NYT: Fearing a ‘Blood Bath,’ Republican Senators Begin to Edge Away From Trump

[Saucycarpdog]

Fearing a ‘Blood Bath,’ Republican Senators Begin to Edge Away From Trump (Published 2020)

The statements offer an answer to the question of when Republicans might begin to repudiate the president after years of embracing him: the moment they believed he threatened their own political survival.

www.nytimes.com

For nearly four years, congressional Republicans have ducked and dodged an unending cascade of offensive statements and norm-shattering behavior from President Trump, ignoring his caustic and scattershot Twitter feed and penchant for flouting party orthodoxy, and standing quietly by as he abandoned military allies, attacked American institutions and stirred up racist and nativist fears.

But now, facing grim polling numbers and a flood of Democratic money and enthusiasm that has imperiled their majority in the Senate, Republicans on Capitol Hill are beginning to publicly distance themselves from the president. The shift, less than three weeks before the election, indicates that many Republicans have concluded that Mr. Trump is heading for a loss in November.

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Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska unleashed on Mr. Trump in a telephone town hall event with constituents on Wednesday, eviscerating the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic and accusing him of "flirting" with dictators and white supremacists and alienating voters so broadly that he might cause a "Republican blood bath" in the Senate. He was echoing a phrase from Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who warned of a "Republican blood bath of Watergate proportions." Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the president's most vocal allies, predicted the president could very well lose the White House.

Even the normally taciturn Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has been more outspoken than usual in recent days about his differences with the president, rejecting his calls to "go big" on a stimulus bill. That was a reflection of the fact that Senate Republicans — who have rarely broken with the president on any major legislative initiative in four years — are unwilling to vote for the kind of multitrillion-dollar federal aid plan that Mr. Trump has suddenly decided would be in his interest to embrace.

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On the campaign trail, Republicans are privately livid with the president for dragging down their Senate candidates, sending his struggles rippling across states that are traditional Republican strongholds.

"His weakness in dealing with coronavirus has put a lot more seats in play than we ever could have imagined a year ago," said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster and consultant. "We always knew that there were going to be a number of close Senate races, and we were probably swimming against the tide in places like Arizona, Colorado and Maine. But when you see states that are effectively tied, like Georgia and North Carolina and South Carolina, that tells you something has happened in the broader environment."

In 2016, when Mr. Trump, then a candidate, looked increasingly likely to capture the party's nomination, Mr. McConnell assured his members that if he threatened to harm them in the general election, they would "drop him like a hot rock."

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Republicans running scared. Please, PLEASE vote!!!

 

[Jeremy]

If they mean it, they can prove it by voting against Amy Coney Barrett's nomination. Otherwise, I have no patience for empty words.

 

[Soda]

Trump has to lose in a landslide and also crush down-ticket Republicans. After that, everyone needs to always, always remember that these assholes followed Trump through all four years. Not a single one of them took strong action against his leaderships or rhetoric. Even Mittens and a few others that spoke out did so in about the weakest of voices imaginable and essentially never took action. The only real action I can recall is McCain's thumbs down on the ACA repeal.

 

[BrokenFiction]

So brave.

 

[Shiloh]

Cruze and Graham being against Trump shouldn't surprise anyone. I'm less familiar with Sasse though.

 

[Dekim]

Less than a month from the election, and all they can do is just edge away?

 

[UnpopularBlargh]

Fuck them.

 

[MasterYoshi]

 

[DeliciousSunnyD!]

It's all bullshit. It's been more than clear that the modern Republican Party is ready and willing to sell out the country and people in it at the drop of a hat.

They will have this albatross hung around their necks for the rest of their lives, and that should go for the Republican voters too, maybe especially them.

People seriously should not forgive and forget these motherfuckers and the hell they've wrought on this country. I've seen more and more shit about "forgiveness" coming from groups of people who associate around fascist motherfuckers and I just think it's cute as fuck. Personally, no amount of repentance will absolve anyone who has been complicit in the fascist movement these last 5 years: (voters, sympathizers, enablers, propagandists, craven fascist politicians, etc. etc.)

