children alike."

“I agree they inevitably will make the case this is not impeachable. The problem is it requires every single Republican to align with Donald Trump and say that only Donald Trump speaks the truth, that Lieutenant Colonel [Alexander] Vindman — a man of honor and Purple Heart recipient — does not speak the truth. Ambassador [Michael] McKinley — somebody who’s referred to as the Dean of the foreign service corps — does not speak the truth. Ambassador [Marie] Yovanovitch — somebody who dedicated her life to promoting freedom and U.S. ideals on the world stage does not speak the truth. Only Donald Trump does.”

“And there is no greater example of selling your soul to a charlatan than what Republicans are doing right now in the House and the Senate. And their legacies are on the line just as much as Donald Trump’s.”

Once you've sold your soul -- and this rotted- out party already had well before Trump slithered onto the scene -- you've cemented your legacy.  There's no coming back from that.

Low Turnout Consequences: Sink Sunk, Hello Jolly!

Low Democrat and Democrat-leaning turnout  is being blamed for the defeat of Alex Sink in the special election yesterday in Florida's 13th Congressional District.  She lost to "repeal Obamacare!" mouthbreather David Jolly, this despite the fact that the recently divorced, former lobbyist Jolly was squiring his girlfriend 14 years his junior around the campaign stump (Mark Sanford family values!), and Republicans were calling him and his campaign "incompetent."

So, why did Sink only get 30 percent turnout in her strongholds versus Jolly getting 50 percent in his? We think Kos nails it:

[G]iven our anemic base turnout, Democratic candidates need to do a better job motivating them to vote. And in this case, I don't blame our base voters. When Democrats like Alex Sink run on austerity, cutting Social Security and bringing back the Simpson-Bowles Catfood Commission, well, no one is inspired.  (our emphasis)

It was always Jolly's election to lose, since he and outside groups outspent Sink by $5 million to $3 million.  Even so, Jolly only won a plurality of the vote (48.4 percent).  Remember, too, that the 13th has been in Republican hands for about 4 decades (R.I.P., Rep. Bill "Family Values" Young!), so the net is zero. Unfortunately, though, a Democrat could have picked up the seat:  a Democrat not fighting from a defensive crouch, caught in an austerity time warp;  a Democrat giving full-throated, positive support for Obamacare.  That's the real takeaway from this special election (and, of course, that the Democrats have to do a much better job getting their base out in November - see excerpt above for guidance - or else).