#senator thune

[deadpresidents]

Trump is saying he wants to skirt the senate confirmation process for recess appointments and he won't support a Senate majority leader that doesn't agree. Do you think the senate will actually give up their power so willingly?

I think there are still enough legislators (at least in the Senate) who believe in separation of powers and aren't willing to give away their branch's role as something close to an equal partner in governing that they will not give that away so easily. I think that's why the Senate Republicans probably ended up choosing John Thune as Majority Leader today. However, they are so beholden to the cult of personality that the MAGA movement has built around Trump that the only reason Thune ended up winning is because the Senate leader was chosen in a secret ballot. If those votes were public, I guarantee Rick Scott would have been elected Majority Leader today.

[news26]

Thune wins secret ballot to become new Senate GOP leader, succeeding McConnell

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[usabreakingnews81]

John Thune Picked to Lead Senate Republicans Over Trumpworld Objections.Read More

[undergroundusa]

"How is it that any US Senator on the Republican conservative side of the aisle is allowing this communist Chinese-friendly Uniparty reprobate to have any voice in what happens in the next Congress?…"

ORIGINAL CONTENT: https://www.undergroundusa.com/p/time-to-ditch-mitch-and-his-deep

READ, SUBSCRIBE, SHARE PROTECT FREE SPEECH

[destiel-news-network]

(Source)

Thune was selected over Cornyn and Scott (with Scott being seen as the closest Senator to Trump). He takes over from Mitch McConnell, who was Senate Republican Leader for eighteen years.

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

Thune and Cornyn were McConnell’s right and left hand. They’re old school shady corporate shills who will answer to the oligarchs.

That being said they’re light years better than Prick Scott who is possibly the most corrupt member of the Senate ever. He’s also a convert to MAGA and is beyond deranged in his devotion to Trump’s madness. He is an evil, petty, and tyrannical little man. He’s the richest person in Congress and an oligarch in his own right. With MAGA Republicans you get shady or diabolically evil.

🤢

[girlactionfigure]

Senator John Thune:

To our allies in Israel, and to the Jewish people around the world, my message to you is this: Reinforcements are on the way.

In six weeks, Republicans will reclaim the Senate majority, and we will make clear that the United States Congress stands squarely in Israel’s corner.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Mark Sumner at Daily Kos:

President Joe Biden loves bipartisanship. He loves it in ways that have long frustrated his progressive supporters. His 35 years in the Senate gave him an enormous fondness for the cut and thrust of beating out a compromise and a lasting image of the chamber as the final stronghold of maintaining political comity in the face of disagreement. 

The Senate as Biden likes to envision it doesn’t exist. It likely never did. However, even when only a handful of Republicans have signed on, Biden has still insisted on calling his infrastructure and CHIPS bills “bipartisan legislation.” And when it came to providing the funding that kept supplies flowing to Ukraine in the face of an illegal Russian invasion, Biden got a genuine bipartisan majority in the Senate. Americans in and out of government say they want more bipartisanship. Biden wants to give it to them, even now. But as Republicans scramble to pick a replacement for outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, there are three big demands on the table: get rid of the seniority system for committee assignments, impose a term limit on leadership positions, and never, ever compromise. The death of bipartisanship is a base requirement.

When future histories are written, assuming that they are, it’s safe to say that McConnell will not be remembered fondly. Whether it’s his cowardice in failing to hold Donald Trump to account, or his work in destroying democracy in general and the judiciary in particular, with his spectacular double betrayal of tradition that gave Trump two undeserved additional seats on the Supreme Court.  Just like Trump, McConnell’s political history has largely involved showing that even when he seems to have found the bottom, there is always something lower.  But even McConnell could occasionally be found on the right side of history—like on that Ukraine bill. The guy who has proudly called himself the “grim reaper” of bills, the one most responsible for converting the Senate into the palace of eternal filibuster, where nothing moves without 60 votes, is now seen as too accommodating. 

If the growing MAGA faction gets its way, any McConnell replacement will be 0% compromise 100% of the time. As Politico reports, three candidates are vying for McConnell’s job: John Cornyn, Rick Scott, and John Thune. 

Mitch McConnell’s replacement as Republican Senate leader will likely be more in tune with the MAGA movement, especially if Rick Scott is the one chosen.

[cazort]

Hey guys, so Senate Republicans didn't pick Trump's favorite, the ultra-far-right, Rick Scott, and instead picked John Thune, to be Senate Majority Leader.

This is significant for multiple reasons. One, he differs from Trump's views on a number of issues. He is pro-Ukraine, he has worked to block Trump's attempted cuts to the 340B program (which cuts prescription drug costs for low-income people), he's sponsored legislation to encourage employers to pay off their employees' student loans, and he defended NAFTA when Trump tried to get out of it. He also in 2020 opposed Trump's continued efforts to overturn the election results.

