Ban "Unicorn Poop" says Romney

Asshole Alert

• The corrupt Internet Oligarchs are openly raping Conservative free speech and banning Conservatives from banking services - - - - So what does Romney get worked up about? Vaping.
• I am so proud of my 2012 third party protest vote against the Romney-Ryan ticket.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney argued that flavored e-cigarettes and vaping juices like “unicorn poop” should be banned because of their attractiveness to children.

President Donald Trump hosted a lively discussion at the White House about the benefits and dangers of vaping flavors. The president spent over an hour listening to supporters for banning vaping flavors as well as vape industry advocates who have sharply criticized the president’s proposed ban.

Senator Mitt Romney participated in the discussion in support of a ban on flavored vaping. He argued that most adults were not using vape flavors, earning a strong reaction from vape industry supporters who disagreed.

Romney noted that flavors like “unicorn poop” were branded that way to appeal to children.

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Rand Paul Betrays Conservatives on the Wall

GOP Senators crap their pants is FEAR they will have to back Trump on the Wall

• Sen. Rand Paul has disappointed me yet again. He is doing his usual pussy, limp-wristed libertarian discussion group BS - - - - meanwhile the open borders Dems & GOP have brought knives and chains to a street fight with Trump.

Vice President Mike Pence faced a wall of resistance from Senate Republicans on Tuesday as he tried to sell President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration on the southern border, according to multiple GOP sources.

The pointed reception at the GOP lunch raised further doubts among Senate Republicans that the administration will be able to hold down defections on a crucial vote to block the president in the coming weeks.

“There was a lot of passion from some of our members. And I think there is some skepticism. People are just genuinely concerned that we’re doing the right thing,” said one Republican senator, who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

Pence told Republicans that Trump’s plan to unilaterally shift billions in military spending to border wall construction was not like President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration, according to four attendees. 

The Open Borders GOP never passes up an opportunity to raise the white flag and surrender.

He argued Trump is using an existing law and money approved by Congress, unlike Obama’s efforts to shield some immigrants from deportation.

But it appeared Pence’s pitch did little to move wavering GOP senators.

“I didn’t think his argument was very good. ‘We’ve got a crisis, that means the president can do this.’ That’s essentially the argument,” said a second Republican senator who is undecided on whether to stand with Trump.

As many as 10 Senate Republicans could support a resolution of disapproval if a vote were held today, according to four GOP senators who attended the lunch and heard Republican senators' complaints. That’s far more than the four needed to pass the legislation on a simple majority and force Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency. Currently there are three public ‘yes‘ votes in the Senate GOP conference.

As the vice president stumped for Trump’s national emergency maneuver, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) argued to Pence that his party would be ceding the high ground on the issue, one of about a half-dozen Republicans to raise questions about the move during the lunch.

“The vice president pushed back,” said a source familiar with the exchange. Pence “gave the explanation that this diverges from DACA,” the source said, referring to an Obama administration action protecting some undocumented immigrants. “We would characterize it as a very productive discussion.”

"Sen. Paul had a friendly discussion with the vice president, that if we do go down this path it will damage our ability to be considered the party of rule of law," said a Paul spokesman.

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Hey Deplorable - Feel that Dick up your ass? That is the open borders GOP.

‘I’m Stronger Than Mule Piss’ said McConnell

Via Daily Caller:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell frequently reassured President Donald Trump that the Senate would vote on his nominee to the Supreme Court, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Trump asked McConnell at one point if Senate Republicans were committed to seeing Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation through to the end, the report notes, citing interviews with senators and White House officials. McConnell replied: “I’m stronger than mule piss” on Kavanaugh, who consistently denied accusations that he assaulted three women the 1980s.

Keep reading…

Lindsey Graham Destroys Kavanaugh Accusers

Go Lindsey Go

Where the Hell has Lindsey been!  

I take back 34%, no, 39% of everything I ever said about warmonger Lindsey Graham.  He is the only member of the Republican Senate to show anything like passion or spirit.

The rest of the GOP appears to have no clue why they are there or that they are at war with the radical lunatic Left.

A Convention of Undertakers
Watching Republican Senators at the hearings is about as exciting as watching an undertakers convention.  Lindsey Graham is almost the only one with a set of balls and passion.

What's Old is Old Again: Jon Kyl Replaces McCain

RazörFist Speaks

Arizona's ongoing game of Groundhog Day revolves anew.

