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It's Come To This's avatar

If Cornyn and Tillis found some testicular man-bits lying around, it had to do with the self-dealing IRS agreement, not with any moral outrage over Epstein, Iran, ICE murders, or any of the other daily violations of law and usurpation of Congressional authority that are a hallmark of Trump 2.0.

Extraordinarily tiny man-bits indeed, if truth be told.

Pam Birkenfeld's avatar

I think they really need to find some estrogen because it seems like the women are carrying a lot of of the load these days.

Steven Branch's avatar

I totally agree with you, Pam. For quite some time I have believed that the world would be a better place with less testosterone (yes, "Botox" Pete) and more estrogen.

Rex Farley's avatar

I agree 💯,how much more will We,the People ask of these brave, courageous women? Every damm rTumplican and their families should be ashamed at the treatment these "survivors " has endured!🤬🤬🤬🤬👺👺👺👺

Tim Matchette's avatar

Would not help these low lifes.

CharlesI's avatar

Well said! I had to laugh.

LiverpoolFCfan's avatar

"Blanche’s abject unfitness goes well beyond his Epstein malfeasance."

In my Perfect World fantasy, disbarred Blanche and disgraced-and-bankrupt Trump will go into business together: "Todd and Don's Scrap Metal and Junk" business, where they will sell meme coins under the table to devoted former MAGA cultists, and the crimes will be too petty for the authorities to take notice of.

No headlines for you!

John Gregory's avatar

would that put them in competition with Four Seasons Landscaping, the scene of one of Rudi Giuliani's final public relations successes?

Richard Hennick's avatar

John, Four Seasons Total Landscaping was a completely innocent bystander in November 2020. Rudy apparently wanted to book the Four Seasons Hotel but called them instead; presumably he was in his habitual state of intoxication.

I am proud to own one of their "Make America Rake Again" souvenir t-shirts, likely one of the few in Canada; I keep it for special occasions. They are still in the landscaping business and the gift shop is still open. I doubt that they have ever been DJT supporters.

https://www.fstl1992.com/shop

John Gregory's avatar

understood. My comment intended no disrespect to the landscapers, just to Trump and his incompetent minions.

Signe K.'s avatar

I prefer “All You Can Eat Fill Dirt and Croissants,” an open-air stand at the Trump Dump.

Linda T. Cades's avatar

Looking back to 2017, I continue to be both amazed and appalled at the cowardice of Republican Senate "leaders." They had a chance to rid our country of Trump and his enablers forever when he was impeached. Twice.

With front row seats to every horrible thing Trump has done since January 2025, they continue to cower in fear of him. Cornyn continued to do that even when Trump repaid his foolish loyalty by costing him another term in the Senate. It makes one wonder why the IRS deal finally crossed Cornyn's red line when nothing else did.

It has long been said that the lies we tell ourselves are far worse than those we tell others. For an excellent analysis of why people in power continue to support even the worst political "leaders," I recommend Anne Applebaum's excellent article "HISTORY WILL JUDGE THE COMPLICIT: Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?"

Ms. Applebaum's essay was published in the Atlantic's July/August 2020 issue, and it helps explain why Republican "leaders" continue to do whatever Trump wants, no matter what. That article alone is a good reason to subscribe to The Atlantic.

Fritz Brenner's avatar

Regarding Cornyn's red line, I think you answered your own question in the previous sentence. The Felon cost him the opportunity to run for another term, and this is revenge, pure and simple. The IRS deal is merely an excuse.

One could ask, however, why Cornyn didn't choose to use Epstein's survivors as his excuse, which might have been just as much an excuse as the IRS deal but with some moral weight behind it. Wait, I just made the mistake of using "moral" in reference to a Republican. My bad.

As for the complicit, they are complicit and willingly so. Project 2025 is a compendium of every fever dream the right has had since, at least, Reagan. Unfortunately, it's being implemented. We were warned. They published it ahead of the election. And yet a significant enough number of people didn't take it seriously.

