GOP Civil War: It begins…

Remember that political realignment that many of us have been waiting for?

It has begun.

Republican voters and donors are at war with the Congressional leadership or lack thereof.

Here are two samples to prove my point. Folks, the heat is on and the GOP may lose their majority and I really don’t care. Ya’ll have done nothing so its time to get some new people in Washington.

For Republican Leaders in Congress, the Headaches Keep Mounting

An audiotape surfaced of Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, lambasting Republican leaders and urging conservative donors to close their wallets to lawmakers who are disloyal to President Trump.

Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are making no attempt to mask their fear, predicting that failure to pass a tax overhaul in the coming months will lead to a wipeout in next year’s midterm elections. For the first time, some senators are contemplating whether their advantages on the electoral map next year could crumble amid a wave of primary challenges and other departures, putting their two-seat majority in jeopardy next year.

Mr. Trump is not helping. Speaking at a high-dollar fund-raiser for his re-election at Le Cirque restaurant in New York last week, Mr. Trump asked contributors what they would think if he worked with Democrats on health care, should Republicans prove unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act, according to a dinner attendee.

“I might very well end up making a deal with the Democrats,” he said, drawing applause.

GOP Donors Grow Skittish Over Lack of Legislative Progress

At a gathering of Koch network donors at a luxury resort nestled in the Rocky Mountains over the weekend, major Texas-based GOP donor Doug Deason announced that he and roughly 10 other Dallas donors have chosen to withhold funds until the White House and Republican-led Congress notch some significant legislative victories.

“Get Obamacare repealed and replaced, get tax reform passed,” Deason said, according to the Associated Press. “You control the Senate. You control the House. You have the presidency. There’s no reason you can’t get this done. Get it done and we’ll open it back up.”

NFL Thru the Eyes of Others

Dear readers, I keep hoping that Mr. X will chime in on this issue but I’ve heard that he has been having hurricane issues; whether that means the kind in Puerto Rico or the local tavern, I’m not sure. Anyway, I saw a few things on Facebook and elsewhere that reflect how I feel so I thought I would post them.

Those who make the decisions in on Madison Avenue are giving the powers that be in the NFL’s crystal palace an opportunity to rectify the situation, but if things don’t change and the advertisers start feeling the impact on their bottom line, there will be some changes made in how a few key players in the marketing world shell out their revenue. That is one thing that will get the attention of the NFL.

Advertisers To NFL And Its Players: Clean Up Your Act. Or Else…

The National Football League’s more muted approach in recent days to responding to attacks from President Donald Trump followed a tense meeting last week in which several owners argued the league’s combative stance was unproductive, according to three people familiar with the meeting.

However, multiple owners at the meeting said they needed to avoid the likely repercussions of a lingering feud with the president over an issue that resonated with many fans. While the league didn’t issue a directive and there were no reports of owners forbidding players from protesting, several clubs took steps to reduce tensions in the days that followed the meeting.

NFL Owners Clashed in Private Over Protests

In poll after poll, Americans have expressed their disapproval of NFL players who refuse to stand for the national anthem as a form of protest.

In a CBS poll, 52 percent of respondents said they strongly or somewhat disapprove of players kneeling during the anthem. Thirty-eight percent said they strongly or somewhat approve, and nine percent wouldn’t say.

And an ESPN poll showed Americans disapprove of the protests by 51 to 39 percent.

A full 55 percent of Fox News poll respondents said it was inappropriate, compared with 41 percent who said it’s appropriate.

CNN asked, “Do you think athletes who protest by kneeling during the national anthem are doing the right thing or the wrong thing to express their political opinion?” Forty-nine percent of respondents said players are doing the wrong thing. Just 43 percent said they’re doing the right thing, and eight percent said they didn’t know.

Hot Air reports that NFL owners have seen a surge in requests for ticket refunds due to the national anthem controversy.

Should ‘King of Beers’ dump NFL?

“The National Football League and its owners have shown their fans and marketing partners that they do not have a comprehensive policy to ensure that players stand and show respect for America and our flag during the playing of the national anthem,” Steve Kalafer said in a statement. “We have cancelled all of our NFL advertising on the Optimum and Infinity (cable) networks.”

N.J. mega car dealer pulls TV ads over NFL protests

 

I’ll get to Las Vegas in a day or two but know that my prayers are with the folks dealing with injury and loss.