They all get to share in the blame and shame, and I don't think good people should just ignore all of this with these people either.

 

[zeuanimals]

Trump has to lose in a landslide and also crush down-ticket Republicans. After that, everyone needs to always, always remember that these assholes followed Trump through all four years. Not a single one of them took strong action against his leaderships or rhetoric. Even Mittens and a few others that spoke out did so in about the weakest of voices imaginable and essentially never took action. The only real action I can recall is McCain's thumbs down on the ACA repeal.

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You know most people will forget or ignore that fact. Republicans are gonna regroup and restart the talking points and people will follow. I hope a significant portion of people have realized what the right truly is but I doubt it. Hopefully atleast young people see it and it pushes them left.

 

[Everyday Math]

I feel like Iv read this story before, but they still lick Trump's boots the next day.

Then we've got tea party wannabes aka Qanon flirting with the Republicans as well.

 

[Dalek]

 

[ChrisBliss117]

Cruze and Graham being against Trump shouldn't surprise anyone. I'm less familiar with Sasse though.

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Sasse is a hack like the rest of them. One of his campaign ads here in Nebraska claims he's an independent Republican. He talks tough but votes to repeal Obamacare, not impeach, confirm DeVos, Barr, Kavanaugh and now Barrett.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

Fuck every single one of these fascist-enabling pricks.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

If they mean it, they can prove it by voting against Amy Coney Barrett's nomination. Otherwise, I have no patience for empty words.

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The article actually talks about that.

Yet Mr. Romney and other Republicans who have spoken up to offer dire predictions or expressions of concern about Mr. Trump are all sticking with the president on what is likely his final major act before the election: the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a favorite of conservatives, to the Supreme Court.

The dichotomy reflects the tacit deal congressional Republicans have accepted over the course of Mr. Trump's presidency, in which they have tolerated his incendiary behavior and statements knowing that he would further many of their priorities, including installing a conservative majority on the nation's highest court.

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[Ithil]

About five years too late, turds.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

If they mean it, they can prove it by voting against Amy Coney Barrett's nomination. Otherwise, I have no patience for empty words.

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They don't mean it. That they waited until 2 weeks before the election to grow spines shows you what they think of the American electorate.

Barrett was the end goal, Trump was the means. The older GOP members don't really care about what happens to the party now, they got their judges and they're going to starve the economy between now and January.

 

[Jeremy]

They don't mean it. That they waited until 2 weeks before the election to grow spines shows you what they think of the American electorate.

Barrett was the end goal, Trump was the means. The older GOP members don't really care about what happens to the party now, they got their judges and they're going to starve the economy between now and January.

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Yeah, obviously. lol

 

[Nothing Loud]

Let them all fucking lose and never come back.

fuck the party that backed fascism the last 5 years and backed all kinds of bigoted horseshit the last 40+ years

 

[louiedog]

 

[Saucycarpdog]

I feel like Iv read this story before, but they still lick Trump's boots the next day.

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Except in this case, they are actually in danger of losing everything.

Confirming Amy Barret is their only chance at ensuring their agenda keeps going if they lose the senate and white house.

 

[shinobi602]

This country won't forget how spineless these fucks were. Vote every goddamn one of them out.

 

[El Bombastico]

The time to edge away was back in 2018. Its too little, too late now.

 

[Tokyo_Funk]

That "Fuck yes sowing" "What the fuck reaping" statement applies to so many cases.

 

[ToddBonzalez]

Fleeing rats. Fuck them.

 

[Grimminski]

Never trust white voters to do the right thing.

 

[Kernel]

Like they care, they'll all get cushy lobbying jobs after being tossed out of office.

They're set for life regardless.

 

[Foffy]

I think they're just going back to the 2015-era of thinking. Getting ready to be deficit hawks the nanosecond Biden is in office. It's why GOP senators have already implied helping the public with as little as they ended up doing was "too much."

Cancer splitting from tumors doesn't mean it's good. They're all poisoned, and thus, all of them have to go. None of this "oh he was always bad and I never liked him" shit; most of these shitheels have voted, supported, and worked with him for four years. Saying you find him detestable doesn't mean shit when you stood alongside him, like venomous villains like John Bolton did.

