Most Republicans in the House and Senate are professional politicians who represent economic interests. While they run for office as “conservatives”, they are not ideologues. As we have seen few will stand on principle when their personal interests are at risk. If our current elected Republicans were at the Philadelphia Convention in 1776, none would sign the Declaration of Independence.
As I think back to every election since 1988 I have voted for Republicans to keep a radical leftist from holding office. Time after time thes Republicans compromise, rather than fight, simply delaying the inevitable. With few exceptions (Reagan in the 80’s, the Gingrich House Republicans in 1994, and Trump in 2016), Republicans votes have been for the lesser of two evils.
So here we are with the barbarians inside the gates and running free. The Republican politician are silent because they are calculating how to protect their personal interests, not how to save the Republic. The Constitution they swore to uphold is less important to them than continuing to play in the Washington political game.
The calculation is if they are silent the conservative base will still turn out for them because a vote for the Democrat’s is a vote for anarchy and dictatorship, Each GOP politician knows if he speaks out against the mob his fellow Republican will not stand with him. Unlike Democrats who stand together on every issue, GOP politicians stand alone in the public sphere, particularly when there is a media frenzy.
Any Republican today who speaks against the mob will immediately be targeted along with family members and donors. The politics of personal destruction will be unleashed. Few men or women can alone stand against a focused effort to destroy them. By staying silent they hope to make it to Election Day when they expect the loyal base to turn out in sufficient numbers to win. Should they lose, without having been targeted and destroyed by the mob, they can retire comfortably with a corporate board seat, position in academia, or fat lobbying job.
For Informed conservative voters there is real fear the next time Democrat’s control the White House, and both houses of Congress the Republic will end. The Democrats use the levers of powe to either fix the election process so they can never lose the majority, as in many blue states and cities today, or they will scrap the obsolete and racist Constitution written by slave holders, and replace it with a modern document allowing them to rule unchecked.
Sadly, a vote for almost any GOP politician is not a vote for founding principles. It is simply a vote to delay the imposition of a leftist tyranny..
The Democrats smell victory. If Trump goes down they know Pence, Romney, McConnell, and the rest of the GOP political class will be ready to make a deal and return to business as usual. What these GOP politicians don’t yet understand is this time if the Dems take control, things will be different. The New Democrats crave absolute power and will not tolerate any opposition party.
This week we have seen our military leaders openly choose sides. Note that despite having sworn an oath to protect the Constitution, they openly broke with the Commander in Chief elected by the people. The last time that occurred, General McArthur was fired by President Truman. If Trump fires the insubordinate Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Secretary of Defense he knows there will be a media frenzy and political firestorm. He also knows the GOP Senate will likely not support him. What does this say about the future of the Republic?
Good post. It’s why I won’t vote in the congressional portion of the 2020 election.