NY Times Cries for Innocent Congressional Dems Foiled by ‘Cult’ Republicans

Two New York TimesStories published Sunday depicted the Republican Party as enmeshed in extremeism, partisanship and overwhelming non-ideological Democrats that just want to do vital tasks. Jonathan Weisman’s year in review for Congress, “Congress Ends ‘Horrible Year’ With Divisions as Bitter as Ever,” began dramatically and didn’t let up in its painting of the Republican Party as uniquely irrational, perhaps even like a “cult”:

An assault on democracy’s seat: A congress year that started with a congressional attack The day ended Saturday at 4 AM with the inability of the narrow Democratic majority of legislators to fulfill its most treasured promises. This left lawmakers from both parties questioning whether the legislative branch could be saved without significant changes to its operating rules.

After a lament from centrist Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the failure to impeach Trump, Weismann continued, fretting that Republicans “erected a blockade” against “dozens of Mr. Biden’s nominees still awaiting confirmation to fill key positions at home and abroad.”

One could sense the thumb on the scale tilting toward the Democratic view (click “expand”):

It was impossible not to be disappointed. Democrats are warning more urgently that Trump loyalists were moving to place the pieces to overturn or disrupt the next presidential elections — by creating new barriers for voting and controlling partisan election control. However, Senate Republicans have resisted attempts to expand voting rights and institute fair electoral rules.

(….)

The riot is not something that other Republicans are interested in.Tuesday’s discussion was halted by Senator Josh Hawley (a junior Republican from Missouri) who encouraged the rioters in their approach to the Capitol.

Weisman found a wearingly familiar voice, think-tank warhorse Norman Ornstein, to decry Republican tactics:

The impact of that attitude on the rest of Congress’s workings cannot be overstated, Mr. Ornstein said. Congress has gone from a maddening institution hampered by intentional checks and balances to one that is driven by a quest for partisan power, he said, pointing to Republican efforts to cover up the roots of Jan. 6, and their refusal to punish members who threaten violence, or even acknowledge members’ efforts to overturn the results of a lawful election.

“We don’t have two parties anymore. A party, a group, and an organization are all part of this cult. the fear of being excommunicated or shunned is overwhelming,” he said. “That’s affected the behavior of large numbers of members.”

In Sunday’s celebratory “Senate Confirms Biden’s 40th Judge, Tying a Reagan-Era Record,” reporter Catie Edmondson definitely sounded like a cheerleader for congressional Democrats, portrayed as innocents with no ideology (versus Republicans who favor “right-wing judges who are mostly white and male”).

Mr. Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pledged to counter the Trump era’s aggressive efforts to transform the judiciary with young right-wing judges who are mostly white and male. The president sent to the Senate a remarkable array of nominations since January. They were diverse in both their professional and ethnic backgrounds.

Edmondson particularly liked the affirmative action aspect of Biden’s picks, which she portrayed as historic “firsts.” 

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