In their hearts, Republican officeholders know Trump is corrupt, foolish, autocratic, and dangerous.
They know it. They just can't admit it.
Yet.
Republican candidates and officeholders tolerate his behavior because Trump has the power to engineer their defeat in a primary election. This November's midterm election is an opportunity to send a message to those officeholders that it is time to rediscover their sense of right and wrong.
The way to do that is to lose their elections.
It is best for our country if she loses her election amid a nationwide Trump purge. The more thorough Trump’s rejection, the more courage Republican officeholders would have to begin asserting their own values. I start with the premise that most Republican officeholders are not as corrupt as Trump, so surely some of them are disgusted by his open grift and corruption. Surely some of them oppose our choice to support Russia in its war with Ukraine. Surely some oppose his abuse of democratic process. They would not tolerate a Democrat acting as Trump does. Maybe they would find courage to put brakes on Trump these final two years.
Oregon’s gubernatorial contest is the outlier in the nation’s Democratic shift, with polls suggesting that this may be the one major race in the country where there is no blueward shift. A Drazan win could be interpreted in a way that confounds the lesson the country needs to learn. It could be thought to mean that Trump’s problem was that the Trump era lasted too long. Trump has been at the center of national politics for 11 years. Oregon Democrats have controlled the governorship for almost four decades. Oregon governor Tina Kotek’s loss could be interpreted as voter fatigue with a party in control for too long.
That is an inadequate lesson, but Republicans might jump to it. It shifts blame away from the people who need to learn a harder lesson. Political parties look for easy excuses to avoid confronting a fundamental policy and moral failure. Democratic Party leaders said the real problem in 2024 was that Kamala Harris did not have time to sell herself, and besides, her loss was due to a worldwide inflation problem; no need to rethink anything. In fact, the 2024 election revealed a profound misjudgment in allowing Biden to hide his health status -- the Democratic Big Lie -- and the party’s inability to confront its own interest groups sufficiently to deal with a broken immigration system.
I don’t want Republicans to decide that the real problem was one of Trump being on stage too long. The problem is that Trump is obscenely corrupt, that he has damaged our democracy, and that he has made disastrous foreign policy mistakes in his treatment of trade, alliances, and decisions to go to war. Trump’s policies directly hurt Oregon, especially our nationally recognized Oregon Health Plan. The Portland Metro Chamber admitted that Trump’s H.R. 1 would remove 200,000 Oregonians from the Oregon Health Plan. Trump’s errors and crimes became his party’s shared responsibility because, top to bottom, Republican officeholders and candidates don’t dare speak up to oppose this. Oregon’s one Republican U.S. Rep., Cliff Bentz, was a critical vote in favor of it.
A big election loss is a learning opportunity. Is it fair that candidates like Drazan and Republican state Senate candidate Brad Hicks lose elections because of the undertow brought about by President Trump? I think it is fair and necessary. Their silence enables Trump. They are part of the problem.
If Drazan and Hicks win election, Trump wins. Trump is validated. Silence is validated. It is better for the country if Trump loses. That means Drazan and Hicks need to lose, too.
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5 comments:
News Flash!!! Trump is not on the ballot this election, and Trump doesn't control Oregon Republicans. Oregon Democrats have nothing to sell, so they focus on Trump. Drazan is not Trump. Is Tina Kotek Biden, Pelosi, or AOC?
It’s not better, it’s essential that Republicans lose. Criminals don’t stop being criminals because they discover some morality, they stop because of the consequences of acting like a criminal. What will Trump and republicans be like if there is no blue wave? Answer= the same.
Drazan, Hicks, Bentz consent to what Trump is doing. Trump's policies are hurting the wine industry in Southern Oregon Is Drazen, Bentz, or Hicks saying one word i condemnation of the tariffs that caused Canada to stop importing local wine? Please send me screen shots that evidence strong public condemnation of Trup's trade war with Canada. I am waiting. I will publish what you send me.
Can Peter post a screen shot of Drazan supporting tariffs?
I've never heard Drazan address the issue. I have to say, Drazan is pretty liberal for being a "Republican".
It is only now, six months too late, that Iowa Republicans are starting to say that maybe it would be nice if Trump hadn't destroyed the export market for corn and soybeans. But it is something, even if gentle. The Republican senator from Michigan just this week finally said that maybe the trade war with Canada was bad for Michigan. Finally!!! Oregon Republicans have been silent when our wheat exports have been hurt by tariffs. They have been silent about the crypto currency grift-bribe, the pay to play conflict of interest, the grossly corrupt gift getting. And as for tariffs, where have GOP officehlolders been? Silent. Same, too with the Medicare expansion. Our southern and eastern oregon congressional district is particularly hard hit. And also Senate district 3. Ashland Hospital,, Providence, and Asante are in real trouble from uncollectible medical care -- to say nothing of the people who face medical bankruptcy. This is an attack on Oregon. It is bad for Oregonians. Silence. They dare not condemn it. If Republican officeholders stood up for their constituencies, then the impulsive tariff chaos might not have happened. Or at least Trump would pay a political price in the form of dissent within the party, and Trump might carve out an exception for Oregon wheat and wine. They aren't even trying to defend Oregon producers of export goods. No public objection. Drazan has both an opportunity and an obligation. She has not met it.
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