“Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable. The President’s conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office and supporters.”
Former Trump Attorney General William Barr, January 7, 2021
GOP Senate majority found the political sweet spot.
Don't defend Trump. Ignore Trump. Say the Democrats are the bad guys here
Best of all, let Democrats dig a political hole by saying Trump told the Big Lie. It positions Republican voters as gullible fools. They will hate the bearer of that message.
Democrats are watching a drama showing the crime of inexcusable betrayal, with a direct line between a Big Lie, a call to "stop the steal," and then a call to action on January 6. Many Republican senators--and voters--are watching a very different drama. They see insatiable and hateful Democrats continue to waste everyone's time and energy in a hopeless and endless effort to pester a guy who is already gone from office.
Both dramas have someone to dislike.
Most Republican senators are not registering and absorbing the prosecution case. News stories report they are doodling or conspicuously signaling that they are not paying attention.
Trump's guilt is partially the senators' guilt. They, too, heard the Big Lie of massive voter fraud, and they helped spread it because it was useful, or condoned it by nodding and agreeing neutrally, or were silent as they watched it take hold. Almost none of them dared disabuse their supporters of something they were eager to believe. They were collaborators.
Collaborators aided and abetted a shameless effort to overthrow the government. After January 6 one could no longer dismiss it as vigorous free speech or regular election process. It was a failed coup d'état. It is hard to spin that into something praiseworthy. 
Trump is indefensible, but he is also popular--a dilemma. The solution is to distance oneself.
Distancing. No Republican senator publicly supports or mitigates the Stop the Steal insurrection. Nor is there vigorous denial that Trump in some way "orchestrated" the crowd, as Barr put it. Some Republicans attempt to blame violence on Democrats or Antifa or Nancy Pelosi, but that is a form of distancing, not defending.
The "whatabout" defense on "fighting words" is another form of distancing. Every politician has used some version of the idea of political combat. In the whatabout defense, Republican senators are no more blameworthy than Democrats, so look at the Democrats! That is the political safe harbor, attacking those Trump-hating, hypocritical, impeachment-addicted, unity-killing Democrats.
Attack the impeachment itself. Most Republican senators have settled into a single message, that the impeachment is a vicious attack on our democracy. Blame the Democrats of doing exactly what they say Trump did: Carrying out a form of insurrection by causing social upheaval for political purposes.
Ted Cruz of Texas keeps raising money off the issue with a new solicitation to me this morning citing Democratic "grandstanding," their "vindictive" impeachment, and "ridiculous show trial." He doesn't defend Trump. There is a war and Cruz the embattled hero, the one under attack.Marco Rubio of Florida has been on Fox repeatedly, including this morning, calling it a waste of time and proof positive that Democrats are trying to divide America. He had earlier said on Fox "The first chance I get to vote to end this trial, I will do it, because I think it's really bad for America."
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says it is a Democratic plot to protect Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wondering aloud to Maria Bartiromo on Fox if the January 6 attack might be a "diversionary operation from the corruption that was occurring within certainly the FBI and potentially some of our intelligence agencies. . . . Is this another diversionary operation? Is this meant to deflect away from potentially what the speaker knew and when she knew it?"
There are many others.
A bright spot for Democrats:
Although Democrats will not get a conviction, the dominant story is one consistent with the Barr quote at the top of this page: that Trump orchestrated an overthrow of the government, and it was wrong. Republicans are not defending Trump, so that consensus understanding will likely grow. Senators are averting their eyes and changing the subject.
A bright spot for Republicans:
The impeachment is sure to fail, and by failing it will again bring into question why Democrats did not just settle for a vote of censure. Republicans get to continue to define Democrats--and therefore Biden--as insatiable extremists, who have an irrational fear and dislike of Trump and therefore the people who like Trump. By calling out the "Big Lie," Democrats are simultaneously--by implication--insulting a big block of Americans. They aren't just calling the people who believe Trump "deplorable." It is worse than that. Democrats are implying they are gullible fools, suckers for a con man, and that they joined him in making war on America. Voters will react to that image by hating the messenger.
