How Should the GOP Treat Trump?

 

It is tempting – given Donald Trump’s responsibility (at least indirectly) for what happened in the halls of Congress last week - for the Republican Party to turn its back on him.

Such a fate for the President would be deserved.  His outrageous, unhinged conduct post- election has earned him such an outcome.

But for the Republican Party to endorse such a course would be viewed by the millions of GOP supporters who still back him as ostracism of them, too.

That would be a potentially fatal mistake by the GOP.

Over 80% of Republicans were enthusiastically in favor of Donald Trump on election eve.  Incredibly (to some) a majority of the faithful approve of his conduct on the day of the Capitol Hill rampage.

Is violence, an attack on police officers, and trashing the Capitol Building to be excused as long as motivated by a “good cause”?

How can it be that any patriotic Americans think that way?

Simple.

A sizable majority of Republicans believe that the election was stolen… because Donald Trump told them so.  And that’s all his fans need to know.  Facts and investigations to the contrary are ignored.  They believe, as people generally do, what they want to believe.

So, if you believe the election was indeed stolen, then democracy failed and patriots are justified in resorting to force to undo the wrong.

Demonizing the President by implementation of the 25^th Amendment or impeaching him again will serve the political interests of the Left.   Such action would further antagonize Trump’s base which already feels wronged.    The result would heighten conviction that the system is corrupt and that their participation in it is pointless.  And, of course,  reducing the role of Republicans in future elections would be wonderful for the Left’s prospects in America.

Obviously, the GOP approach should be much different.

As a conservative, I want the Republican Party to survive and grow.  It is the only vehicle we have to promote right-of-center policies.

We non-Trumper Republicans have our work cut out for us.

We should start from the perspective that the Party needs to retain the support of those attracted to Donald Trump  That will not be accomplished by deeming them fools and questioning their support for a deeply flawed, amoral leader.  [Whether the Presidential election was “stolen” is now an irrelevant concern.  Attempts at refutation will only backfire.  They will antagonize, not persuade.]  Remember, the Left and its handmaidens in the media have earned the contempt with which almost all Republicans view them.  So Trump adherents can’t fairly be blamed for following the axiom that “my enemy’s foe is my friend”.

The stain of the violent assault on Congress has surely disenchanted many with Trump.  But as indicated above, support for the President has nonetheless not wavered for many.  The task remains for Party leaders to undercut allegiance to him by focusing on the future and noting that whatever service of value Trump offered is now in the past.  Senators Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz are likely candidates to do this since they have earned credibility with Trump backers by their previous stalwart defense of the President.