Quo Vadis GOP?

[Syt]

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/texas-congressman-apologizes-for-affair-with-first-lady-of-isis-and-ends-campaign

Texas congressman apologizes for affair with 'first lady of ISIS' and ends campaign

Reeling from accusations of an affair with the so-called ISIS bride, Texas Rep. Van Taylor bowed out of his reelection bid Wednesday and apologized to his family.

The Republican lawmaker also confessed to the infidelity — rumors of which dogged him during the final days of his primary campaign. After Tuesday's primary contest, Taylor was facing a runoff after narrowly failing to surpass the 50% threshold needed to win the nomination outright.

"About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world," Taylor said. "I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life. I want to apologize for the pain I have caused with my indiscretion, most of all to my wife Anne and our three daughters," he wrote in an email to supporters.

Taylor was the front-runner in the race, finishing Tuesday's primary with about 49% of the vote. About five days before the primary took place, Tania Joya came forward with details of her relationship with Taylor to one of his primary challengers, Suzanne Harp, who finished third, the Dallas Morning News reported. Details of the affair quickly trickled out.

On Monday, Breitbart published a story with screenshots of alleged text messages and bank statements corroborating Joya's account of events. She told the news outlet that the affair transpired between November 2020 and June 2021 and that Taylor paid her $5,000 to keep quiet about their escapade. Joya needed the money to pay off credit card bills.

Media outlets have dubbed Joya the "ISIS bride" and the "first lady of ISIS." She was married to notorious ISIS fighter Yahya al Bahrumi for 12 years, the Times of Israel reported. At one point, Bahrumi was rumored to be the highest-ranking U.S. recruit to ISIS and a leader of its English propaganda campaigns, per the outlet. He is believed to have died in 2017, according to AFP.

Joya has since distanced herself from Islamic extremism. She first met Taylor while working on an initiative to de-radicalize extremists.

Taylor was the incumbent in the race for Texas's 3rd Congressional District. He was first elected to the seat in 2018 and won reelection in 2020. The district has historically been a Republican stronghold — a trend that is expected to continue after redistricting, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Just short of offering an overt endorsement, Taylor mentioned in his email to supporters that he spoke to Keith Shelf, the second-place finisher in the primary with about 26.5% of the vote, and wished him "the best" in his campaign for the seat. He did not mention Harp in that email.

During his tenure in Congress, Taylor drew ire from a faction of his base for voting to certify the 2020 election and establish a nonpartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill, Roll Call reported.

[HVC]

Can't trust a ISIS bride to take a bribe in good faith, who would have thought.

Also, you know, cheating politician, but that happens all the time.

[Valmy]

More glory for the great state of Texas I see. My home sweet home.

Ah well. At least I am not Russian.

[Jacob]

Seeing social media claims that some GOP infrastructure is hosted in Russia - allegedly to keep it beyond the reach of US investigations.

I wonder if it's true, and whether anything will come of it.

[Admiral Yi]

What do you mean by GOP infrastructure?

[Jacob]

What do you mean by GOP infrastructure?

Mail servers, organizing websites, data centres... that sort of thing.

[viper37]

More glory for the great state of Texas I see. My home sweet home.

Ah well. At least I am not Russian.

Sweet home Texabama?

I suppose not being Russian is a good consolation price

[Syt]

https://www.wral.com/us-rep-madison-cawthorn-calls-zelensky-thug/20180199/

US Rep. Madison Cawthorn calls Ukrainian president a 'thug'

RALEIGH, N.C. — U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina told supporters he thought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a "thug"—a comment that runs counter to the overwhelming share of Republicans with a favorable view of the leader fending off a military invasion from Russia.

"Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug," Cawthorn said in a video obtained by WRAL. "Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies."

The congressman's spokesman, Luke Ball, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video. It was unclear where the video was taken. Cawthorn had a number of events in the state over the weekend.

Cawthorn, who is running for reelection in the state's westernmost district, faces a string of primary challengers.

One of his 11th Congressional District opponents, Michele Woodhouse, called the comments out of touch and "boorish" and said she considers Zelenskyy "a hero."

Karl Rove, who served as former President George W. Bush's deputy chief of staff, first reported the remarks in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. He wrote that the event took place in Asheville over the weekend and said he thought the remarks "didn't reflect Republican opinion."

Republican state Sen. Chuck Edwards, who is taking up a more ideologically centered lane in his primary bid against Cawthorn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Public opinion polls show Cawthorn's comments are out of step with members of his own party. A national Quinnipiac University survey of U.S. adults released this week found that 64% of American adults have a favorable opinion of Zelenskyy, with 29% saying they haven't heard enough about him and only 6% having an unfavorable opinion.

Among Republicans, 61% reported a favorable opinion of the Ukrainian president, far above the 6% share with an unfavorable view. Thirty-one percent of Republicans said they hadn't heard enough about Zelenskyy.

[Admiral Yi]

Among Republicans, 61% reported a favorable opinion of the Ukrainian president, far above the 6% share with an unfavorable view. Thirty-one percent of Republicans said they hadn't heard enough about Zelenskyy.

Well, that's something. 

[crazy canuck]

31% of Republicans are completely ignorant of what is happening in the world.  That is something.

[Sheilbh]

31% of Republicans are completely ignorant of what is happening in the world.  That is something.

Better than I would have expected

[crazy canuck]

31% of Republicans are completely ignorant of what is happening in the world.  That is something.

Better than I would have expected

Not really, you are much younger than me.  There was a time when the GOP could put forward a foreign affairs strategy that made some sense.  My bet is that most everyone in the GOP could name the Russian leader and probably the majority of the other consequential leaders.

It  shows just how isolationist the US and particularly the US right has become.

[Jacob]

Among Republicans, 61% reported a favorable opinion of the Ukrainian president, far above the 6% share with an unfavorable view. Thirty-one percent of Republicans said they hadn't heard enough about Zelenskyy.

Well, that's something. 

I guess we'll see to what degree a sustained Fox propaganda campaign combined with "grassroots" social media efforts will move those numbers.

[Razgovory]

I'm surprised that more Republicans don't have a beef with Zelenskyy over the impeachment thing.

[Josquius]

Cracks forming between the nuts and extreme but not quite insane conservatives?