{"id":7313,"date":"2025-03-15T14:20:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T14:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/the-congress-issue\/"},"modified":"2025-03-15T14:20:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T14:20:07","slug":"the-congress-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/the-congress-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"The Congress Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"\"\"\"Senate<\/p>\n

After nearly three decades on Capitol Hill, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) reached the apex of his career as the new Senate majority leader and head of the Republican caucus. But he\u2019s also reached a personal crossroads \u2014 and how he navigates it will determine his legacy and the future of the American experiment.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no question that Thune is a conservative who supports President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda, despite his previous opposition to Trump becoming the GOP nominee. But temperamentally, he\u2019d seem to be at odds with Trump\u2019s aggressive, norm-breaking approach to the presidency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a move-fast-and-break-things era of anti-government ardor, he\u2019s virtually a public-sector lifer, an easy-does-it institutionalist,\u201d writes Michael Kruse in this week\u2019s Friday Read<\/a>. \u201cThe subject of nary a scandal and scant few lengthy profiles for somebody of his stature, John Randolph Thune \u2014 by upbringing, experience and disposition \u2014 is the utter antithesis of Donald John Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

The question for Thune is whether he wants to be remembered as the man who tolerated Trump\u2019s worst excesses in service of his political project, or as the institutionalist who drew a line in the sand. And so far \u2014 to the delight of MAGA skeptics and the chagrin of Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans who respect Thune \u2014 he\u2019s choosing the first path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would hope<\/i> there\u2019s a little inner turmoil,\u201d said longtime John McCain adviser Mark Salter. \u201cYou are watching the executive branch usurp all the power and authorities given Congress under Article I,\u201d he continued. \u201cMaybe he thinks, \u2018I\u2019ll preserve my influence, and down the road, when something worse comes along, I\u2019ll be able to stop him from doing it\u2019 \u2014 but it\u2019s going to get harder to oppose him, not easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the story<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

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\u201cWTF? <\/b>@SenSchumer<\/b><\/a> please grow a spine. And quickly.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Can you guess who tweeted this at Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.**<\/i><\/p>\n

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How the Media Missed the Missing Congresswoman<\/b><\/a> \u2026 <\/b>The first notable thing about the news that Texas Rep. Kay Granger had been living in an assisted-living facility with dementia for months was that a sitting member of Congress was unable to carry out her duties. The second notable thing was that no one had noticed. Washington probably has the highest journalist-to-everyone-else ratio of any city in the country, and yet it was a small conservative website called The Dallas Express <\/i>that got the scoop. A Congresswoman vanished \u2014 and not one D.C. outlet reported it. Why? In this week\u2019s Capital City column, Michael Schaffer digs into the story of how the media missed the story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Wait, was something supposed to happen on Saturday? Why are all your Democratic friends mad at Chuck Schumer? No one needs to know that you missed one of the most dramatic government shutdown showdowns in history. Just use these talking points and everyone will think you were practically glued to C-SPAN this week. (From Associate Editor Dylon Jones)<\/p>\n