Party Lines In The Sand

Slowly, cautiously, Republicans are criticizing Trump. But will moral fiber ever outweigh political expediency? Not in this day and age.

Lou
Lou
Aug 22, 2017 · 5 min read
Image Credit: FiveThirtyEight

“I have written three books about World War II and am currently researching a fourth. I can tell you with certainty that most people on this planet have no clue as to how German Nazis went about their lethal business. And that includes President Trump and many other politicians both present and past.”

A tepid rebuke of Donald Trump’s recent Nazi-sympathy is about all we could ask for from the likes of Bill O’Reilly. But in a recent op-ed for The Hill, that is precisely what we received.

It is not without its faults, mind you. “Truth,” O’Reilly laments, “is the first casualty of hysteria.” The truth that Bill wants you to adhere to is that Trump isn’t a Nazi sympathizer. Hysteria is a the sole product of the mainstream media. The only problem, as he sees it, is that Trump never did the proper amount of homework on the methods of genocide and ethnic cleansing that the Nazis employed.

Perhaps I’m just not in a forgiving mood today, but a grown man should not need additional clarification as to why Hitler’s legacy is viewed unfavorably. The leader of the free world should certainly not need a refresher on concepts you can glean from the cover of a Captain America comic. However, as a bellcow for the right’s ideology for over two decades — even after being exposed as a menace to the women he shared an office with — it is notable when O’Reilly gingerly dips a toe into the pool of criticism that President Trump is surrounded by.

O’Reilly isn’t alone. Newt Gingrich said that Trump, “had a very good infrastructure press conference the other day, and then he stepped on it, blew it, guaranteed that it wouldn’t get covered…He’s got to make a couple of midcourse corrections.”

The press conference in question, in case you’re wondering, was this one:

To say this performance was the President “stepping on himself,” is, uh, polite, at best. It isn’t appropriate, however, to call it ignorant. That is because it is not ignorant. This is a very careful and deliberate understanding of where party lines are, and the self-imposed burden placed on all career Republicans to bury their head in the sand while the President makes increasingly radical statements.

The Republicans have certainly had opportunities. A veritable smorgasbord of political snafus have been laid out by the Trump administration. Take your pick. A campaign of disrespect towards established news outlets. Tense, if not embarrassing, meetings with foreign leaders. Stumbling through legislation for travel bans and healthcare reform. That pesky Russian thing.

The crimes simply don’t matter, so long as there is an “R” next to their name on the ballot.

This willingness to change course belies the fact that only a few short years ago, these same Republicans heartily condemned President Obama for wanting mustard on a hamburger. It’s a miracle that Sean Hannity doesn’t have whiplash from looking the other way so violently regarding this new administration.

It is abundantly clear in 2017 that politicians are acutely aware of the data and voting tendencies of their constituents. For Republicans in a pro-Trump district, overt criticism isn’t a moral duty; it is a merely risk to mitigate. Remaining in office is the only true crucible for these individuals. Say what you will about Mitt Romney, but take a look at his response to President Trump’s remarks in contrast with Paul Ryan’s.

“The potential consequences are severe in the extreme. Accordingly, the president must take remedial action in the extreme. He should address the American people, acknowledge that he was wrong, apologize. State forcefully and unequivocally that racists are 100% to blame for the murder and violence in Charlottesville. Testify that there is no conceivable comparison or moral equivalency between the Nazis — who brutally murdered millions of Jews and who hundreds of thousands of Americans gave their lives to defeat — and the counter-protestors who were outraged to see fools parading the Nazi flag, Nazi armband and Nazi salute.”

And here is a portion of Speaker Ryan’s statement:

“I felt the range of emotions that so many of us did. Anger, bewilderment, sadness. As I said then, the views that fueled this spectacle are repugnant. My hope was that the nation would unite in opposition to this bigotry.

The immediate condemnations from left, right, and center affirmed that there is no confusion about right and wrong here.”

Two things you will notice about Paul Ryan’s statement. First, he reaffirms that his immediate reaction was to find the events “repugnant.” Second, he invokes the “left, right and center.” He uses this less as a method of encouraging unity and more as a political shield. Romney’s statement calls out white supremacists forcefully, but — and for Republicans, this is the true lesson to be learned — he also calls out the President by name. While carrying the mantle of the presidency, moral authority and direction in times of crisis isn’t a negotiable skill. It is part of president’s character, or it is not. Trump’s initial response to the Charlottesville crisis pulled back the curtain on his thought process.

This all happens while Trump drops dirty bombs on Republican stalwarts like Mitch McConnell, Jeff Sessions and John McCain. The fabric of the Grand Old Party is being stretched and torn, quite likely past a point of no return. The party’s base will splinter even more as Steve Bannon returns to Breitbart and begins his crusade against centrists and those who didn’t bend to the President’s will. The Republican party may very well never look the same again. Perhaps it shouldn’t. If enabling white supremacy is necessary in order to preserve some warped protection of free speech, then it’s time to throw the platform away. It has rotted.

In less than an hour, the President will deliver an address regarding military planning in Afghanistan. Immediately after, Paul Ryan will be hosting a town hall on CNN. The Commander in Chief and the Speaker of the House are speaking different dialects of the same language, understanding every other word, and pretending nothing is being lost in translation.

That kind of carelessness will get you lost.

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Thoughts from off the main drag. Politics. Music. Sports. TV. Debates. Life. Run by writers-turned-9-to-5ers.

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Thanks to Alex Lane

Lou

Written by

Lou

Offering unsolicited advice to Red Sox ownership since 1990.

Side Streets

Thoughts from off the main drag. Politics. Music. Sports. TV. Debates. Life. Run by writers-turned-9-to-5ers.

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