On national and State levels, what was “the party of Lincoln” offers little to solve problems party leaders paint as dire. At best, an occasional “bipartisan” - i.e., w/members of both major parties cooperating - will be offered, then crushed by Dear Exalted Leader. [FN1] 1/6

There is an ideology, of sorts: nihilism. Chicago columnist Mike Royko once said it’s easier to be a conservative than a liberal because it’s easier to give somebody the finger than to extend a helping hand. Today’s news shows how people (somehow) miss the obvious. 2/6

Dan Coats (GOP) was elected to represent Indiana in Congress. [FN2] Coats also was DNI in the trump administration. [FN3] In “War,” written by Bob Woodward & to be released this week, Coats is said to have believed Russia’s Putin was blackmailing trump. [FN4] 3/6

Putin hates us. [FN5] This iteration of the GOP, nat’ & in Indiana, is suffused w/ a vile cynicism. At the State level, Hoosiers can look at State-wide GOP races. But trump as asset for Russia is serious. So: remember to follow Cassie Jackson on Facebook. #BrainsNotBraun 4/6

Footnotes:
FN1. Kapur, Sahil and Kate Santaliz, “Senate Republicans block border security bill as they campaign on border chaos,” NBC News, 5/23/24. accessed 10/20/24.
FN2. Coats, a Republican, served in the U.S. House (1981-89) and the U.S. Senate (2011-17).
FN3. Director of National Intelligence, 3/16/17 to 8/15/19. 5/6

Footnotes:
FN4. Hirsch, Michael, “What a New Book’s Explosive Revelations Tell Us About Biden, Trump, and Putin,” Foreign Policy, 10/9/24, accessed 10/20/24.
FN5. In 2007, Putin compared the US to the Third Reich, Also, we provided lots of materiel in Afghanistan that was used to shoot down a lot of Soviet aircraft. 6/6