Well, we now have finally arrived at the moment of truth. Trump is facing the departure of some of his most devoted acolytes in the wake of the riot on Wednesday. While some may see it as too little too late or, less kindly, as rats leaving a sinking ship, I am glad that there actually is a point beyond which people with whom I disagree will not tolerate. It doesn’t matter that I thought they should have acted sooner because, as a country, if we ever want to heal the tribalism, we need to acknowledge the actions of others may not match what we think is right (nor may our actions match theirs). What is important now is to seize the common ground that exists and build on it.
I do think the Republican Party must now face a reckoning. I was disheartened by the enthusiasm that greeted the President at the party meeting the day after the riot. I was heartened by the disavowals of Trump by previous supporters. They need to resolve who they are as a party. And while they are at it, it wouldn’t hurt to decide what the future holds for Cruz, Hawley, and Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader. If these craven seditionists (to quote George Will) are to be left in place as Republican leaders, then I fear it is lost as a party. And as a Democrat, I want there to be a strong Conservative party to force all political discourse to be robust and vetted by different ideas. This decision can only be made by the leaders of the party of Lincoln. I can only hope their better angels prevail.
From This Corner 
“I can only hope their better angels prevail.” Me too, even though I fear their better angels may be just sitting on a rock smoking weed. Why? Because to the rioters, they believe they won. They’re sitting around at this moment telling war stories. Why not? Their caudillo told them to take the capitol and they did – maybe beyond their wildest expectations. They will flood social media monitored by conservative leaders and flood their offices with mail. Even though the best chance a R Senator has to become president in 2024 would be to remove his biggest rival by rules action, I’ll bet my next dinner they won’t. When the moment arrives to convict, they’ll atavistically return to their worst instincts. Well, that’s a poorly constructed thought, but I think one can muddle through to what I’m saying. if we knew why they do such things we could construct an opposition, but lots of smart people are stumped.
LikeLike
“I can only hope their better angels prevail.” Me too, even though I fear their better angels may be just sitting on a rock smoking weed. Why? Because to the rioters, they believe they won. They’re sitting around at this moment telling war stories. Why not? Their caudillo told them to take the capitol and they did – maybe beyond their wildest expectations. They will flood social media monitored by conservative leaders and flood their offices with mail. Even though the best chance a R Senator has to become president in 2024 would be to remove his biggest rival by rules action, I’ll bet my next dinner they won’t. When the moment arrives to convict, they’ll atavistically return to their worst instincts. Well, that’s a poorly constructed thought, but I think one can muddle through to what I’m saying. if we knew why they do such things we could construct an opposition, but lots of smart people are stumped.
LikeLike