8 comments:
Republican kindergartners defense - he hit me first. Childish face saving behavior by Senate Trumpers. Don’t look at Capitol carnage. Instead look at the political “beating” we got from eight years of Obama and Pelosi and that damnable Obama Care they shoved down our throats that we secretly love (because we won’t repel it.). What a pile of pig manure the Republican Party has become!
A npr survey had 39% of republicans believing violence is necessary to protect true democracy. Fox News pulled away from showing the video of insurrection while all other networks showed it. Republicans are in a bit of a bind. They can not serve two masters- democracy with all Americans voting versus power and hate ruling. What will rational, sensible republicans do? How will they vote? If they continue to support the violent right, America is doomed. This impeachment presses the issue in my mind.
Peter, you put your finger on the crux of the real problem we face in this nation when you referred to Trump's minion as "gullible fools." The unvarnished truth is often painful to digest but how else could you better describe the devotees of "Trumpism"? The transparent facade behind which lurks a monster in terms of pettiness, crude speech and amoral behavior ("Just grab 'em by the pussy") A lying draft dodger extraordinaire, a cheating husband who consorted with women who were willing to sell themselves, his demeaning attitude towards those he employed, his numerous business failures, etc. I suspect that to date we have not seen the man hiding behind his inheritance of some 43 million dollars and the best is yet to come as researchers comb through his checkered past. In the meantime the nation is "stuck" with the "gullible fools."
Bob Warren
It's galling that at a time when we should be feeling relieved, and hopeful for a return to normalcy and safety, Republicans are still making Dear Leader the center of attention.
The Republicans are cornered by their own actions and have no choice but to continue, and even double down. After all, sometimes it pays off, and in fact they have little left to lose. In poker parlance, they are "short stacked".
Will it ever end?
Only when Republicans are "busted".
Cruz and Rubio have presidential aspirations, as do several others in what is left of the "Lord of the Flies" Republican party. Their bet is that their odds are better sticking with the con man, who will be weakened whether they convict or not. In fact, it may be that they believe that a conviction will make him stronger.
I agree, he will be acquitted. The right wing sites I have been trolling are all about "whataboutism" - why did the democrats not stop the uprisings in Portland and other cities this summer? They refuse to acknowledge trump's responsibility for them as well, where he encouraged the armed right wingers to participate, where it was the right-wingers who were armed, and where he encouraged violence toward the Michigan governor, etc.
It is always good to point out the possibility of this backfiring. However, those "gullible fools" are that tough 30-40% we will never win over anyway. So we need to ask what effect all of this has on the middle group of non-affiliated voters.
The coastal elites have been heedlessly destroying the economies and lives of “flyover country“ for decades now. Perfectly good businesses like Toys R Us have been bankrupted by elite financial predators. Values completely alien to the “deplorables” have been imposed by the coastal elites.
It got to the point that they would vote for anyone who seemed to give a rip about them, even someone like Donald Trump.
If the Republicans nominate a sensible and competent populist like Dan Crenshaw in 2024, I predict they will dribble the Democrats down the court and slam-drunk them. Kamala will never know what hit her...
What is the saying? “You can’t fix stupid.”
The Democrats did a great job showing the Congress running for cover. That was not a lie. Play it over and over again using the words of Ted and Hawley as voice overs. Play to never forget. Keep repeating the names of the dead and injured. Do the same for the Covid dead. Read their names on Memorial Day in a downtown square. Never move on. Statues to the dead. Create Art of feces spread on the Congress walls. Play the sounds of pounding on the doors and all the chants and fuck you’s during the tour of the Congress building. Take this art show on the road for students and parents as a Civic lesson. Create lesson plans for acting out the storming and the Covid patientS writhing in their bed of death. USA USA. never forget. I pledge allegiance to the flag of America....da da da under God. Hang Pence. Get Nancy. Total Street theater, hear ye, hear ye.
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