Politics can be a dirty business. For many officials, the number one priority once elected is to be re-elected, not policy or doing what’s best for the people who voted them in. This especially holds true for today’s Republicans.
Following the January 6 insurrection, both Republican leaders, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, harshly condemned Donald Trump for his role in fomenting the violent attack on the Capitol. McConnell said Trump is “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day, no question about it.” McCarthy joined in the condemnation by saying “The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.”
What both McConnell and McCarthy soon discovered after their very honest assessment of the situation was that such candor did not sit well with a very important group… their voting base!
So they did what any politician would do whose number one goal is to remain in power … they pulled a huey.
The calculus for today’s Republicans is very simple … do you embrace the truth and loss the support of your base, thereby surely being kicked out of office or do you embrace Trump and “The Big Lie” and have a chance at remaining in power? If your goal is to remain in office, a chance beats no chance every day.
So enough of this Republicans are too cowardly to stand up to Trump nonsense. They’ve made a political choice that makes the most sense at the moment … the country, the Constitution and our democracy be damned.
With a riled-up base and voter suppression tactics on steroids, along with electoral history being on their side, Republicans believe they have a good chance of retaking the House in 2022, making Kevin McCarthy Speaker of the House.
It is pathetic, and sad, that today’s Republicans believe hitching their fortunes to a twice impeached, pathological liar gives them their best chance of remaining in power rather than repudiating him and trying to deprogram their cultish base… but that is the dirty business of politics.
In a way, Republicans have simply chosen the “the lesser of two evils” when it comes to their best chance of remaining in power.
Personally, I think they are going to be losers no matter what. Republicans are really in an impossible situation. Yet we know the truth eventually wins out. So, putting all political calculations aside, for my money, it is better to go down as a patriot rather than as a traitor. But that’s just me!
Photo | politico.com
The GOP is headed for extinction. Yes, it’s better to go down as a patriot than as a traitor!
Let us all pray!
Thank you very much for clarifying “today”s Republicans” instead of “Republicans.” Some of the most honorable people in American history have been Republican leaders.
Fortunately, there are still a few elected Republicans in Washington D.C. who support such things as the U.S. Constitution. There are a few who do put America ahead of their re-election odds. There are a few who have put themselves at risk standing up for what they believe in.
I still believe, however, that about four or five years ago the Republicans in Congress could have gotten together privately. They could have told each other what almost all of them knew, which was that they had a person elected president who was incapable of handling the job. They could have agreed as a group that they would not support un-American and irrational activities and actions even if they did come from the White House.
Had they stood together that way, the voters likely would have stuck with them.
But they didn’t. And we’re all, including them, suffering as a result.
They realized Trump commanded their base … a cultish following. Voters would not have “stuck with them” I believe.
That’s was reasonable people think. You need to remember that the QOP is no longer a reasonable party. They have become a cult and sycophants to a narcissist. Come hellor high water they will stick with this carnival barking thief as they lose any credibility with any intelligent thinking American
Problem being it has always been this way…the general public has not been around long enough to understand this is standard practice…until we come up with an alternative solution…things will remain the same…no matter what anybody says or does…this is the only solution…get back to basics…the states at one time had more to say and got more done than they do now…at the moment we are at the mercy of the federal goverment…since World War Two…states right has fallen by the waste side…the out flow of money from. the states has not stopped and what to we get in return an over priced highway once in a while…the only money the feds spends in the states is to prop their people..like the local postman who has better working and pay compared to every other job in the state…until states wake up and do whatever it takes to cut the the federal government down to size…states and the rights of citizens in the states are going to make every citizen suffer…Republican’s that actually support the citzens right in the states…We are in for big trouble…vote all the idiots out of federal positions…and elect representative that think about the conditions of their constituents here at home in the states..put the money back where it came from…the robber baron politicians of the past…need to be extinct…