There's a feverish progressive theory floating around social media: Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are supporting Donald Trump's clown Presidency because it enables them to push their "evil" vision of healthcare through. And once they succeed, once their wealthy donors are satisfied at the expense of the most vulnerable among us, McConnell and Ryan will "allow" Trump to be removed.
Oh, good goobies! There's so much wrong with this! First of all, healthcare isn't going anywhere because of
Republican legislators. The GOP-controlled Senate won't accept the House bill. The Senate can't come up with a bill of their own that their own membership agrees on. At this point, McConnell and Ryan seem unable to mastermind a light out of socket.
Secondly, if they "allowed" Trump's impeachment, they would get to deal with Mike Pence. Safe, sober, dependable, ideologically consistent Mike Pence. No one -- not even his most passionate supporters -- has ever described Trump as safe, sober, dependable or ideologically consistent.
Oh yeah, and it's never good to assign tags like "evil" on political adversaries. It's toxic and it makes you part of the problem. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are, in my opinion, patriotic men who are simply wrong. They are acolytes of the Ronald Reagan/Margaret Thatcher theories of the free market being able to save us all. As a lifelong Kennedy girl who believes government should be there to do for the individual what the individual can't do for himself, this is anathema. To paraphrase, you can't raise yourself up by your bootstraps if you don't have boots. That said, I don't think McConnell or Ryan are "evil." I don't think they'd drown a puppy or leave a baby in a locked car on a summer day. I believe if I was on fire, they would indeed pee on me.
An Illinois man recently relocated to DC, picked up a gun and shot at GOP lawmakers while they practiced for an intramural baseball game. Rep. Steve Scalise -- a man I agree with on almost nothing -- is fighting to recover as I post this. It behooves all of us to watch our labeling. It dehumanizes and turns those we disagree with into targets.
Instead it's easier to explain what's going on today by looking back at our own recent history. Donald Trump is Richard Nixon's id, without the leavening superego. As the Russia investigation comes closer and closer to his inner circle, Trump becomes more outrageous.
Instead of talking about healthcare, or infrastructure* or even his dispatch of ATF agents to Chicago, Trump tweets about Mika Brzezinski's
"bloody face" and
body slams CNN. All this coincides with WSJ reporting that Trump's bromantic partner, Mike Flynn, was personally involved with Russian hacking ... as were Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway and Sam Clovis.
Don't look at what I did then! Look at what I'm saying now!
Our President doesn't seem to give a flying fuck about us. He cares about saving himself from prosecution. I don't think he's "evil," either. I think Donald Trump is behaving like he's desperate and cornered, and his responses are as predictable as they are sad.
Ryan and McConnell certainly don't want him as President. Just as the Republicans in Congress weren't wild about having Nixon in the White House. But they are stuck with Trump. Not because of their wealthy donors, because of passionate Trump voters in gerrymandered districts. This does not make them "evil." It makes them lacking in political courage. There is a difference.
When the news media finally breaks through and most of the country gets what happened, then they will press their lawmakers to remove Trump. Or, just as likely, old-timers of conscience like McCain and Graham will get fed up and do what they can to remove the President of their party. Just as Goldwater and Dole did in the 1970s. (Yes, I'm admitting Republicans did the right thing.)
I know this because I lived through Watergate. I know this because I read about Watergate. I know how levers of government work because I paid attention in 5th grade.
*Which I would have applauded. Yes, even though he is (gasp!) a Republican President! Because, Traitor to the Resistance that I am, I want people to drive across safe bridges.