Rand Paul Backs Libertarian Candidate in New Mexico

One Vote Gary

One Vote Donald

• In 2012 I voted for Libertarian Party Presidential candidate Gary Johnson against the big government loving Romney/Ryan ticket. Another vote I am so proud of.
• But by 2016 I had abandoned the pansy, fantasy land Libertarians for the hard core Nationalism of Donald Trump. Yet another vote I am proud of.
• If I lived in New Mexico I would go for Johnson to send a message to the bought off political hacks in the Swamp.

(AP) — Former New Mexico governor and current Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Gary Johnson picked up the endorsement of Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky on Tuesday in his effort to unseat an incumbent Democrat.

Paul shunned Republican nominee Mick Rich, an Albuquerque construction contractor and newcomer to politics, in favor of Johnson, who was elected governor of New Mexico twice as a Republican before running for president in 2012 and 2016 on the Libertarian ticket.

Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of Albuquerque is seeking a second term in the November election.

Johnson and Paul share an enthusiasm for extremely limited government. In a news release, Paul praised Johnson as a "true fiscal conservative" and for his dedication to reducing the size of government and improving services as governor of New Mexico.

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MCCAIN: A One-Man Case for Term Limits

RazörFist Speaks

I remember what it was like to have a senator.

'Goldwater', I think his name was...

GOP Senate Votes to Fund Planned Parenthood

The GOP Waves the White Flag

• The GOP is not Marxist . . . that is a positive. Just look at Venezuela. But I can't tell if the Republicans actually believe in anything except licking the boots of Wall Street Oligarchs.

(CNSNews.com) - The Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday voted to pass an appropriations bill funding the Department of Health and Human Services that—if adopted by the House and signed by President Trump--will not only permit the continued federal funding of Planned Parenthood but will also allow the continued federal funding of scientific research that creates “humanized mice” using organs taken from aborted babies.

After some maneuvering on Thursday afternoon, the leadership allowed a floor vote on an amendment offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.) that would have prohibited all federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

That amendment was only brought up for a vote after Paul gave a blistering floor speech warning that the Republican leadership might not allow a vote on it at all.

It was brought up under a procedure that required it to get 60 votes.

It failed on a 45 to 48 vote.

By contrast, there was no vote at all in the Senate on whether to prohibit federal funding of research that uses fetal tissue taken from babies killed in an induced abortion.

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YEAs ---45

Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Capito (R-WV)
Cassidy (R-LA)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cotton (R-AR)
Crapo (R-ID)
Daines (R-MT)
Enzi (R-WY)
Ernst (R-IA)
Flake (R-AZ)
Gardner (R-CO)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kennedy (R-LA)
Lankford (R-OK)
Lee (R-UT)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Perdue (R-GA)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rounds (R-SD)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sasse (R-NE)
Scott (R-SC)
Shelby (R-AL)
Sullivan (R-AK)
Thune (R-SD)
Tillis (R-NC)
Toomey (R-PA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Young (R-IN)

NAYs ---48

Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Booker (D-NJ)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Collins (R-ME)
Coons (D-DE)
Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Duckworth (D-IL)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harris (D-CA)
Hassan (D-NH)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Jones (D-AL)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Leahy (D-VT)
Manchin (D-WV)
Markey (D-MA)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murphy (D-CT)
Nelson (D-FL)
Peters (D-MI)
Reed (D-RI)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Smith (D-MN)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-NM)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 7

Corker (R-TN)
Cruz (R-TX)
Fischer (R-NE)
Hirono (D-HI)
McCain (R-AZ)
Murray (D-WA)
Schatz (D-HI)

John McCain - RIP

John McCain Made Millions of Other People Suffer and Die

Social convention says we are supposed to express grief when a public figure dies. I have a problem with that because it is phony grief. If a politician has been pissing all over you for years then your public display of grief is BS . . . . a lie.

What I will say about McCain is in regards to the military: "Thank you for your service."

Other than that he was a warmongering prick who never saw a bloodbath around the world that he did not want us to get involved in.

My greatest political regret was voting for the McCain/Palin ticket in 2008.  Palin was the reason, but that is no excuse.

Goodbye John.

Jeff Flake is a Flake - Blocks Trumps Judicial Appointments

Outgoing GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona is blocking votes on all of President Donald Trump’s appeals court nominees to secure concessions from Republican leaders on tariffs and Cuban travel restrictions.

Flake, a Trump antagonist who is not seeking reelection amid floundering popularity with Arizona Republicans, has not openly addressed the matter, though his seat on a closely divided Senate Judiciary Committee gives him significant leverage over judgeships.

Roll Call first reported that Flake halted a committee vote on Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant’s nomination to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appeals court based in Atlanta. CNN confirmed late Wednesday that the senator will block all appeals court nominees to prompt discussions on relations with Cuba and the president’s escalating trade war with much of the industrial world.

