Trump is mentally ill and stupid. His buffoonery begs for ridicule, mockery, and scorn—he’s low-hanging fruit. But your nuanced, thoughtful take on levels of contempt, saving the highest level for the enablers who obviously know better, is a great reminder that trump would just be a punch line without them rather than the destroyer of worlds he is. They comprise the margins that give trump the majority in both the House and Senate and the winning margin among the national electorate.
So you think that within a political party that 28 years ago impeached a president for a consensual blowjob using a semen stained blue dress as evidence that there has been "normie" leadership since then? What evidence is there that Rubio's pre-Trump behavior wasn't the act and what we have now is actually the "real" Rubio that's been waiting for permission to emerge?
As a well known republican operative titled his confessional book, "It WasAll A Lie"
We have come to expect undying loyalty from Trump's acolytes, but as a lame duck Cassidy could have made a difference. Instead he bends the knee, as he did time and time again.
I wish I knew what Trump threatened him with. It had to have been SOMEthing. He can't be such a coward as to vote for the agenda of a guy who dissed him and endorsed his opponent just to make a friend, right?
So one possibility is that Cassidy was not threatened by Trump directly, but does feel in danger of being attacked by particularly unhinged members of MAGA if he crosses Trump.
"So maybe it’s just that his instincts as a career politician are to support a Republican President."
The Republican president that endorsed his opponent and has insulted him repeatedly in personal terms? Doubtful
EDIT: He is either subject to a great deal of harassment (probably the most likely, though you would think Thune would get him some security if things were so bad it was affecting his votes). Maybe a 10% chance he is compromised by the WH in some sort of non-public way, and a 20% chance he is just a spineless coward that wants a post-Senatorial sinecure from the people he claims to oppose but actually helps at nearly every opportunity
This is a great article, my cavil would be that your „normie“ group is too expansive. Bessent is a weirdo, who failed at Soros and really doesn’t seem to know what he is doing. A typical mediocrity who would never have this much responsibility in a normal administration, so his loyalty to Trump makes perfect sense. Nor does Johnson strike me as a „sensible“ Republican enabler. My sense is that he is a fanatical Christian Nationalist and would be pretty loathsome even without Trump. He is one of those politicians who actively welcomes Trump as a tool for their own agenda.
I think there’s also a lot to be said for how influential (I assume) different individuals are and in what ways. By and large I don’t think Hegseth has contributed a lot in the way of plans to w/e we’re doing, while Colby and Rubio are concretely trying to advance agendas. Even if in general terms Hegseth is more influential - eg if Colby only gets what he wants if he can get Hegseth to bring it to the president - there’s only so many times one can say “I wish we had less of a lobotomy case for SecDef” and it feels more “productive” or at least interesting to focus on the apparent brains of the operation
Completely agree, DMD. The buffoons impede the race to autocracy as much and as often as they advance it. OTOH, the knowing, wilful, and competent-ish collaborators with aspiring tyrants make the aspiration more realizable than it would otherwise be.
Contempt is too charitable an emotion. Horror is more appropriate.
The fact is that what these people have revealed, all of them, is that they have no limit, no principle, nothing that would constrain them more than ambition and partisanship. The fact is that after 10 years Republicans have chosen, *firmly chosen* Trump and Trumpism. They have shown that when push comes to shove they will abandon anything for power, and the voters will follow.
To regard that with contempt is appropriate but downplays the permanence of the rift. From now on it will be clear that all Republicans are one primary away from endorsing open violence, racism, hate, and worse.
And America is one or two electoral college votes from burning our allied, reneging on our word, and empowering dictators.
This amorality deserves contempt and revulsion yes, but also abject horror at what we have become.
I do not quite have the same spread. Since I also don't have to write about these people, I understand why you feel differently.
Take Hegseth. Yes, he buys in and is dumb. But he could stop, any time. Take the man himself. Trump is incompetent in his role but he's not literally not responsible for his action.
I understand why it is uninteresting and unhelpful to continually demand that the leopard change his spots, but the leopard really should change his spots and is responsible for refusing.
Trump is mentally ill and stupid. His buffoonery begs for ridicule, mockery, and scorn—he’s low-hanging fruit. But your nuanced, thoughtful take on levels of contempt, saving the highest level for the enablers who obviously know better, is a great reminder that trump would just be a punch line without them rather than the destroyer of worlds he is. They comprise the margins that give trump the majority in both the House and Senate and the winning margin among the national electorate.
