The Witness Chronicles, 2/17/25
A little optimism
Is There a Republican Resistance? If No, Why Not?
There have been glimmers as they realize this stuff is bad for them too
We saw a few cracks in the icy surface of Republican Trump worship this week, but only a few. Notably, they were all senators, as the GOP House, though divided between the right and the far right, still maintains its complete servitude.
The rebellion against court orders by Trump and Musk and the authoritarian outburst in Europe from Vance, have alarmed some to speak out, albeit weakly and briefly. But these days any resistance from the GOP is reassuring, given their total capitulation to this President and his cadre of destructionists.
It’s become obvious that any movement to rein him in will require a bipartisan effort and there are certainly grounds for one. The slapdash and rushed actions, particularly those of Musk and his DOGE bros, are hitting everyone hard, not just the Democrats, and every day it gets worse.
Given the reality that no one elected those particular executioners, and the fact that we really don’t know who they are and what they are doing, both Republicans and Democrats need to wake up and start pushing back. In other words, do their job as a check and balance.
I am sick to death of hearing voters who voted for this guy act as though they thought he was on their side. Actually it is shameful that they put so little thought into their choice when anyone paying attention knew what he was. But they opened Pandora’s box and let the crazies out. That’s a done deal, for now.
For now, but not forever.
The months will tick by faster and faster until we get to the midterms next year. The goal of any resistance should be making Trump a lame duck after those elections, either through Democratic wins or with a coalition with anti-Trump Republicans. I know the latter is pretty unimaginable but we may see a wind shift as Trump’s actions crash the economy.
The second Economist poll on Trump’s approval disapproval ratings just came out and his numbers are dropping. Disapproval rates are now higher than approval rates, which dropped below 50% since the earlier results a few weeks ago. The change is incremental and it will take more results to see a pattern, but there are rumblings of discontent because of his barrage of actions.
Btw, Elon Musk’s approval rates are in the toilet, reflecting his role as the hatchet man and his total lack of any oversight or respect for the laws and the Constitution. That may actually be the plan, for Musk to take the hit while Trump looks Presidential and reasonable. The problem is, Trump is not reasonable, as evidenced by his harebrained scheme to convert Gaza into a resort.
All of this is highly speculative as we have never seen anything like before, especially not on this scale.
We also have an unstable situation in Congress due to their attempts to produce a budget and keep the government operating while passing something that Trump will sign. There is no indication Democrats will go along with anything proposed so far and the GOP cannot pass a budget or continuing resolution to fund the government without Dems.
This Republican dysfunction, which has been going on since the beginning of the first Trump term, will be the companion story to the political turmoil in the next month, contributing to the impression that the right has basically lost their minds while in the Trump stupor.
This is why I have hope, even dim hope, that some Republicans will peel off and join with the Democrats to try to right the ship, and that public opinion will shift more dramatically to the middle, which is now the territory of the Democratic Party. Hopefully the more progressive wing will understand that we need to move to the middle to rebuild public trust in the Party.
That may require major leadership changes with the old guard making way for younger leaders more in touch with the voters. One encouraging number since the election is that Trump’s inroads with Gen X and Z have vanished. The younger generation of voters is not liking what they are seeing right now, especially the influence of billionaires, which was not what anyone voted for.
The right’s obsession with anti-trans and DEI is not flying with generations that grew up accepting those things as the status quo, something the old white guy* evangelical right wingers cannot comprehend. But if they want to retain power they are going to need the next generations of voters. That is reassuring in the long term, if there is one.
*disclaimer, I am an old white guy.
Of course there are the suggestions that Trump will try to run again or simply make himself President for life. But his time is running out and, assuming the Congress wakes up and realizes what he is doing, his power may not last beyond the next year.
Optimism springs eternal over here as I look outside at blowing snow, frigid temps, and clogged roadways; good writing weather I guess.
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Martin Edic
I disagree that Democrats need to move toward the middle. They need to return to their roots and support Medicare for all and strong labor protections, etc. They need to reengage their voters so that they will feel it is worth their while to bother voting. Too many stayed home during the last election.
Hello Martin, I hope you have dug yourself out of the snow. Probably more than the two feet we had in Ottawa. Just wondering what the hiding seven are doing in their chambers.