On Friday’s Battleground State Report with Steve Gill, Michael Patrick Leahy, and Doug Kellett – a one hour radio show from Star News Digital Media in the early stages of a national weekend syndication roll-out-the three men discussed how the “usual suspects” of the Republican party have veered left on their vote on the National Emergency declaration by President Trump.
Towards the end of the show, Gill and Leahy talked about how the current voting by both Senators Tillis and Gardner on the national emergency vote may help win battleground votes in their up coming elections in 2020.
Leahy: As we wrap up today. It’s kind of an interesting thing to note here Steve is that we were looking at the big national emergency vote that happened and…
Gill: The border crisis whether to stand with the President or not.
Leahy: President went and declared a national emergency which under the the 1976 Emergency Powers Act he has the authority to do. Congress didn’t like the fact that he was going to use that to reallocate some of the money they’d already authorized. To move it a tad into the budget description. It’s still in the military construction view. And so, twelve Republican’s went over to vote with the Democrats to try to undermine the President.
Gill: Most of the usual suspects Susan Collin’s, the Markowski’s, the Mitt Romney’s.
Leahy: And some of them were in battleground states like Rob Portman in Ohio. Mark Rubio in Florida. Roy Blunt in Missouri. I’ve heard some analysts say, and I don’t agree with this. Let’s see what you think. [meek voice] “This portends poorly for the President because these Republican guys are leaving him.” The fact that Rob Portman is abandoning the President on this vote, the Senator from Ohio. Does that mean the base in Ohio is likely to abandon the President on this?
Gill: No I think they’re more likely to be angry at Rob Portman for not focused on border security. Again you also saw Cory Gardner in Colorado who voted with the President. He’s up for election in 2020.
Leahy: Yeah. He’s up in 2020.
Gill: He voted with the President on this one.
Leahy: Smart too.
Gill: You also saw a flip flop from one of the Senators who was going to oppose the President, flipped in support of the President at the end of the day. So and again in Florida you had Mark Rubio vote, again he’s an anti-Trumper deep down and looks for every opportunity. Rick Scott voted with the President. So you had in Tennessee Marsha Blackburn vote with the President. Lamar “I cater to the left more than the right” Alexander voted against the President. Stabbed the President in the back. And none of these Republican Senators were pitching a hissy fit just a few short years ago when Barack Hussein Obama loaded up one point seven billion dollars in cash on a palette to deliver to the Iranian, terrorist regime. None of them were concerned with appropriated funds and allocated funds and all this. They weren’t the least bit concerned, when money was going, taxpayer money, was going to terrorists. But they’re vitally concerned when the President is spending money to secure our border from the influx of drugs, gang members,
Leahy: Disease.
Gill: Terrorists and everything else. They don’t have any concern about that. Even though they all are expressing their concern with their talk. But when it actually comes to doing something none of these people are in favor of doing anything.
Leahy: Yeah and I think you’ve just illustrated the hypocrisy of those twelve Republicans and the fact that this is a political vote not a constitutional vote. It’s a political vote designed entirely to undermine President Trump.
Gill: And you mentioned in the battleground states that it was Tillis that flip flopped from writing an op-ed against the President to voting with the President, North Carolina. And again two of those key battleground states. We’ve got Senators who are going to be facing voters soon. Thom Tillis in North Carolina, Cory Gardner. Voting with the President.
Leahy: It’s a good point. It’s a very good point. And I think that those that are up for re-election as in Gardner. Tillis is up in 2020 or in 2022.
Gill: I think he’s up in 2020 as well. He may be 2022.
Leahy: Either 2020 or 2022. But I think it’s a very good point. I mean they realize that the President’s policies are popular in these battleground states and they’re looking at facing the voters again in those senate races. And they don’t want to incur that wrath do they?
Gill: And again when you’re looking at the flood of illegals over the border. The diseases, the violence, the crime, the drugs, the bodies that are taking away jobs…that’s going to be a better argument for the folks that are defending the President and his fight to secure our border than those who are signing with let’s get rid of ICE. Let’s have open borders. Let’s have these people come in and take our jobs. That is not going to play well, I don’t think with voters either in primaries or the general election in 2020. And we may see that play a little bit in Virginia this year with state house and state senate races as well.
Listen to the full show:
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Tune in every Friday morning and listen to The Battleground State Report with Steve Gill, Michael Patrick Leahy, and Doug Kellett.