That said, I will seek out Anne Applebaum's article. Thanks for the recommendation.

Linda T. Cades's avatar

Thanks for writing Fritz. I agree. I wish Cornyn had decided to oppose Trump on behalf of the Epstein survivors too, or for that matter, due to dozens of other horrible things Trump has done. Yes, Cornyn's belated opposition is revenge for Trump's costing him his seat, but so what? It's not as if Cornyn will be living in a box on some street corner. He will go off to a lucrative lobbying job. And, with any luck, Trump's decision to back Paxton will backfire and cost Republicans a Senate seat.

I do have to wonder why Cornyn's soon to be former colleagues keep cowering in fear of Trump. Yes, one at a time, he can defeat them. However, if enough of them got together, they could impeach and convict him and still have two years to prepare for 2028. Somehow, they all think they can ride this out and still stay in power after November. I hope they all go down with Trump.

David Moscatello's avatar

The only "principles" I have observed among Republicans in fifty years are an unquenchable desire for money and power and a willingness to lie, cheat, and steal to get there, being anti-science, being total hypocrites about religion and "law and order" (which applies only to people of color, low income folks, and all Democrats, but not to themselves), and a requirement to exhibit a total absence of empathy for anyone but other Republicans and far right terrorists.

Oh, sure, they TALK about fiscal responsibility, then blow up the deficit on wars and other idiocy that does nothing to help any Americans, but leaves us in ever more debt. They TALK about morality while lying, stealing, and abusing those they choose, and protecting pedophiles, rapists, and far-right terrorists. They TALK about "waste, fraud, and abuse" as if it's something they fight, instead of what they ALL take part in. They TALK about respecting "God's creation" while deliberately accelerating the destruction of the natural environment. They TALK about "personal responsibility" while evading responsibility at all costs.

JohnC-Va's avatar

Watch, the entire fascist cult will cite chapter and verse of the Constitution once Democrats begin to wield power again. It would be nice if all of those independent voters who so disapprove of what Stinking Diapers is doing followed through and flushed out of office every Congressional bootlicker with an R after its name, but that’s too much to ask for. So we’ll be stuck with them as they do a 180 and become all law and order on us with a Democratic Congress and presidency.

Tom Desmond's avatar

What courage they have found still seems to be pretty limited. They also continue to be clueless about what sort of creature Trump really is:

"Mr. Cornyn repeatedly expressed astonishment that the administration did not simply comply with what he regarded as a narrow request to place limits on a deal."

After the continuous duplicity, self-dealing, and open corruption of the past 18 months, how can Cornyn still be surprised by this? If anything, he should have expected it.

David Moscatello's avatar

They ALL know EXACTLY who Trump is and have for years. Their pretense is more transparent than the clearest glass, and the fact that all the corporate 3-letter networks keep pretending otherwise and letting the Republicans they cover do the same is a journalistic crime.

Doug G's avatar

ICTT, perhaps a call to Hogsbreath is in order...

Patricia Dempsey's avatar

While I'm heartened to know that some sanity remains in the Republican party, it's frightening to learn that Blanche can remain in the role of 'acting' AG perhaps through the duration of Trump's term! How can that be possible? There was certainly something 'funny' going on that he refused to sign anything indicating that the 'slush fund' was done, over. kaput... I had read somewhere that it was written in such a way that Trump and Blanche BOTH had to sign off on it to totally dissolve it. Not sure if that's right but of course Trump doesn't want to sign it. There is no way. He's already said he's in favor of it. I hope the sleaze that is the Republican party receives the trouncing they deserve in November and the Democrats can begin trying to get Trump out of there. As to impeachment, perhaps the third time is the charm...

Marliss Desens's avatar

I think that there is a time limit on how long a person can serve in an acting role without Senate confirmation, but as I recall from Trump 1.0, it was too long.

wendy moluf's avatar

I think it would be long enough to cover the rest of the term, sadly.

