Until John Thune Gets This Through His Head, He'll Continue to Get Cooked by the GOP Base

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is doing what Bush-era Republicans do best: nothing. He’s going through the motions, making it look like he’s working. He'll try to pass off a valiant losing effort as a victory. Not good enough. The bases of both parties have grown tired of that show; Trump took a blowtorch to the all-talk, no-action dynamic that lulled many to sleep. Also, the era of moral victories is over. Either pass the damn bill or get lost.

Right now, John Thune must pass the SAVE America Act, or he’ll lose his position as Senate Republicans' leader. What we’re witnessing is a man who can’t handle the pressure, who is too respectful of institutional norms, and who fails to see that winning is what truly matters. Democrats will exploit this romantic attachment to tradition and service against the GOP. They manipulated John during the DHS funding shutdown. He still doesn’t understand, even now, that he wasn’t supposed to work with Democrats on a stopgap measure to prevent a shutdown in September. John, Democrats want a shutdown. They have no reason to cooperate with you. His office posted his appearance on Sean Hannity, touting the slew of Trump nominees who had been confirmed. We don’t care—pass the SAVE America Act

After processing this next batch of 74 Trump nominees, the Senate will have confirmed nearly every nominee available for floor consideration. My @SenateGOP colleagues and I are also advancing legislation that’s key to our shared Republican agenda. pic.twitter.com/T3Mzh9wHE0
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) July 28, 2026

The single most important issue the American people care about is the SAVE America Act.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) July 28, 2026

pic.twitter.com/IYdgnvrd4G
— Kevin Von Tungeln (@KTungeln) July 28, 2026

Also, notice how nuking the filibuster is possible. Theoretically, they can do it, but again, this deference to institutional norms, which won’t be respected under Democrats, is killing the party. The Democrats want to nuke it. They will nuke it once they regain control of the chamber. It’s time we do it, get ahead of it, and pass what we want to get done. The old world is coming to an end in the Senate, and Republicans are willing to let their action items waste away because of tradition or something.

Editor’s Note: Republicans are fighting for election integrity by requiring proper identification to vote.

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