How many times do we gotta do this damn scene, Roger?!? Baby Herman Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
I swear to God, I’m starting to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog’s Day. Three and a half months after the election, and 26 days into the Biden administration, and every morning when I get up and turn on the television, I keep hearing the same inane drivel. And all from the same side.
A couple of weeks ago, I sat down to hear the stunning news that Jarvanka had bought property in Florida, not far from Daddums, so that Ivanka could establish state residency to make a run at Marco Rubio’s seat in 2022. What? Bloomingdales Barbie? A woman so shallow and vapid that her only positive accomplishment was having Star Trek filmed between her ears?
And then this Sunday, after retiring GOP North Carolina Senator Richard Burr voted to convict Trump in scathing terms, Lindsey Graham, the walking two legged stool, went on the Sunday talk shows to explain that if Eric Trump’s wife, sycophant Lara Trump decided to run for Burr’s open seat, Graham would do everything in his power to support her, and he was confident she would win.
And it has been rumored for months now that Trump will continue to insist that he will run again in 2024, to keep the primary field clear, and then at the last minute, let Dipshit Donnie Redux file his paperwork and back out. The kid must be a natural if you have to empty the field for him. Something has gone tragically wrong here. This whole Trump-GOP thing has long passed a doomed romance, and even an abusive relationship, and turned into a full blown Sado-Mas death wish. Since when did the name Trump come to supplant the name Bush as the iconic dynasty in GOP politics?
Graham is saying that he will go to Mar-A-Lago this weekend to confer with Trump on the way forward for the party in 2022, with Trump at the helm, since the party is lost without him. That, and to pick up an overpriced Denver and hash browns at the Mar-A-Lago omelet bar.
Let me make this quick, since I’m as sick of typing it as you are of reading it. What three things do all of these names have in common? Strange, Moore, Perdue, Loeffler, McSally, and Bevin. 1) Trump went to the mattresses for all of them in their reelection. 2) They all lost. 3) GOP turnout in all of the strongest Trump counties was down, mostly between 15-30%. Trump’s voters are monolithic, if you’re on the ballot, they’ll vote for you when they vote for him. If Trump’s not on the ballot, you’re boned. Sideways.
But here’s the ultimate in GOP self denial, and there’s no reason for it, since there isn’t a single, sane GOP incumbent out there who doesn’t know that the election was both free and fair. Not only can’t Trump get other GOP candidates reelected, he couldn’t even fucking get himself reelected!
The 2020 election was, pure and simple the absolute pinnacle of Trump mania in this country. And why not, Trump had only been running for reelection for the last four consecutive years, since inauguration day of 2017. And credit where it’s due, Trump pulled off an incredible political accomplishment. Trump amassed 74 million votes, more than any other Presidential candidate in American history. And what happened? Biden piled up 81 million votes! He left Trump so far in the rear view mirror, he couldn’t even see his dust!
Hell, in 2020 even the majority of white suburban GOP women came home to the party, but not to Trump. They voted the party line on the down ballot, but either left the top line blank, or voted for Biden. And here’s a news flash, Trump fatigue was a very real thing in 2020. Independents and moderate Republicans were so sick of the 24/7 shit show, that they either stayed home, or voted for Biden. Anything to make the insanity stop!
Why can’t the national GOP see this simple fact? Trump was a one trick pony, and if it hadn’t been for Vlad the Imp, even that dream would have died in the cradle. The 2017 special elections and off year elections, the 2018 midterms, and the 2019 off year elections all showed that Trump’s name is toxic. And Lindsey Graham wants him back on the road soon, stumping support for 2022 potential candidates and incumbents. Clearly, Lindsey Graham has a death wish for his own party.
When Trump is not on a ballot, he does two things. He creates insane Democratic grassroots and interest, especially among African Americans and women. And the very mention of his name, much less his appearance in their neighborhoods, is enough to outrage white suburban GOP women, and at least some of their spouses, out to the polls to make sure he is finally buried once and for all.
Mitch McConnell understands this. And so does Mitt Romney, Richard Burr, Susan Collins, plus the rest of the GOP Senators who voted to convict Trump. They don’t just have to lock Trump away somewhere, they have to do a full blown Chernobyl on his ass, if the party wants to survive.
Personally, my money is on McConnell. Graham will keep Trump as engaged in 2022 as Trump wants to be, because there’s nothing that McConnell can do to stop him. But when the GOP loses at least 4 Senate seats, allowing the Democrats to nuke the filibuster, and start adding more Democratic friendly territories into statehood, and the GOP loses right back the 25-30 seats they won in 2020, the bloom will be off of the rose.
McConnell will get to play I-told-you-so with Graham, Hawley, Cruz, Cotton, and all the rest of the Senate Trombies. But the damage will already be done. Biden will have two years of smooth sailing to accomplish most if not all, of his major first term goals. And the GOP will be completely fractured going into 2024. Ah, there’s nothing like self delusion, huh?
Follow me on Twitter at @RealMurfster35
A couple of addenda to the above, Murf:
1) McConnell is backing a bill that will cut Kentucky Governor Beshear out of picking any replacement Senators. Sounds like he’s packing a parachute.
2) Underreported but there was a Trump rally today. The reason few people know about it? Only 600 people showed up. Goes to your point about the bloom being off the rose.
As to your question on why the change in political dynasties for the GQP, it goes back to W. He not only messed them up with Iraq and the Lehman Brothers meltdown but he took all the good leadership with him when he left in 2009. I imagine that there are a LOT of sore feelings over both things.
Nice vision, Murph! We can only hope and pray it comes to pass. I agree, tRump has not made any new friends and people who are fed up with him, will only be more so.
Graham (and his fellow trumpers) is scum, how he’s still in office is unfathomable to me. All he does is lick trump’s boots, nothing else.
Perdue is going to run against Warnock. Let’s hope that he’s so past his sell-by that Warnock leaves him in the dust.
Whatever Trump has on Lindsey must be really something. Lindsey becomes more pathetically sycophantic and deranged-sounding by the day.
All this & more. Frump has so much dirty laundry, let’s see what the new attorney general does to re-establish law & order. Nobody runs for office from jail. They just run from the law.
Don’t underestimate the power of the Dark side.
Dear joseph stalin-murphy
G.
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McConnell saying that Georgia was a joke and he’s going to campaign for others in 2022. Americans – overall – aren’t stupid. I’m hoping his campaigning for anyone is the death knell of those campaigns.