Marliss Desens's avatar

I looked at some of the legal stuff, via Google, and sadly, you may be correct.

William Darian Boggs's avatar

It's true. The law allows some acting Secretaries to remain in place through the end of the administration if they were confirmed as deputy Secretary previously. The AG is one of those positions.

During the Biden administration, Julie Su was the deputy Secretary of Labor, and when he Secretary of Labor left to become NHL commissioner, she became acting Secretary of Labor according to:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/552#:~:text=There%20is%20established%20in%20the,and%20consent%20of%20the%20Senate.

There is a similar statute for the DOJ.

Harvey Perry's avatar

In Trump world, if Blanche stepped down for 24 hours and was reappointed the next day, the time period limit would start over.

Martin Reiter's avatar

I don’t think sanity has any bearing on the matters at hand. It is all gamesmanship, but we are not really allowed to know what exactly is the game. Or what winning looks like.

Steve 218's avatar

We should be so lucky as to have the "three strikes and you're out" in baseball apply to Trump.

Tim Matchette's avatar

Pretty obvious the fat felon is telling his ass kissing lawyer not to sign away his sweetheart deal. That's exactly the hold up. Diaper wearing donny will pull blanche's nomination and keep him in an acting role. Come November, it will not keep blanche from the boot. Payback is a bitch.

Chris Dortch's avatar

God bless the survivors of the Epstein horror, because they have more courage and perseverance than the toadies in Congress who have sat idly by and let Trump destroy our country, ruin relationships with long-time allies, and threaten the world order. If only the 75 million or so who cast a vote for that buffoon had bothered to look up his business history. He's trashed our country just like he did numerous other businesses. Whatever the opposite of the Midas Touch is, he's got it. I hope the survivors get the justice they deserve, and I hope Trump's involvement with Epstein is revealed and millions of people who voted for him suddenly see that he's a sexual predator, not the messiah the Evangelicals seem to think he is. Those folks must not be very bright, either that, or abortion was their only concern, not whether Trump could actually handle being president. Again, it was easy to research that he clearly can't handle a one-hour photo counter, let alone be president of the United States.

Elvi's avatar

Kudos also to the very courageous, creative, and smart Katie Phang for her lawsuit to gain access to all those illegally withheld Epstein files.

Steve 218's avatar

Well said, Chris! Bravo.

Chris Dortch's avatar

Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without The Contrarian as a platform for my daily rants!

Steve 218's avatar

Chris, don't you mean 'without' The Contrarian?

BTW, I wouldn't call your output 'rants'. Spirited, intelligent discussion comes more to mind.

Chris Dortch's avatar

I did and edited it. I appreciate your kind words.

Doug G's avatar

While I hope that the Blanche nomination is finished, the history of this regime and its compliant Congress makes me think otherwise: the willows will bend in a storm.

Thomas Moore's avatar

I cannot help but suspect that they are at this moment crafting wishy-washy language that will allow Blanche to APPEAR to satisfy Congress while still leaving Diaper Don with the wiggle room to do what he wants. You know this is true!

End game is for Trump to hire his Jan 6 storm troopers to do it again.

Andrew Goldstein's avatar

When it comes to a spine, Cornyn and Tillis should take an anatomy lesson from the Epstein survivors. Their courage and strength to stand up to the Todd Blanches of the world is beyond measure.

Michelle Jordan's avatar

There’s many reasons not to confirm Todd Blanche. The Epstein survivors is one of his lack of moral character and so is the fact that he’s been The felon’s personal defense attorney. He answers only to Donald Trump not the citizens of the United States. He is clearly unqualified for this job. The two Epstein survivors did a magnificent job of showing their courage and resilience on Capitol Hill. It’s a great comfort and blessing knowing they will always have each other’s backs.

