Today's Infographic -- "A New Generation Of GOP Leadership"

 

(click on image to enlarge)

(h/t democraticunderground.com)

Donors Slam Stefanik For Santos Endorsement

 

The fourth-ranking House Republican, Trumpist dead ender Rep. Elise Stefanik (Sedition-NY), is being raked over the coals by Republican donors for encouraging them to support fraud and con man Rep. George "Kitara Ravache" Santos' election campaign. They're clearly not happy that Stefanik vouched for the bizarre con artist and likely financial fraudster during his campaign, asking them to contribute generously:

"Stefanik was a key validator for Santos in their shared home state and often touted the candidate in public and private forums. Several prominent GOP donors told CNN that they gave to Santos, who was largely unknown to them, because Stefanik, the state’s most influential elected Republican and a prolific fundraiser, backed him.

'I would have never donated without Elise,' said Ken Salamone, who gave $5,800 to Santos’ campaign and more than $20,000 to his joint fundraising committee, after Stefanik’s team reached out on his behalf. 'I assumed she did her homework. I always do my homework and didn’t. Shame on me.'  [snip]

Another donor, who attended a fundraising luncheon with Stefanik and Santos, confirmed to CNN through a representative that 'he donated to George Santos because of Elise Stefanik’s endorsement.' [snip]

Multiple Republican operatives in Washington and New York told CNN that they found it implausible that Stefanik had not been aware of Santos’ falsehoods, given rumors about Santos had been passed around in GOP circles since at least the summer of 2021.

'Stefanik’s team was laser focused on electing Santos to Congress – more than just about any other race in the country,' a senior Republican strategist involved in campaigns before the midterms said."  (our emphasis)

In normal times, a normal political party would immediately purge a petty grifter like Santos, and make sure Stefanik was sidelined for the rest of her miserable, cynical career. But since we're talking about the abnormal, amoral Republican / New Confederate / Forced Birth party with its cult leader the Malignant Loser, anything goes when political power's involved.

(photo: Twitter)

QOTD -- Dark Place

 

Dana Milbank on the "dark path" taken by Republican "Ultra-MAGA" Rep. Elise Stefanik (MAGA-NY):

It’s a story told a thousand times: Ambitious Republican official abandons principle to advance in Trump’s GOP. But perhaps nobody’s fall from promise, and integrity, has been as spectacular as the 37-year-old Stefanik’s. “I was just so shocked she would go down such a dark path,” said her former champion, [former mentor John] Bridgeland. “No power, no position is worth the complete loss of your integrity. It was just completely alarming to me to watch this transformation. I got a lot of notes saying, ‘What happened to her?’ ”

The answer is simple: “Quest for power,” Bridgeland said. “But power without principle is a pretty dark place to go. She wanted to climb the Republican ranks and she has, but … she’s climbed the ladder on the back of lies about the election that are undermining trust in elections, putting people’s lives at risk."

As Milbank notes, Stefanik is just one example of the transformation of what were once garden-variety Republican sociopaths into full- blown enemies of American democracy.  But, in her thirst for power regardless of any consequences, she is the epitome of the ethos of her party/ cult.  As the cliche goes, history will not be kind.

QOTD: "How Low, Ms. Stefanik?"

 

"Back in 2017, white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Va., carrying torches and chanting, 'You will not replace us' and 'Jews will not replace us.' Decent Americans recoiled at the undeniable echo of Nazi Germany.

"That rhetoric has been resonating ever since in the right wing, repackaged lately in what’s known as 'replacement theory,' espoused by conservative media figures like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. And it has seeped into the mainstream political discourse in the Capital Region, where Rep. Elise Stefanik has adapted this despicable tactic for campaign ads.

"Ms. Stefanik isn’t so brazen as to use the slogans themselves; rather, she couches the hate in alarmist anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s become standard fare for the party of Donald Trump. And she doesn’t quite attack immigrants directly; instead, she alleges that Democrats are looking to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants in order to gain a permanent liberal majority, or, as she calls it, a 'permanent election insurrection.'  [snip]

"The idea of America as a melting pot is not some idealistic fiction of the left; it is part of the foundation of this nation’s greatness. It is in this country’s best interests to bring those millions of people who are here illegally but living honest, productive lives out of the shadows and give them a path to citizenship — an idea even some Republican lawmakers once supported before Mr. Trump and his ilk poisoned the debate.

"If there’s anything that needs replacing in this country — and in the Republican party — it’s the hateful rhetoric that Ms. Stefanik and far too many of her colleagues so shamelessly spew." --  (our emphasis) an editorial in the Albany, NY, Times-Union, from September 17, 2021, demolishing Rep. Elise "Stepped In It" Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican caucus, for her bigoted demagoguery over immigration and "replacement theory" rhetoric.  Nearly 8 months later, we're seeing that the Buffalo mass murderer was apparently motivated by that "replacement theory" nonsense.

Then, just days ago, she tweeted a despicable, QAnon-originated message that "pedo grifters" in the White House and among House Dems were sending pallets of baby formula for immigrant babies, rather than addressing the shortage in America. She's been touching all of the right-wing fever swamp's bases.

To answer the Times-Union's question from 2021, clearly there's no limit.

BONUS:  There's now a website that parodies Stefanik's support for "replacement theory."

 

Tweets Of The Day -- Cheap Tricks And Lying Trash

Republicans on the committee intentionally broke rules to pretend Adam Schiff was mistreating them. https://t.co/joaqkiJ6np

— Slate (@Slate) November 17, 2019

Nunes and Stefanik are simply awful, embarrassments to the House and to common values of decency and honesty. https://t.co/FR5kNbrWam

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) November 17, 2019

WOMEN face sexism & discrimination every  day
& we keep pressing forward.
What @EliseStefanik did in knowingly violating a rule & then falsely claiming it was sexist silencing -hurts women.
It gave life to the “playing the woman card” - something misogynists love to rail against https://t.co/zPgYI4jRDb

— Stephanie Ruhle (@SRuhle) November 16, 2019

The phrase "gun grabbing" just days after another school shooting means I'm doubling my donation to @TedraCobb: https://t.co/l520K3PwUs

Just like the @NRA, Rep. Elise Stefanik is beatable. This is a good investment. https://t.co/XC8JYK2bnf

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) November 17, 2019

.@EliseStefanik is lying trash. Please give to her opponent, @TedraCobb. https://t.co/NDstzv2Qgr

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) November 16, 2019

The undoctored photo was enough to make the point tbh pic.twitter.com/MRDPyOOM6G

— Schooley (@Rschooley) November 17, 2019

For your consideration:

We are $100,000 away from our goal of $1 million raised to flip #NY21

Will you pitch in whatever you can to help defeat DC insider @EliseStefanik?https://t.co/6CMH7QhNvs

— Tedra Cobb for Congress (@TedraCobb) November 17, 2019