If I Were a Republican of Conscience I Would Hate Donald Trump Even More Than I Do Now
There was a beautiful window a few months back when it legitimately seemed like Donald Trump was over. He humiliated his country and his party on a historic, global scale by whipping his cultists into a frenzy over bogus claims of election fraud that climaxed in a failed insurrection.
Trump had been impeached a SECOND time (that’s bad). He was kicked off Facebook and Twitter despite being the President of the United States. Soulless sycophants like Betsy Devos resigned in protest of Trump’s unconscionable actions.
Nikki Haley famously criticized her former boss’ actions following his electoral defeat by saying he “went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”
Mitch McConnell was even harsher, saying that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection because “[the mob] did this because they’d been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth because he was angry he lost an election.”
Though it was not ultimately successful, seven Republican Senators voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial. Trump’s strong-arm tactics and psychotic obsession with proving that he had won by a “sacred” landslide in the 2020 elections probably cost Republicans control of the Senate.
For a brief, shining moment, Trump was so toxic and radioactive that it seemed like the Republicans were going to do their best to try to forget about him, his time in office and particularly the unfortunate events of January 6th, 2020.
The Republicans had an opportunity to make a clean break from Trump and his psychotic, destructive cult of personality. They had a chance to stand tall and proud and boldly announce to the world that Trump’s hateful words and actions and social media missives did not reflect their values or their ideals.
Instead they did the exact opposite. Losing the presidency, getting impeached a second time for instigating a failed insurrection and being de-platformed on Twitter undeniably hurt Trump and his legacy but as he has done so many times before, he bounced back stronger than ever.
Haley predictably walked back her criticism of Trump and vowed to support him wholeheartedly should he win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination while Mike Pence isn’t about to let anything as minor as the ex-president seemingly being cool with him being murdered by an enraged mob on January 6th for the crime of not illegally overturning the election on Trump’s behalf keep him from gushing about his old boss’ greatness.
Republicans who have acknowledged the reality that Trump lost the 2020 Presidential election fair and square and has only harmed his country and his party by angrily insisting otherwise have found themselves widely derided as traitors and turncoats by their own party. Cindy McCain isn’t even a politician or elected official yet the Arizona Republican Party nevertheless felt the need to censure her for supporting Joe Biden and gay marriage.
Republicans make pilgrimages to Mar-A-Lago to kiss the ring of Trump’s power and beg for an all-important endorsement from the disgraced, twice-impeached former president. They live in understandable fear that if they displease Trump or get on his bad side somehow then he will use his tremendous power to destroy them.
The Republicans had a choice between freedom and Trump. They cravenly chose Trump. If I were a Republican of conscience who cared about my party as well as my country I would hate Donald Trump even more than I do now, and I despise the man with every fiber of my being. I would bitterly resent that my party was dominated by a bully who acted more like a Mafia don than a former president. It would drive me absolutely insane that I could not criticize a crazed monster like Trump without being vilified as a secret Socialist who hates his country.
Seemingly the only thing that could cost Trump complete control of the Republican Party would be imprisonment or death but even if Trump were to go to jail, die, and/or die in jail (oh, but a boy can dream!), then I have no doubt that despondent cultists would then look to Don Jr. or Ivanka to carry on daddy’s righteous legacy and punish anyone, Republican or Democrat, who dared to depict him as anything less than heroic and right.
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