Representative Elise Stefanik: Trump Handmaiden Is Now Third Most Powerful GQPer

[Cartmann99]

In light of her recent promotion, figured it was time for her to have her own thread.

A little background on Stefanik:

Spoiler

 

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[front hugs > duggs]

20 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

 

Not gonna lie, pretty damn glad I moved out of Bedminster when I did....

(it's a nice town in a lovely area, in reality)

Edited June 10, 2021 by front hugs > duggs
remove duplicate

[Cartmann99]

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

And the lies continue: "Rep. Stefanik claims in ads that Democrats seek a ‘permanent election insurrection’ by providing pathways to citizenship"

Quote

Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), the No. 3 House Republican, is pushing the notion in Facebooks ads that President Biden and fellow Democrats are seeking a “permanent election insurrection” by expanding pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

The ads from Stefanik come ahead of a rally planned for Saturday in Washington in support of those charged with crimes in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and as House Democrats work to advance a measure that would allow several million immigrants to apply for permanent residency.

“Radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a PERMANENT ELECTION INSURRECTION,” says one version of the ad, paid for by Stefanik’s campaign committee, that appeared Wednesday. “Their plan to grant amnesty to 11 MILLION illegal immigrants will overthrow our current electorate and create a permanent liberal majority in Washington.”

The ad depicts Biden with people who appear to be migrants reflected in the sunglasses he is wearing.

The language in the ads echoes that of far-right commentators, including Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, who have advanced a “replacement theory” that says liberals are seeking to replace White citizens with non-White immigrants who are inclined to support the Democratic Party.

For Stefanik, embracing such rhetoric is a departure from earlier in her political career. Before she replaced Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as the House Republican conference chairwoman in May, some in her party had raised concerns that her record on immigration was too liberal.

An anti-immigration group criticized Stefanik’s co-sponsorship of the Farm Workforce Authorization Act, which includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrant farmworkers.

On Thursday, the Democratic National Committee seized on the timing of the ads.

“As another right-wing mob descends upon the Capitol this weekend, Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is echoing the same vile rhetoric that has led to several acts of violence in recent years,” DNC spokesperson Adonna Biel said in a statement. “Apparently, this is what it takes to become a member of House Republican leadership —xenophobia and a remarkable commitment to pushing the Big Lie that led to an actual insurrection.”

Different versions of Stefanik’s ads started appearing on Facebook over the weekend, with several showing migrants trying to scale a border barrier. Some of the ads that debuted Wednesday target Biden by name, as well as Vice President Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The ads warning of an “insurrection” are appearing about nine months after violent supporters of then-President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol as Congress sought to count the electoral college votes solidifying Biden’s victory as president.

The Capitol Police are bracing for Saturday’s “Justice for J6 rally,” being planned by a nonprofit group led by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard. The goal, Braynard has said, is to peacefully demand that charges against nonviolent Jan. 6 protesters be dropped. Braynard claims those protesters “reasonably believed” they had permission to enter the Capitol. About 700 rallygoers are expected.

On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee approved several provisions on immigration that Democrats are angling to include in a $3.5 trillion spending plan. Under budget rules, that overall package of legislation could be passed without Republican support.

Among their provisions, the proposals would allow several million undocumented immigrants — including “dreamers,” who were brought to the United States as children — to apply for permanent residency.

 

[Cartmann99]

Here comes the talking point of vaccine mandates being unconstitutional.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

So, Elise, was George Washington's smallpox vaccine mandate unconstitutional?

[Audrey2]

It was those soldiers right to get smallpox! Plus smallpox wasn't that big of a deal.. they just needed to take some horse dewormer and it would make it go away.

(Putting on my fake Republican hat.)

[Cartmann99]

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[Cartmann99]

 

Team Elise is angry:

Spoiler

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Uh-oh, maybe things aren't all sunshine and joy in MAGAland: "Trump Jr. allies issue warning to Stefanik camp: Don’t go after Tucker’s kid"

Quote

Allies of Donald Trump Jr. issued a stark warning to Elise Stefanik recently: Keep friends’ kids out of your political rivalries.

Those Trump Jr. allies were recently told that Stefanik’s camp was behind an effort to plant negative stories about Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a potential Stefanik competitor in House GOP leadership. It was also relayed to them that part of the effort involved bringing up Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s son, Buckley — an aide to Banks — according to three Republicans familiar with the conversations.

Intermediaries for Trump Jr.’s camp conveyed to Stefanik backers that they believed she had crossed a line by bringing up Carlson’s child, according to two of those Republicans.

POLITICO was unable to confirm the veracity of the pro-Stefanik whisper campaign against Banks. But whether real or rumor, the pushback from allies of the former president’s eldest son could imperil the New York Republican’s hopes of elevating to a bigger party post. One year after deposing anti-Trump Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from the No. 3 House Republican post, Stefanik is now considered a contender for the whip’s role in a potential GOP majority next year.

A Stefanik spokesperson denied that Trump Jr. allies had relayed any such message, calling it “another desperate attempt to falsely and anonymously smear Congresswoman Stefanik and her team.”

“No one has reached out to our team about this malicious dishonest rumor other than you,” said spokesperson Ali Black. “While others seem to be focused on attacking Congresswoman Stefanik, she is laser focused on giving 100 percent as Conference Chair and representative for NY’s 21st District.”