Trump's only "bad" because he's so toxic, and that's because he's created an entire movement that is anti-Trump. He wasn't bad when they partied with him when they were as close as they ever were (so far...) to taking down the ACA.

 

[Lord Fanny]

We've been hearing this kind of story since like day 1 of Trump's Presidency. Some of ya'll have got to get out of this West Wing-ish fantasy of politics, I swear. The GOP aren't going to break from Trump in any significant way until the day he's out of office whenever that ends up being.

 

[Nola]

Trump has to lose in a landslide and also crush down-ticket Republicans. After that, everyone needs to always, always remember that these assholes followed Trump through all four years. Not a single one of them took strong action against his leaderships or rhetoric. Even Mittens and a few others that spoke out did so in about the weakest of voices imaginable and essentially never took action. The only real action I can recall is McCain's thumbs down on the ACA repeal.

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I hate to break it to you, but I give it til May or June before the Republicans have firmly started blaming Democrats for Covid and the economy, started demanding impeachment inquiries because of Hunter Biden, have successfully fomented another backlash movement to motivate their base to take to the polls as revenge in the midterms, convince moderates Biden is mentally unfit and Republicans are needed to balance out the country, right wing Democrats are leaning into Republican arguments, Republicans are accusing Democrats of tearing apart the constitution and projecting onto them for all the stuff they did, using the debt they created to argue to America we can't afford new entitlements and how fiscally irresponsible Democrats are, and The NY Times is laundering those arguments as if they are legitimate grievences.

 

[Doorman]

Way too little and waaaay too late. The GOP wasted their one true opportunity to distance themselves from the Trump anchor last year, and trying to save face this close to election day isn't going to save them anymore, not when they've spent the last four years ceding their party's voice to him. I'm certainly never forgetting this, and I'm fully committed to never funishing the GOP or any of its candidates on any level a single inch of my respect or support for the rest of my days.

However...

This country won't forget how spineless these fucks were. Vote every goddamn one of them out.

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I'd love to be able to believe this, but unfortunately I don't. Political memory among "independents" especially seems to be notoriously short and I'd be willing to bet that this enthusiasm against the Republican Party on the larger scale will fade within one or two presidential cycles, when all their problems aren't mystically solved within four years.

 

[krazen]

I think they're just going back to the 2015-era of thinking. Getting ready to be deficit hawks the nanosecond Biden is in office. It's why GOP senators have already implied helping the public with as little as they ended up doing was "too much."

Cancer splitting from tumors doesn't mean it's good. They're all poisoned, and thus, all of them have to go. None of this "oh he was always bad and I never liked him" shit; most of these shitheels have voted, supported, and worked with him for four years. Saying you find him detestable doesn't mean shit when you stood alongside him, like venomous villains like John Bolton did.

Trump's only "bad" because he's so toxic, and that's because he's created an entire movement that is anti-Trump. He wasn't bad when they partied with him when they were as close as they ever were (so far...) to taking down the ACA.

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Yup. Poison is an apt description. What does the GOP stand for in 2020? Small gov, low taxes (for everyone) were all showed to be bullshit in the end. Everyone united behind a dude (who they will try claim they were fighting against this whole time behind the scenes) to get big business off the hook for their own personal benefit and strip rights from people. Maybe it was an actual political ideology years ago, but now its just the party of hate and greed.

 

[L Thammy]

I've felt for a while that a lot of people who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 will have voted against him by 2021.

 

[Zolbrod]

My heart bleeds

 

[Volimar]

They're not rats fleeing a sinking ship. Trump was always their patsy.

 

[Nola]

Yup. Poison is an apt description. What does the GOP stand for in 2020? Small gov, low taxes (for everyone) were all showed to be bullshit in the end. Everyone united behind a dude (who they will try claim they were fighting against this whole time behind the scenes) to get big business off the hook for their own personal benefit and strip rights from people. Maybe it was an actual political ideology years ago, but now its just the party of hate and greed.