The Republican party has been overrun by extremism for a long time and I want to make clear, Thune still takes a long list of stances I disagree with. But he is more moderate than Cornyn and much more moderate than Rick Scott, the two other contenders. I haven't seen a lot of examples over the past 10 years of where the Republicans moderated themselves, but this is one of them.

Senate Republicans picked the most-moderate and most anti-Trump of the three contenders and this is very significant and is a hopeful sign. In particular it shows that Trump may have less influence over the internals of the Republican party than some people think he might have. It also points to the Republicans probably not blindly rubber-stamping everything he wants, but instead, seeing him as someone who needs to be kept in check.

What does this mean for you? Especially if you live in a red state, write your senators about issues that concern you. They might listen. When Trump was trying to cut 340B, there was pushback and that's why Republicans didn't cut it. When Trump contested the 2020 election results, there was pushback and some Republicans did speak out. There is already pushback on many of Trump's economic plans.

Make some noise, be heard. Even in red states.

What are some things to make noise about?

Tariffs - They will be terrible for the economy. They are hard to remove if enacted. We don't want them. Voice your opposition to them.

Abortion rights - Tell the government to stay out of private medical decisions.

Trans rights and gender issues. You can frame these issues as small government too. Tell them you don't want government to have anything to do with gender and you want to leave medical care as a private thing between doctors and patients.

Public lands - Tell them you oppose selling off public lands or selling oil leases on them and such

Any programs the Trump administration tries to cut that are important. Public transit, climate change related grants, healthcare, you name it. Pay attention to the news and if something you feel passionate about comes up, write in.

Foreign policy - whether supporting Ukraine, or opposing US continuing to give money and arms to Israel, make your voices heard. You can frame your opposition to Israeli aid as an "America first" policy...ask them why we are giving so many billions to Israel when we have so many needs here, when that money could be either spent domestically, used to pay down our debt, or used to lower taxes? Speak the Republicans' language.

Specific Appointments - Call out specific appointees you dislike. Don't fuss about everyone, pick the worst ones and focus on them. For example right now I think the worst one has been Pete Hegseth. He has no relevant experience and is entirely unqualified, and on top of that has pushed for awful things like ignoring when US soldiers are accused of war crimes. Voice your concerns and say you want him voted down and you want to demand a more qualified candidate.

Yeah. No need to sit around feeling hopeless. There is wiggle room even in a Republican-dominated government. The Republicans have already moved towards the center with this gesture and this shows they will potentially cave to pressure if they get enough of it.

Pick and choose the most important battles and fight them.

[tomorrowusa]

Senate Republicans choose the least bad candidate to succeed Mitch McConnell

The MAGA/Musk favorite, Rick Scott of Florida, was eliminated early.

John Thune elected to Senate leadership in rebuke to Trump allies Elon Musk was among those pushing for Florida senator Rick Scott to get top job

South Dakota senator John Thune will be the next Republican leader in the Senate and the most powerful Republican on Capitol Hill, after garnering the support of a majority of the party’s lawmakers in the upper chamber of Congress. Thune was selected to replace Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell as the Senate’s top Republican in a secret ballot on Wednesday morning. The result is a rebuke to allies of president-elect Donald Trump, including billionaire Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk and former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, who had all pushed for Florida senator Rick Scott to get the top job. Scott was eliminated in the first round of voting, and Thune defeated Texas senator John Cornyn in the second round to secure the backing of the majority of his colleagues.

This is an early indication that Trump won't get all he wants in the Senate.

Take a look at the political calendar. If you count the impending vacancies for Vance and Rubio, 22 GOP Senate seats will be up for election in 2026; for Democrats, the number is just 13. Also, Donald Trump is a lame duck. His influence on 2026 midterms will be similar to George W. Bush's influence in 2006 when Dems flipped the Senate.

So with the Thune election, Republicans may already be contemplating the post-MAGA era.

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[mylionheart2]

[davidaugust]

It sounds like Thune is open to recess appointments but not set on them yet. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/13/south-dakota-senator-john-thune-says-recess-appointments-still-an-option-for-trump-cabinet/76265376007/

We can, by contacting our Senators and Representatives demand the full advising and consenting of appointments (and yes, Representatives can add pressure to the Senate to not do recess appointments).

Find yours: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

[undergroundusa]

Sorry, but after Thune's unforgivable kneejerk judgment of Trump on Jan. 6, he will have to earn my trust that he is a full-fledged member of the anti-Deep State reformation movement. He was just too close to Mitch McConnell for any true conservative's liking.

https://substack.com/profile/129788551-frank-salvato/note/c-77027459

[bamimilyt6]

new senate majority leader looks like he's itching to akumatize somebody

[gwydionmisha]

US Senate Republicans pick insider John Thune as their next leader