Flake is one of 11 Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which issues recommendations on judicial nominees before a final confirmation vote. The GOP has a one-vote majority on the panel, making Flake’s cooperation essential if Republicans wish to process candidates.

Judicial nominations are a priority for the embattled Republican Senate caucus, which risks losing its tenuous majority in the November elections. A steady clip of confirmations also provides Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell meaningful victories as legislating slows ahead of the midterm campaign season.

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California may get 6 Democrat Senators

Six Democrat Senators

• California has gone from voting in 1984 for Reagan with 57.5% of the vote to 61.7% for Clinton. 
• Dividing California now only allows the Democrat population centers to elect more Democrat Senators.

(Daily Wire)  -  A new proposal to break up California into three states received enough signatures on Tuesday to make it onto the November 6 ballot. Now all it takes is a majority of California voters supporting it to start dismantling the country's most populous, wealthy and radical state.

The Los Angeles Times provides some more details on what would be "the first division of an existing U.S. state since the creation of West Virginia in 1863":

If a majority of voters who cast ballots agree, a long and contentious process would begin for three separate states to take the place of California, with one primarily centered around Los Angeles and the other two divvying up the counties to the north and south. Completion of the radical plan — far from certain, given its many hurdles at judicial, state and federal levels — would make history. ...

The proposal aims to invoke Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, the provision guiding how an existing state can be divided into new states. Draper’s plan calls for three new entities — Northern California, California and Southern California — which would roughly divide the population of the existing state into thirds.

Northern California would consist of 40 counties stretching from Oregon south to Santa Cruz County, then east to Merced and Mariposa counties. Southern California would begin with Madera County in the Central Valley and then wind its way along the existing state’s eastern and southern spine, comprising 12 counties and ultimately curving up the Pacific coast to grab San Diego and Orange counties.

The man behind the proposal is Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, who tried and failed in the past to convince Californians to divide the state into six new states — an effort undone in part because of questions about the economic viability of some of the new states, which his new proposal addresses better, and election officials invalidating many of the signatures on the proposal. Maybe the second time's the charm.

Read More . . . .

The GOP is almost extinct
Democrat vote rich Southern and Northern California would dominate the three newly created states. All the Republican counties are low population.
.
Even "Conservative" San Diego and Orange counties in SoCal voted for Clinton.

271 Trump nominees blocked by McConnell's inaction

The GOP - A Party of Whores

• Only 16 out of 51 GOP Senators bothered to sign a letter urging that The Donald's nominees be approved.
• I broke out laughing that even these 16 Senators still blame the Democrats. Sorry, the GOP is in charge. If BS "rules" block Republicans then McConnell needs to change them not play the blame game.
• The corrupt GOP Oligarchs don't give shit about the American people or Trump. They drag their feet at every opportunity while running endless Russia "investigations."

(Breitbart)  -  Conservative senators have sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) demanding that lawmakers confirm President Donald Trump’s 271 outstanding nominations and pass a spending bill before the August recess or skip the break altogether.

“We continue to witness historic obstruction by the minority party when it comes to funding the federal government and confirming the president’s nominees,” the letter said. “If we are complicit we are on the track for another last-minute spending battle come September.”

“However, if we take action now, we can break the cycle of continuing resolutions and omnibus spending deals,” the letter said. “Therefore, we want to offer our full support to expedite floor consideration, even if we must work nights and weekends and forgo the August recess to get it done.”

Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) spearheaded the letter, which was also signed by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Dean Heller (R-NV), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

“At this pace, it is unlikely the president will have all of his nominees confirmed before the end of his term,” the letter said.

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Mark Levin: US Senate Has No Purpose Since Adoption of 17th Amendment

Mark Levin is Wrong Again

“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” 

James Madison

Federalist Papers Nos. 10 and 51

• Ratings mean everything.  Never Trumper Mark Levin blasts the Senate for not supporting Trump. Unless you want to lose your radio audience you now need to look like you support Trump even if it means opposing the Constitution.
• Sorry Mark but the Founders allowed for amendments to the Constitution like allowing Blacks and women to vote etc. Direct elections of Senators is a fact of life. Deal with it.
• As usual Levin misses a major point of the Constitution - the division of power to help prevent dictatorships. An independent Senate has specific Constitutional rolls to play.