One Republican familiar with the conversations said the behind-the-scenes furor began when people in Trump Jr.’s circle heard about Stefanik’s team making comments to the press that targeted Banks and Buckley Carlson, who’s worked for the Republican Study Committee chair since 2019. Trump Jr. allies made their displeasure with Stefanik clear through mutual friends, according to this Republican.

A spokesperson for Banks’ office did not respond to a request for comment.

While Trump Jr.’s allies may have offered their displeasure with Stefanik, it appears she hasn’t alienated the former president himself. Stefanik is slated to deliver a “special video address” at the former president’s rally for Cheney challenger Harriet Hageman in Casper, Wyo., this weekend and is poised to headline a rally with Trump early next month at Trump National Golf Club in her home state.

Encouraging reporters to run negative stories about political rivals is hardly rare on Capitol Hill, particularly as jostling begins to intensify among House Republicans seeking to climb the leadership ladder under next year’s increasingly likely GOP majority. Stefanik has options for her next role. But exploring them means she will likely invite a slew of possible competitors should she run for posts like the majority whip or conference chair next year. That potentially includes Banks.

But any efforts to raise Buckley Carlson could be the political equivalent of touching the third rail: The son of one of conservative media’s most influential voices has his own friends in powerful circles.

“These races get cutthroat, and they’re cutthroat because they’re about the race that is going to happen immediately after the elections, but also about setting yourself or allies up for future races,” said GOP strategist Doug Heye, who previously worked for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). “Going to the press is the quickest way to do it. And part of the irony here with Republicans is so often they’ll say, ‘Well, you can’t believe the Beltway media.’ But this is where these games play out, right?”

Stefanik’s relationship with Donald Trump may remain on solid footing. She continues to present herself as one of his most loyal supporters on Capitol Hill, calling herself “ultra MAGA” in a nod to his backers’ embrace of a label that Democrats have tried to use against them.

Her standing with Tucker Carlson, however, is shakier. The Fox News host has criticized her on-air for her support of Ukraine aid, giving voice to conservative skepticism about her once-moderate persona that she has worked to bury. The elder Carlson criticized the idea of a future speakership bid by Stefanik on his show last month, calling her “a puppet of the Democratic Party.”

It’s clear that the 37-year old Stefanik plans to rise higher in the GOP, having minted friends in the party from her work electing Republican women through her PAC even before she took Cheney’s place as the highest-ranking woman in congressional party leadership. But where her upward trajectory takes her next is less certain.

For months, senior Republicans saw signs that she was gearing up for a run for the whip role if the House flips next year, as polling projects and historical trends reflect. Still, some House Republicans believe she’s stepping back from a whip race that could pit her against National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Chief Deputy Whip Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) and Banks, as first reported by the Washington Examiner.

But other Stefanik colleagues suggested nothing has been ruled out. She could also choose to run again for conference chair or seek the top GOP spot on the Education and Labor Committee.

“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s people like Tucker Carlson and Elise Stefanik who have been taking incoming hit pieces from the media and the Left. No one across America knows or cares about Jim Banks — or how he runs his office,” one senior Republican said of the Stefanik speculation, speaking candidly on condition of anonymity. “The more hit pieces on Stefanik that are unloaded anonymously, the weaker the other whip candidates look because it is clear they are fearful of her strength, have never been under any scrutiny themselves, and can’t run for whip on their own merits.”

And CNN reported this week that she’s being considered as a potential Trump running mate if the former president opts to run again in 2024. But other Republicans in his orbit have said that while he’s expressed interest in running with a female candidate, any speculation about 2024 is premature.

Meanwhile, Stefanik is already feeling the sting of a rising national profile in the form of recent negative news coverage — including blowback for a tweet about “pedo grifters” and an immigration ad that Democrats blasted as echoing the racist “replacement theory.”

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[fraurosena]

LOL, that's all she's got? The time the hearings were held? 

They really are clutching at straws.

[front hugs > duggs]

What's she gonna say today when the hearings are at...10am?

[Audrey2]

17 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

 

I have ruminated on this for the last day or two and can't control myself any longer.

Elise, the hearings were in prime time on Thursday night because this really is about will our democracy continue or can and will it be taken over by a group who wants a fake "democracy". In other words, we'll put on the show by letting the people vote but in actuality we legislatures and conservatives know what's better for the American people than what they do so we'll throw their votes aside and use the electors who will cast their ballots so we can continue our slide to a Trump autocracy.

For this reason, we don't want to bury the most consequential hearings the US has had since at least Watergate if not before in daytime sessions where the working public will not have full access to that information. Having the digested version that each Network decides to show is not enough.

[GreyhoundFan]

Yeah, that is par for the course -- the only plans the GQP have involve hearings.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Guess who is talking out of her backside again?

 

[GreyhoundFan]

This is a good one, especially invoking MTG and LoBo.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

She is truly awful:

 

[Audrey2]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

She is truly awful:

 

In other words, blue lives matter!*

* That is more than black and other minorities lives but less than white lives, especially the lives of wealthy white people.

[Ozlsn]

3 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

In other words, blue lives matter!*

* That is more than black and other minorities lives but less than white lives, especially the lives of wealthy white people.

Blue lives matter (as long as they're enforcing our will and not looking at any crimes we may have committed...)