I am Mike’s total lack of surprise:
Former President Donald Trump formally rescinded his endorsement for Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama’s senate race, calling the congressman “woke” for saying that Republicans should move on and look past the 2020 election.
Trump backed Brooks, one of his close congressional allies in his failed effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, early on in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby.
But despite Brooks’ former loyalty, Trump has increasingly soured on the Alabama congressman over his poor fundraising and poll numbers, openly airing some of his frustrations in a recent interview with the Washington Examiner.
The “woke” thing that Trump accuses Brooks of is at least partially an excuse. Brooks made those comments in August. And while Trump very little heresy on the subject of the 2020 election, he didn’t revoke his endorsement then. No, he waited until Brooks’ polling reached the nadir of the long slow crash it began the second he entered the race a year ago. What changed since August was that Brooks’ numbers did a pretty good impression of the Russian economy as Michael Durant, a war veteran of Somalia, surged to the head pf the pack. In general, Trump’s endorsements seem to be carrying a lot less weight this election cycle, which is one of the few signs I’ve seen that there may be hope for the Republican Party.
Brooks, facing the end of his senatorial ambitions, has apparently decided that if he’s going down, he’s taking Trump with him. In recent interviews, he has claimed that Trump asked him to join a strategy to remove President Biden from the White House and install Trump, a move Brooks said, correctly, would be blatantly unconstitutional (as well as bat-crap crazy, to boot). He’s now doing interviews touting his loyalty to the Constitution — a loyalty that did not show up on January 6 when he was the first Congressman to challenge the election results and spoke at the pre-riot rally. And, as Allahpundit wisely notes, a loyalty that did not preclude him from keeping this little tidbit a secret until he had nothing left to lose. But now Mo Brooks wants credit, I guess, for doing the bare minimum necessary to not be a traitorous weasel. It’s like when your boyfriend tells you some girl hit on him on the singles bar but he totally didn’t give her his number because he just loves you that much.
While it’s fun to watch Mo Brooks’ fear sweat emerging as his campaign implodes, it’s about the nine-thousandth reminder that loyalty to Trump is one-way, is expected to be absolute and can be rescinded at any time. We have seen this over and over and over again. You can be the most zealous and committed supporter in the entire MAGAsphere. But if you deviate from complete support, fail to embrace the stolen election narrative or just start looking like you’re going to lose an election, Trump will happily turn on you, stab you in the back and throw you to the wolves that live under the nearest bus. It is his nature. It is who he is. He has never been loyal to anyone or anything other than himself. And it’s baffling to watch Republican after Republican get blindsided by this reality, thinking they will be the exception to the absolute rule.
Scorpions and frogs…Report
“it’s my nature. It’s a tremendous nature, the best nature. All the doctors are amazed at my nature and how great it is.”Report
And to make it dirty…
“My nature is YUGE!”Report
Good piece. Just noting as of this time. One response about a former ally of TFG admitting what has already been repeatedly alleged, that trumpy tried to coup his way to power. 24 comments on the post cancel culture post.
People care a lot more about yammering about the picayune aspects of a particular free speech argument then , you know, a traitor and party trying to overthrow an election.Report
Hah joke’s on you we’re up to 58 now!Report
You’re comparing probably the most favorite of all American political debates to what appears to be a (thankfully positive) regression to the mean. Might as well complain about bad news making headlines and good news relegated to page 10.Report
Also noted that there was a big decision in one of trumps co conspirators, Eastman, who will have his confidential comms admitted as evidence since the judge found evidence of a crime so no lawyer/client privilege.
That will never be a fun to recreationally micro analyse nit picking some cancel culture crap. The CC is inherently less important and more ambiguous and complicated so it’s the perfect thing to yak about as opposed to something direct and serious.Report
Sadly, I think it’s working out such that everyone knows Trump tried, multiple times, to autogolpe / self-coup / coup his way into either staying in power or getting power back.
And we’ve decided collectively that we’re not going to do anything about it. Which is on the one hand possibly a very prudent thing, and also something that tastes like ashes.Report
Also, I don’t think we have any commenters here who disagree with the argument that Trump’s conduct leading up to Jan 6 was anything but reprehensible and lawless.Report
What’s even more disconcerting is the reaction of those who control the switches and levers of decisionmaking in the media, the judiciary, and Congress which amounts to a shrug of the shoulders, as if this is all just normal politics.
A sitting President tries to enact a coup to overthrow an election, and life just goes on. This is not how a healthy democracy behaves.Report
They want to reserve the right to do it themselves because they will be both righteous and polished about it.Report
Trump is a highly popular and widely admired piece of garbage, and the number of times hr demonstrates the last of those doesn’t seem to affect the first two.Report
Wait isn’t Michael Durant the guy who was captured in the ‘Black Hawk Down’ incident?Report
Wikipedia says yes.Report