(CNS News)  -  On his nationally syndicated radio talk show Monday, host Mark Levin blasted the Senate for its reluctance to confirm Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, suggesting that the U.S. Senate has no purpose since the adoption of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“[W]hat is the purpose of the United States Senate?” asked Mark Levin. “Once the 17th Amendment was adopted and senators were elected directly as opposed to from state legislatures, what is the purpose of the United States Senate? They say it’s the most deliberative body. It’s not the most deliberative body. They don’t debate amendments to bills. They didn’t even debate the spending bill six weeks ago, five weeks ago. The United States Senate has no purpose since the 17th Amendment.”

Below is a transcript of Levin’s comments from his show on Monday evening:

“To attempt to deny a president his nominee for secretary of state, the oldest cabinet position, makes me call into question – and I’m going to tell you this quite seriously – what is the purpose of the United States Senate? Once the 17th Amendment was adopted and senators were elected directly as opposed to from state legislatures, what is the purpose of the United States Senate? They say it’s the most deliberative body. It’s not the most deliberative body. They don’t debate amendments to bills. They didn’t even debate the spending bill six weeks ago, five weeks ago. The United States Senate has no purpose since the 17th Amendment.

“The initial purpose of the United States Senate was to represent the views of the states. The Framers of the Constitution set up this bicameral body: The House of Representatives, directly elected every two years, every member – there’s your democracy – and the United States Senate to represent the priorities of the states.

 

“Today these senators go in any direction they want to. Most of them spend their time in the Senate positioning themselves for higher office, president or vice president. Others decide to make a career of it and stay there 30, 40 years.

“None of this would be taking place if the states could function through the Congress as was intended by the Framers.

“So, the states have no say in the federal government or in federal legislation, no say.

“And the Senate is the most bizarre institution of any institution of governance. It doesn’t really have a purpose in my view.”

Read More . . . .

  Federal Senate of Brazil
kk
The Senate
Dividing Power to Protect Freedom
kk

James Madison said, “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” 

As new Republics established themselves one of their first acts was to follow Madison's advice and divide legislative power into two branches: a lower and an upper house to try and prevent a concentration of power. 

jj

The Senate of Brazil is a good example. Their Senate is comprised of 81 seats. Three Senators from each of the 26 states and three Senators from the Federal District are elected on a majority basis to serve eight-year terms. Elections are staggered so that two-thirds of the upper house is up for election at one time and the remaining one-third four years later. When one seat is up for election in each State, each voter casts one vote for the Senate; when two seats are up for election, each voter casts two votes

kk
Upper Houses Around The World
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Japan - House of Councillors
kk
Senate of Australia
kk
Senate of the Republic of Italy
kk
Rajya Sabha of India

Romney takes one in the nads

Kicked in The Nuts

This clown will just not go away

Mitt Romney is back in state politics, this time in Utah instead of Massachusetts. However, conservatives in The Beehive State aren’t exactly warming up to the 2012 Republican standard-bearer quite the way many people expected they would.

After finishing second in votes at the state GOP convention, Romney will now face a primary in his run for the Senate seat being vacated by Orrin Hatch, Fox News reported.

At the convention in West Valley City on Saturday, Romney polled just behind state lawmaker Mike Kennedy.

Kennedy captured 50.18 percent of the delegate vote compared to Romney’s 49.12 percent.

That means the two will face off in a primary on June 26 to determine who will represent the GOP this fall.

Romney, the first Mormon to head a major party ticket, is considered an extremely popular figure in Utah and was widely expected to have an easy path to the upper chamber.

In a hypothetical matchup with Democrat Jenny Wilson, at least one poll showed Romney up by 46 percent. That’s, uh, slightly more than the margin of error.

However, among party loyalists, Romney isn’t exactly viewed with unalloyed fondness.

The 2012 presidential nominee was always known for being decidedly moderate, particularly on issues of immigration and global trade. There was also the fact that he ran a campaign so bumbling that it almost made Michael Dukakis look good.

And then there was Romney’s war of words with Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, which likely led many to perceive he secretly wished Hillary Clinton would take the Oval Office.

More . . .

IDIOT GOP Senator defends Russia witchhunt

Republican Assholes

• The GOP majority in Congress are the ones who run the endless Russia hearings to overthrow President Trump. 
• The Establishment GOP sponsors the hearings and the Democrats act as their attack dogs against Trump.

(ABC News)  -  Responding to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., defended the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into foreign meddling in the 2016 election, saying that the Russians would welcome his committee dropping the ongoing probe.

"Clearly the Russians are still actively engaged," Lankford told ABC News' Jonathan Karl and Rick Klein on the "Powerhouse Politics" podcast. "They would love nothing more than for us to just move along and to say there’s nothing here."