So you think that within a political party that 28 years ago impeached a president for a consensual blowjob using a semen stained blue dress as evidence that there has been "normie" leadership since then? What evidence is there that Rubio's pre-Trump behavior wasn't the act and what we have now is actually the "real" Rubio that's been waiting for permission to emerge?
As a well known republican operative titled his confessional book, "It WasAll A Lie"
Bill Cassidy is infuriating.
We have come to expect undying loyalty from Trump's acolytes, but as a lame duck Cassidy could have made a difference. Instead he bends the knee, as he did time and time again.
I wish I knew what Trump threatened him with. It had to have been SOMEthing. He can't be such a coward as to vote for the agenda of a guy who dissed him and endorsed his opponent just to make a friend, right?
I’ve seen some stories saying that Republicans are afraid of violence against them or their families. Example: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-congress-political-violence
So one possibility is that Cassidy was not threatened by Trump directly, but does feel in danger of being attacked by particularly unhinged members of MAGA if he crosses Trump.
On the other hand, Cassidy has been willing to confront Trump on some issues: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5939015-trump-cassidy-iran-gop-meeting/
So maybe it’s just that his instincts as a career politician are to support a Republican President.
"So maybe it’s just that his instincts as a career politician are to support a Republican President."
The Republican president that endorsed his opponent and has insulted him repeatedly in personal terms? Doubtful
EDIT: He is either subject to a great deal of harassment (probably the most likely, though you would think Thune would get him some security if things were so bad it was affecting his votes). Maybe a 10% chance he is compromised by the WH in some sort of non-public way, and a 20% chance he is just a spineless coward that wants a post-Senatorial sinecure from the people he claims to oppose but actually helps at nearly every opportunity
And if he, a wealthy and well connected man who received enhanced protection, is doing it out of fear, what does he think the rest of us face?
Amoral, venal cowards one and all.
This is a great article, my cavil would be that your „normie“ group is too expansive. Bessent is a weirdo, who failed at Soros and really doesn’t seem to know what he is doing. A typical mediocrity who would never have this much responsibility in a normal administration, so his loyalty to Trump makes perfect sense. Nor does Johnson strike me as a „sensible“ Republican enabler. My sense is that he is a fanatical Christian Nationalist and would be pretty loathsome even without Trump. He is one of those politicians who actively welcomes Trump as a tool for their own agenda.
"Normie" doesn't actually mean "normal" in the context of the 47 Trump Admin, it just means "not transparently sociopathic and/or criminal"
I think there’s also a lot to be said for how influential (I assume) different individuals are and in what ways. By and large I don’t think Hegseth has contributed a lot in the way of plans to w/e we’re doing, while Colby and Rubio are concretely trying to advance agendas. Even if in general terms Hegseth is more influential - eg if Colby only gets what he wants if he can get Hegseth to bring it to the president - there’s only so many times one can say “I wish we had less of a lobotomy case for SecDef” and it feels more “productive” or at least interesting to focus on the apparent brains of the operation
Completely agree, DMD. The buffoons impede the race to autocracy as much and as often as they advance it. OTOH, the knowing, wilful, and competent-ish collaborators with aspiring tyrants make the aspiration more realizable than it would otherwise be.
Contempt is too charitable an emotion. Horror is more appropriate.
The fact is that what these people have revealed, all of them, is that they have no limit, no principle, nothing that would constrain them more than ambition and partisanship. The fact is that after 10 years Republicans have chosen, *firmly chosen* Trump and Trumpism. They have shown that when push comes to shove they will abandon anything for power, and the voters will follow.
To regard that with contempt is appropriate but downplays the permanence of the rift. From now on it will be clear that all Republicans are one primary away from endorsing open violence, racism, hate, and worse.
And America is one or two electoral college votes from burning our allied, reneging on our word, and empowering dictators.
This amorality deserves contempt and revulsion yes, but also abject horror at what we have become.
I do not quite have the same spread. Since I also don't have to write about these people, I understand why you feel differently.
Take Hegseth. Yes, he buys in and is dumb. But he could stop, any time. Take the man himself. Trump is incompetent in his role but he's not literally not responsible for his action.
I understand why it is uninteresting and unhelpful to continually demand that the leopard change his spots, but the leopard really should change his spots and is responsible for refusing.
"But for Wales?"