Who Do You Trust?
Somehow Republicans trust Donald Trump more than their friends and family. Also, Republican elected officials might be the most amoral group of people alive; and can Trump win again?
I’m Michael A. Cohen, and this is Truth and Consequences: A no-holds-barred look at the absurdities, hypocrisies, and surreality. If you were sent this email or are a free subscriber and would like to become a paid subscriber, you can sign up here.
If money is tight or you’re already up to eyeballs in subscriptions, here’s another idea — share this article. Email it to a friend (or even an enemy). Post it on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter (better the first two than the latter since Twitter is one of the least helpful social media sites for increasing traffic). Text or email it to your wife, husband, mother, father, brother, sister, or even your creepy second cousin in Topeka, Kansas. Word of mouth is often the best way to build support for a creative endeavor, so if everyone here sends it to just one person … it would be much appreciated!
Ok, It Might Be A Cult
Even after eight years of bizarre, illogical devotion to Donald Trump, this poll result is gobsmacking.
Here’s the thing: if you trust a politician (any politician) you don’t know personally more than your friends and family … you might need to get some new friends. If you trust Donald Trump more than literally anyone else alive, you should seriously consider getting a lobotomy.
I’m Shocked, Shocked
In perhaps the least surprising piece of news this election cycle, Donald Trump announced over the weekend that not only is he skipping the first GOP debate on Wednesday night … he’s skipping all of them.
From a small “d” democratic standpoint, this is bad. It’s an unqualified good for presidential candidates to debate their rivals and give voters a chance to hear their plans if they are elected president. But from a political perspective, Trump is making the right move here. He has a considerable lead in the polls, and as he correctly points out, the public knows who he is. How will his campaign benefit from Trump’s GOP supporters tuning in and seeing potential alternative candidates?
What if he commits a gaffe that offends his rabid supporters? This is highly unlikely (it’s hard to imagine what Trump could do to actually upset these people), but why take the chance? Trump doesn’t need to increase his lead; he just needs to hold serve. When you have a lead as big as Trump’s it seems the best course of action is “do no harm.”
I’m not defending Trump’s decision. I think it’s appalling. But from a narrow and cynical political perspective, it’s almost certainly the right call.
The One Question Republicans Never Ask Themselves
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is one of the few Republican senators who appears to have a smidgen of integrity. In early 2021 he joined a half dozen other Republicans in voting to convict Donald Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Over the weekend, he appeared on CNN and said that he thinks there’s a strong likelihood that Trump will be convicted in at least one of his four criminal indictments (the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case) — and suggested that he should drop out of the 2024 presidential nomination contest. Cassidy didn’t bother with BS defenses or accusations of a partisan witchhunt that other Republicans have made in response to Trump’s legal woes.
But when CNN’s Kasie Hunt asked whether he would still vote for Trump in 2024 if he is the party nominee, Cassidy said, “I’m voting for a Republican.”
Cassidy offered a helpful explanation as to how he could take such a discordant position. It’s not that he’s offended by Trump’s behavior; it’s that he thinks the former president is unlikely to win. According to Cassidy, “I don’t think Americans will vote for someone who has been convicted.” His basic argument for Trump dropping out is that “he will lose to Joe Biden.”
You hear this a lot from Republicans: that Trump can’t win and thus, the GOP should look elsewhere for its party’s standard bearer. What you don’t hear as often is Republicans saying Trump shouldn’t run because he’s committed crimes … AND COMMITTING CRIMES IS BAD, EVEN DISQUALIFYING FOR A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
Part of the issue is that most Republican elected officials simply can’t fathom voting for a Democrat. It’s like asking a true religious believer, “does god exist?”
“No,” really isn’t in the toolbox.
The other issue is that Republicans see no overlap between achieving political power and abiding by a moral and ethical compass or basic political norms. Winning is not just the first commandment of the GOP; it’s one through ten. When your mindset is might makes right, you’re conditioned to ignore pretty much any other consideration, including insignificant things like “Am I doing the right thing here?” When even someone like Cassidy, who had the courage to convict Trump, is unable to say, “Republicans shouldn’t be supporting a guy who is likely to be convicted of a crime because … duh,” then you’ve got a truly broken political party.
Still, what I find most remarkable about this viewpoint is that Republican elected officials aren’t embarrased to say it publicly. They seemingly have no problem broadcasting their political cynicism to the world and clarifying that the only public policy consideration for them and their fellow Republicans is “will it help them win elections.” They revel in their amorality.
Can Trump Win In 2024?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Truth and Consequences to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.