Lankford, a member of the intelligence committee, also responded to a report from The Washington Post that Bannon wants Senate Republicans to end their probes into Russian influence, calling them "church mice."

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Danny Tarkanian takes lead in Nevada Senate poll

Sarah Palin endorsed Danny Tarkanian for the U.S. Senate in Nevada

Drain the Swamp

(PRA)  -  Pro-Donald J. Trump GOP U.S. Senate challenger Danny Tarkanian has blown past incumbent Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), an opponent of the president and much of his agenda, per a new poll out of the state of Nevada obtained exclusively by Breitbart News ahead of its public release.

Tarkanian, per the new poll from JMC Analytics, is up at 39 percent in the new survey. His lead towers eight points over the incumbent Heller’s 31 percent, spelling certain trouble for Senate GOP establishment forces desperate to save Heller’s seat. A whopping 31 percent are undecided between Heller and Tarkanian. Even so, when given the choice of Heller versus not Tarkanian, a majority of Republicans in Nevada—51 percent—want someone other than Heller, 31 percent would renominate Heller, and 18 percent are undecided.

The survey of 700 likely GOP voters in Nevada was conducted from Aug. 24 to Aug. 25 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percent with a 95 percent confidence interval.

Heller’s approval rating is underwater, down to just 34 percent of Nevada Republicans approving of his job performance, while 48 percent disapprove. Sixteen percent have no opinion and two percent have not heard of Heller.

Tarkanian’s numbers are exactly the opposite, as he has high approval ratings among those who know him. A significant 42 percent approve of Tarkanian, while 23 percent disapprove, 30 percent have no opinion, and five percent have never heard of him.

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are sky-high among Nevada Republicans, with 80 percent approving of the president’s job—and only 14 percent disapproving, while six percent have no opinion.

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Trump Attacks GOP Senator Flake As 'Toxic'

Get Rid of the Elites

President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out against a sitting GOP senator and praised his primary opponent, demonstrating yet again his penchant for personally responding to criticism.

In an early morning tweet, Trump referred to Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) as “Flake Jeff Flake,” dismissing the senator’s moderate stance on immigration as “weak.” He dismissed Flake as “a non-factor in Senate,” yet also claimed the senator was “toxic.”

Trump also applauded Kelli Ward, a GOP primary challenger against Flake, who is up for re-election in 2018, in a race that many political observers anticipate will be close. 

Earlier this summer, White House officials reportedly met with Ward as well as other potential primary challengers to Flake, according to Politico.

Flake, who did not support Trump in 2016, frequently criticizes the president.

Read More . . . .

Defeat open borders Flake
Support
Dr. Kelli Ward for US Senate

Another traitor GOP Senator - Bob Corker

GOP Asshole Alert

• The incompetent GOP assholes in Congress who can't get anything done line up in front of TV cameras to destroy our President.

(CNN)  -  Sen. Bob Corker slammed President Donald Trump's handling of the racially motivated protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, charging that the President "has not demonstrated he understands the character of this nation."

The Tennessee Republican told reporters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Thursday that he thinks there must be "radical changes" within the White House.

"The President has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful," Corker said, according to a video posted by local news website Nooga.com.

"He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today, and he's got to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands that," Corker added.

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‘Kid Rock’ May Be Ineligible for Michigan Ballot

(Roll Call)  -  Robert Ritchie may end up challenging Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in Michigan next year, but his stage name, Kid Rock, may not be allowed to appear on the ballot.

Kid Rock is a household name to Americans under the age of 50, and voters might be attracted to vote for him, as a middle finger to the political establishment. But it’s not immediately clear whether his famous stage name would appear on the ballot or if he’d be required to run under his less-known given name. 

If Ritchie were to submit enough valid signatures to make the ballot and indicate that he wanted to be listed as “Kid Rock,” the Michigan Bureau of Elections staff would have to research the question of whether that name would be allowed. At an initial glance, Ritchie’s stage name isn’t an obviously acceptable one under the state’s criteria.

According to Michigan law via the “Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing,” there are five stipulations regarding the manner in which a candidate can have his or her name printed on the ballot. 

For example, a candidate “may specify that both his or her given name and middle name, or only a middle name, shall appear on the ballot,” or “may specify a name that constitutes a common law name in accordance with the Michigan Department of State Guidelines.” But according to the rules, candidates may not use a “nickname that is not a recognized diminutive of the candidate’s given name.”

Of course, it’s possible that Ritchie may want to appear as a more traditional candidate and opt against using his stage name, but then he would put a serious dent into his name identification advantage and corresponding outsider brand.

It’s also premature to assume that because Donald Trump was elected president, any celebrity can win.

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