A house divided against itself cannot stand Abraham Lincoln
I have been following as closely as I’m able not only on the GOP primaries, but also on the infighting in the GOP writ large between the Trump wing, and the moderate wing of the party. And it’s getting messy.
- Outgoing Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson went public with the fact that he would neither support, or vote for Trump if he ran again in 2024. This isn’t exactly an act of moral courage, since Hutchinson isn’t on the 2022 ballot, nor likely to be on a 2024 ballot. Nonetheless, Hutchinson is a popular Governor, and if he decides to trash Blarah Flackabee Slanders, that might impact the AR primaries
- I wrote previously that within hours of Trump acolyte and 1/6 insurrectionist Doug Mastriano winning the PA primary for Governor, deep pocket PA GOP donors started writing checks for Democrat Josh Shapiro, finding Mastriano too extreme to win. I take this to mean that they probably won’t be supporting far right Trump acolytes down ballot either
- As I wrote earlier today, 9 current and former GOP PA officeholders, including a former Supreme Court Justice, came out en masse to support Shapiro, calling Mastriano a dangerous extremist. Maybe having a supporter proudly marching next to him in a July 4th parade hoisting a 3%er’s flag was the last straw
- Solid conservative lawyer and Trump’s last White House Counsel, Pat Cipollone is going to appear before the 1/6 committee on Friday for a videotaped deposition. Trump can’t even scream Attorney-client privilege in a lawsuit to block the testimony, since Cipollino counseled the Office of the President, and not Trump personally
- Former die hard Trump supporter, GOP Representative Mo Brooks has indicated that he will testify before the 1/6 committee to tell his side. He has time now that he lost the Senate runoff to Trump’s preferred candidate
- Former staunch Trump supporter, and one of his revolving door Chiefs’ of Staff Mick Mulvaney went on a Sunday morning show, and explained that while he had always supported Trump, the 1/6 revelation that Trump knew that the mob was armed, and sicced them on the Capitol anyway crossed a line for him. He no longer supports Trump
There are several reasons that this is important. First of all is the financial aspect. If deep pocket GOP donors, like the ones in Pennsylvania, are either withholding their support from far right Trombie candidates, or worse yet, supporting the Democratic challenger, this is bad news for the GOP. Especially with Traitor tot being a one man siphon hose for GOP base donations, depriving the RNC of desperately needed cash.
Second, the 1/6 committee hearings are most definitely having an impact. Mick Mulvaney is not a man who would switch allegiance easily. But the testimony he saw from Cassidy Hutchinson was more than he could stomach. And the more moderate Republicans and donors are seeing of these hearings, the more it’s turning them off to Trump anointed candidates.
Third, these announcements are pennies from heaven for the Never Trump movement. Whether the individuals making these announcements actually join the movement or not is immaterial, they can still use their statements in ads and email blasts to show that the resistance is growing.
Lastly, what is this doing to the non Trump conservative base. If these moderate Republicans are tuning into the hearings, then it’s highly likely that so are at least some of the non Trump, moderate GOP and independent voters. What they’ve seen may have made them queasy, but they’re still on the fence, old habits die hard. But seeing these current and former GOP officeholders, and major GOP donors turn on Trump may just help make up their minds.
Look, the 2022 midterms are going to be decided on very thin margins, especially in critical swing districts. There are no votes to spare. The Democrats are going to be running on such issues as abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and gun control, all prime targets to tug at white, middle class, suburban women. And every mushy middle voter that pushes a Trump voter away is liquid gold.
To conclude, please remember one simple thing, In order to win in November, the Democrats don’t need to flip GOP or Republican voters. All the Democrats need is for them to stay home! If Trombiers won’t show up to support the candidate that beat theirs, and if independent and moderate GOP suburban voters are so turned off by the GOP vullshit that they just stay home, that’s every bit as good as a vote for the Democratic candidates! There’s more than one way to skin a cat my friends, but they all leave the cat dead.
I’ll make a minor correction for you, Murf:
“Former die hard Trump supporter, GOP Representative Mo Brooks has indicated that he will testify before the 1/6 committee to tell his side. He has time now that he lost the Senate runoff to Trump’s SECOND preferred candidate.”
Remember: Brooks was the first recipient of Trump’s endorsement, only to lose it when the polls quit showing Brooks as a shoo-in.
I’ll almost guarantee you that the moment Our Mister Brooks opens his mouth to the Committee (or maybe even a few hours or a day at most before), Trump will spread the word that no one should believe a word that Brooks says because he’s “obviously” just trying to get back at the All-Glorious Donald for taking back his endorsement (and probably follow it up with something along the lines of how Trump “backed a winner”).
(And, as an Alabamian myself, every single one of the GOP Senate candidates was boasting their support for Trump, endorsement or not.)
If Brooks does do anything before the J6 Committee beside taking the 5th, his butt is not exactly safe, it probably WILL be to get back at former guy. Well, that and an attempt to save his own ass.