How Is That Adulting Thing Goin Now, GOP?
– By Ed Kociela –
For years, we’ve thought we were adulting, doing all of the things necessary to make us responsible, decent citizens of the planet.
Unfortunately, Donald John Trump came along and messed up the whole thing, exposing us as a hollow echo of pop culture and peer pressure.
There was certainly no adulting going on in the Senate chambers last week.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky sat at his desk maskless and doodled what reporters said looked like a likeness of the Capitol as representatives from the House of Representatives presented their historic impeachment of the former president.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, according to those in the chamber, was nose-deep in a map of Southeast Asia.
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri perched himself in the gallery, overlooking the Senate floor, and rifled through papers in a manila envelope, his feet resting on a chair in front of him.
Indiana Sen. Mike Braun appeared to be falling asleep during the presentations by House representatives.
And, when it was all over and the final votes were tallied, it was clear that despite swearing to an oath of impartiality before impeachment proceedings began, the pledge was about as good as a handshake deal with Trump.
Nowhere was that more evident than in the case of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who excoriated Trump after the fact with a blistering address to the Senate during which he said, quite emphatically, that there was no question that the former president provoked the Capitol riot.
“There’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. No question about it,” he said after the proceedings. “The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president.
“And, having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories, and reckless hyperbole which the defeated president kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet Earth.”
But, bending to peer pressure, he voted with 42 other senators to acquit the former president because he believes Trump is “constitutionally not eligible for conviction” given that he is no longer president.
There are all kinds of reasons to brand McConnell as a hypocrite as a result.
First, the Senate had ruled days before by a 56-44 vote that, indeed, it could impeach a former president, which opened the door to the trial.
But, the more Machiavellian answer, of course, is that McConnell made it clear that he would not bring the second Trump impeachment before the Senate until after the inauguration of President Joe Biden. He did not want Trump tossed out on his posterior on his watch.
It was deceitful maneuvering that ensured that Trump wouldn’t receive more than a slap on the wrist for his seditious behavior.
Pop culture and peer pressure come into play here.
The nation remains divided on Trump, even though the tilt seems to be wavering against him at the moment. They don’t like him, but many simply cannot tell you why. They just identify with anti-Trumpsters. Others have followed the MAGA bunch down the rabbit hole because, well they feel a certain kinship – for whatever twisted reason – and idolize him, even if they cannot give solid reasoning.
That’s not good, especially when you are dealing in the realm of politics where depth and context are overwhelmingly critical.
I didn’t like Bill Clinton. I thought he was a lying flim-flam man with the ethics of a slimy used car salesman and the morals of an alley cat. But, he was brilliant when it came to what was best for fixing what ailed the country.
I didn’t like Hillary Clinton, but I admired her intelligence and will argue to the death that she would have been an infinitely better president than Trump.
I held, and still hold, a special place in my heart for the late John McCain, but voted against him because our political ideology was so disparate. Looking back, I sadly view him as the last of the noble, traditional Republicans, a decent soul with integrity, courage, and a willingness to put the needs of the nation ahead of his own.
I could not find a single reason to either support or prop up Trump.
Not one.
Not in four years.
Never.
Nada.
There was a time when the House and Senate was filled with real, honest to God patriots, willing to put aside their differences and walk with their counterparts across the aisle to keep the United States on course. Now? We have a Congress full of Hate-triots – from the Rand Paul’s and Josh Hawley’s to the Lindsey Graham’s and Mitch McConnell’s.
Pop culture keeps them all in the headlines and click-bait propaganda sites where you can find support for any ideology, regardless of how preposterous it may be.
Peer pressure? They all want to maintain a chunk of the Republican base, even if it means canoodling with the Trumpsters because, let’s face it, they really hold no power, but they do have deep pockets to help fund campaigns.
What has also gotten little play is the fact that the peer pressure associated with the extremist right-wing media carries a lot of water, particularly in hanging on to the Fox News entertainers who carry a lot of clout. Paul, Hawley, Graham, McConnell, and the others don’t wish to be cut off from the pipeline that delivers their message, especially since Fox and its ilk are the purveyors of news preferred by the sugar daddies on the fringes of the party. In truth, they would all rather cozy up to Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham than Trump.
I have to admit that I am a little surprised at McConnell.
The guy is 78. He’s probably run his last race. At this point, I would think he would be looking more at his legacy than hitching his wagon to a disgraced nag that dragged him through the muck and mire. History will not look kindly on McConnell after his hypocritical posturing during the Trump regime and he could very well be remembered as one of the key figures responsible for the dissolution of the traditional Republican Party, especially if what Anthony Scaramucci hinted at the other night is true, that there is a solid group of monied donors ready to plant the seeds of a new party that is more in line with traditional Republican values than the wildcats that have shredded what was once the GOP.
That sounds like a good idea, quite frankly, if only they can place a responsible adult in the room.
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