Bring on the enablers: Why are so many Republicans still making illogical arguments against the impeachment of Trump by the Senate?

You have seen and heard them, the familiar faces of the Republican Party; Cruz, Gaetz, Jordan, Rubio and the rest of the so-called Freedom Caucus.

They are the same politicians who argued in Congress, and in front of the American people, to reject the results of the electoral college.

Despite the fact that their actions enabled the outgoing president to spread seditious lies and led to a violent mob that threatened their safety and security and that of their fellow congresspeople three weeks ago, they continue to argue at length that now twice impeached former President Donald Trump should not be convicted in the Senate.

Mitch McConnell, the former Senate Majority Leader, who famously said two weeks ago that he would support Trump’s impeachment by the senate, is now waffling. House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy, who blamed Trump’s speech for inciting the rioters, flew to Florida this week to have an audience with Trump, like he was the pope or some mafia boss.

Do both of these politicians think that the future of the Republican party would be better off with Trump acting like a puppet master behind the scenes? Or do they worry that Trump might start a third party and take away the Republican base with them?

In some respects watching these GOP politicians is like seeing the Stockholm Syndrome play out where victims develop intimate bonds with the people who perpetrated the crime against them. But that’s letting the GOP off the hook. They are not victims. They’ve been actively courting a racist and xenophobic base and thought they could control Trump.

Meanwhile not only have the enablers harassed House Republicans who voted in favor of impeachment (e.g., Cheney), but also ganging up on Republican Senators (i.e., Collins, Murkowski, Romney, Sasse, and Toomey) who voted in favor of the forthcoming impeachment hearing. Do they not think that the Lincoln Project or other better funded PACs won’t funnel a considerable amount of money behind the re-election campaigns of these politicians if they are floundering in the polls?

The enablers must be hoping that they can still curry favor with Trump, or his loyal base, and that when it is time for re-election that if they strongly come out against impeachment now, that it will pay dividends in terms of Trump’s endorsement and perhaps the channeling of campaign funds.

What they don’t want, as we move into the spring, is for Trump and the organizations he created or was affiliated with to be increasingly embroiled in criminal and civil litigation. His creditors will ramp up the cost-benefit calculations they are already making, and many as they are already doing will start pulling the loans they entrusted him and his organization with. Trump may even be behind bars.

Trump’s enablers are making all sorts of illogical arguments, like just because Trump did not actually tell people to violently storm the capitol, he can’t be held responsible in any shape or fashion. Or impeaching Trump will not heal the country. In fact it will have to opposite effect of tearing the country apart. And why’s this?

This is as much nonsense as suggesting that the vote was stolen.

Perhaps these arguments make sense to their supporters or the cult that loyally voted for Trump?

Maybe this is what they perceive is the needed rhetoric they need now if they are planning for the next midterm election.

They are operating out of sense of fear, short term thinking.

Although some of us may believe that they are destined to fail, sitting back and casually accepting this posturing is unacceptable.

Photo by Ruperto Miller

El líder de la mayoría republicana en el Senado, Mitch McConnell, reconoció este martes por primera vez la victoria del demócrata Joe Biden en las elecciones presidenciales de EU, marcando así un punto de inflexión en el Grand Old Party