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It has not been anything but a party for the ultra wealthy for a long, long time. All the other stuff is just a means to that end.

 

[Relic]

I was told this would happen after labor day in a Vanity Fair fanfic. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...Loose-Trump-By-Labor-Day-Don-t-You-Believe-It

 

[El Bombastico]

All I gotta say is, if Trump loses, the 2024 GoP primaries are gonna be a fucking trip. Every single candidate will play the "I NEVER supported Trump and fought against him 100%!" while the rest will go "nuh-uh, you were licking his ass for four years and I have proof!"

 

[jiggle]

Trump should retaliate by pulling Amy Crazy Batshit

 

[hidys]

All I gotta say is, if Trump loses, the 2024 GoP primaries are gonna be a fucking trip. Every single candidate will play the "I NEVER supported Trump and fought against him 100%!" while the rest will go "nuh-uh, you were licking his ass for four years and I have proof!"

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Meanwhile there is also a minor chance that Trump himself will be having another go.

 

[sapien85]

Weird because Republican primaries will still be dominated by the Trump cult even if he loses this year. He'll probably run again in 2024 if he's free. And there's a good chance he'll win the nomination again.

 

[El Bombastico]

Meanwhile there is also a minor chance that Trump himself will be having another go.

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Not if he's hiding in Russia, which based on recent comments he made can be a real possibility...

 

[hitme]

Weird because Republican primaries will still be dominated by the Trump cult even if he loses this year. He'll probably run again in 2024 if he's free. And there's a good chance he'll win the nomination again.

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He'll be either in jail, Russia, or dead in 2024.

 

[sapien85]

We've been hearing this kind of story since like day 1 of Trump's Presidency. Some of ya'll have got to get out of this West Wing-ish fantasy of politics, I swear. The GOP aren't going to break from Trump in any significant way until the day he's out of office whenever that ends up being.

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Not even then. Sasse is doing it cause he's gonna run for president but he'll get crushed by the Trump cult in he primaries.

 

[DeliciousSunnyD!]

Yeah that's the thing. I won't be surprised if both the voting bloc and the politicians themselves try to continue the gaslighting with "Oh me? I was never a fascist or supportive of the fascism!". This whole situation is like being stuck in an abusive situation; these people will only continue to lie and psychologically/emotionally abuse those who let them.

Like the movie Memento, people need to document what's happening, "Don't believe his lies" style. These people don't deserve to be let off the hook, at all. And they're going to try their damndest to manipulate their culpability away. DO NOT LET THEM.

 

[El Bombastico]

Weird because Republican primaries will still be dominated by the Trump cult even if he loses this year. He'll probably run again in 2024 if he's free. And there's a good chance he'll win the nomination again.

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Republican primaries will be dominated by Trump for the next 10-20 years, until there is not a single nominee on them that was politically active during his presidency.

 

[Chaos Legion]

May he tank the GOP for decades

 

[samoscratch]

Absolutely expected and absolutely pathetic. Never ever in your life let Republicans forget what they have done.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

They're not rats fleeing a sinking ship. Trump was always their patsy.

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This. They are the true evil fuckers and opportunists here. Stomp them into oblivion.

 

[krazen]

Yeah that's the thing. I won't be surprised if both the voting bloc and the politicians themselves try to continue the gaslighting with "Oh me? I was never a fascist or supportive of the fascism!". This whole situation is like being stuck in an abusive situation; these people will only continue to lie and psychologically/emotionally abuse those who let them.

Like the movie Memento, people need to document what's happening, "Don't believe his lies" style. These people don't deserve to be let off the hook, at all. And they're going to try their damndest to manipulate their culpability away. DO NOT LET THEM.

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There's going to be a bunch of books, interviews etc...all about how they stopped and stood up to him("He wanted to nuke North Korea! So I put on Fox and Friends on the flatscreen and shuffled the papers on his desk since he has no memory").

GOP Senators going to hype up the 4% of the time they voted against a policy of his as proof of their spine. ("I may have said yes to kids in cages, but i said no to kids in small cages") The only small positive is that Trump is so petty until he's officially in his grave he will continually call out any attempt of distancing on their part.