Deepak Puri's avatar

Learn more about Todd Blanche with these interactive relationship maps:

Follow Todd Blanche's connections with others in the Epstein files using this map.

https://thedemlabs.org/2026/07/09/todd-blanche-epstein-files-coverup-map/

Why is Karyna Shuliak, Epstein's assistant about to inherit $100 million from his estate while Epstein's abuse victims get nothing? Check this relationship map and ask Todd Blanche.

https://embed.kumu.io/7c3609c5e4eb35507b7870728a179bed

Guardians of Pedophiles (GOP) push Trump’s lawyer to be Attorney General: Meet the sexual abuse victims they want you to ignore

https://thedemlabs.org/2026/07/16/todd-blanche-trump-epstein-files-coverup/

Linda MacDonald's avatar

What burns me is this senate committee approved blanche the FIRST time! And the disgraced bondi. They've seen what he's been doing for about 18 months and only 2, for whatever reason, are not yet willing to move him to the full senate. Meantime the gop approved another questionable person to head up the office of national intelligence....a guy who will not say that Biden won the 2020 presidential election. We need to face the fact that there is no longer a conservative political party called republican. That party is dead, replaced by a reactionary, radicalized extremist movement that has decided that dictatorship is preferable to democracy.

Robert Manz's avatar

As always, clear and forceful.

Glenn Burkhardt's avatar

"Frankly, any Republican with an ounce of respect for the Constitution, let alone empathy for Epstein’s survivors, should have rejected Blanche out of hand when Trump first nominated him."

Exactly. It's so disappointing that are there only two Republican senators the ones opposing this horrible appointment, and they are because they are lame ducks.

Christiana’s Progress's avatar

We all owe these women and everyone fighting against Blanche’s confirmation a huge thanks.

Rich Johns's avatar

That Blanche’s confirmation dangles on the thread of IRS immunity for felon Trump is astounding to me; are there not women in Cornyn’s and Tillis’s lives to take them to task? And why do all the other republican senators get a pass?

Cynthia Phillips's avatar

As for Cornyn, he has always been like this. It is the "business" or transactional mindset. Business minded people first look to see if they can leverage a deal, then they think about the ethics as an after thought. Cornyn can't seem to wrap his head around the fact that transactions require a rational, ethical negotiating partner and he does not have one here.

Trump is not rational. Therefore, what seem like good offers are ignored. Trump is a toddler who can't control himself and requires external control. Trump decided Cornyn and Tillis were "weak" because they lost and now he cannot imagine them standing up to him.

Cornyn illustrates the inherent weakness in the business minded approach. Business is amoral.

Gary Walters's avatar

The fact that Republicans have no spine is not that shocking. In most cases they seem to be in agreement with this incompetent lawless President and his clown car of fools who are supposedly running the government. This administration is only interested in how much money they can steal from the taxpayers and squeeze out of foreign governments. Coryn and Tillis are hardly profiles in courage. Both are tepidly grinding a tiny ax after the moron torpedoed their political careers. At this point in the game, it is plain to see that no Republican is interested in the good of the country, it is all about filling their pockets and screwing anyone that objects.

Carol Gamm's avatar

We all hope that Cornyn and Tillis will continue to show some spine and decency, given that they have nothing to lose. How sad that the rest of Senate Republicans would vote to confirm Blanche. Anyone want to live in Trump’s version of East Germany?

Sara P's avatar

Blanche is perfect for donny. A nightmare for everyone else. One more reason to organize,vote blue, throw the spineless grifter and liars out.

Steven Branch's avatar

The minute the AG nominee made the statement that made him look like a complete fool "I love you, sir," that should have been enough to disqualify this suck ass candidate from becoming head of the Justice (Injustice) Department.

Of course, this most assuredly sealed the deal with the object of his sycophantic, nauseating affection.

It isn't often that we witness someone facilitate their own public humiliation and abasement but this candidate pulled it off with his very own words.