Don’t underestimate the turning of the tide that happened last night in Iowa. The Dean of the GOP Senate, the President Pro Tempore, Chuck Grassley, recanted his words from earlier in the year after Trump’s futile election challenges failed and gratefully accepted the endorsement of the “person that’s got 91% of the Republican voters in Iowa.” Harken back to what he said about Trump back then. Politico:
“The reality is, he lost. He brought over 60 lawsuits and lost all but one of them. He was not able to challenge enough votes to overcome President Biden’s significant margins in key states,” Grassley said in a statement offered after voting against Trump’s second impeachment. “He belittled and harassed elected officials across the country to get his way. He encouraged his own, loyal vice president, Mike Pence, to take extraordinary and unconstitutional actions during the Electoral College count.”
Make no mistake about what last night confirmed. Grassley is old school, establishment GOP and he endorsed Trump as much as Trump endorsed him. That sends the clear message, “We don’t care about this guy causing a constitutional crisis or wanting to end democracy. We only care if he can get votes.”
And in addition to that, predictably, Trump is making the 2022 elections not a referendum on Biden, which is the usual way of things, but a referendum on him. He said as much.
“I’m telling you the single biggest issue, as bad as the border is and it’s horrible, horrible what they’re doing they’re destroying our country, but as bad as that is the single biggest issue the issue that gets the most pull, the most respect, the biggest cheers is talking about the election fraud of the 2020 presidential election,” Trump said.[…]
For Trump, this is a wonderful gift. The former president has been openly discussing the likelihood that he will run for the office again. To be greeted with open arms in the all-important, first-in-the-nation presidential caucus state of Iowa was a flashing neon light signal to voters that this party remains his. And he’s done it all while still launching broadsides against current leadership (he eviscerated Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at various points on Saturday for striking a deal with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling and for not having the “courage to challenge the election”) and without offering a morsel of remorse for how his presidency ended. […]
The GOP establishment is now along for the ride. “Trump has held rallies since leaving the White House,” Meridith writes. “But never have elected Republicans of such tenure and stature appeared with him. And the presence of [Sen. CHUCK] GRASSLEY in particular signified that whatever qualms the GOP may have had with Trump are now faded memories; whatever questions they had about the direction of the party have been resolved.
This is no small thing that happened in at the Iowa Fairgrounds last night. Mark these lessons well. 1) The GOP is now fully on board for a second Trump run; 2) That means they’re fine with the Big Lie; and 3) That means that every election from here on out is going to be fraught with the same madness.
And that means the end of democracy as we know it. This is banana republic stuff. This is how third world countries talk about elections and complain about them. The regular see saw of government, the shift from one party in power to the other, is begin destroyed before your very eyes. And it’s happening because of of the two major political parties has decided that that’s okay.
The history books will record that Donald Trump didn’t destroy democracy on his own. He couldn’t. He did it with the complicity and assistance of the Republican party. Unless something miraculous happens and the Cheneys and Kinzingers of the party get their hands on the reins, this is the shape of the GOP.
Legal battles are the only thing that can stop Trump now.
If there’s any consolation in this, it’s that the former guy’s shtick is wearing thin. Only 44% of Rs want him to run in 2024.
The Banana Republicans.
If you look at what has rattled Don the most in the last few days, his mind set was he would just state that everything he said and did before/after Jan. 06/21, are covered under presidential protections of in-office communications … NOPE, not now, not ever, loser … you left office by a fairly wide margin in the voting records … speaking of records, Trumpty, not only are ALL people in the White House AND Congress are subject to calls to meetings for closer examination and on-site witnessing …
Next, any and all documents from those days of your infamy, are now available to the investigative team … did I mention your ample ass is now grass?
Then, Donny Boy, when you are trying to get someone to pay for your call from a prison hallway phone, where the call will be monitored and walk-by other prisoners who will be cat-calling and hollering obscenities into the phone as you try to speak with your lawyer or family member, could be rather difficult to plan for a re-do at the WH, criminals in prison are not known to be on the short list for a REAL president’s job, sorry, Charlie, you are totally unqualified for the job …
Too Bad, so sad, and by the way, I can’t think of any other FORMER president that could not get through a door to AF-1 with their umbrella … N iner-niner, you and your adult offspring are just SO STUPID …
Ursula, I corrected you on this point last night. Grassley is NOT *THE* President pro tem of the Senate. He is the “President pro tempore of the Senate EMERITUS” which is a purely honorary title. (The “Emeritus” title is awarded to a FORMER President pro tem of the minority party who’s still serving in the Senate.
PATRICK LEAHY IS THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE.
I thought he’s been in his pocket when u rubber stamp a drunken rapist 4 the Supreme Court; & bury millions of documents. Oh, & violate ur oath of office by not participating in a trial on 2 impeachments where the evidence was clear. Nothing new 4 this shriveled turd.
Trump has basically owned the GOP ever since he became their nominee. All Grassley did was just make that fact official. Yet there still exist renegade Republicans, whom Liz Cheney will eventually organize into a new conservative party. But for now, the rot and decay have to play out.
For now trump is the face of the republicans. Of course there is that old saying if I had my way I would shave his ass and make him walk on his hands. I think that’s how it goes, if not it sounds good to me.