Democrats of all persuasions have rightly observed the apparent cowardice of elected Republican politicians at all levels of government that are evidently in thrall to Trump, and that these presumed cowards are standing by in silence while successive, outrageous lies and racist acts are committed by their fascist leader and his sycophants. While I can see that cowardice is indeed the driver of many of them, I maintain that the aspiring leaders of the nascent Trumpist movement are not holding silent out of cowardice, but out of cold-blooded political pragmatism.
Some of us, including a former Chicago southsider here from the 1960's and 70's, have grown up in humble, often violent circumstances, and have occasionally seen crowds of bullies encircle weak and defenseless victims who were being haplessly punched and kicked to the ground, and worse, by the most aggressive of their attackers. Similarly, here, it is increasingly apparent to me that the majority of those Trumpists who would be judged as cowards are as those bullies were, simply, involuntarily holding their breath in shock, amazement, and malevolent glee as they witnessed blow after blow.
The infamous judicial strategy of McConnell, for example, of waiting out the nomination of Merrick Garland in smug silence in spite of accepted precedent, was a test of blows, albeit a large one, against an unassuming, disbelieving populace. And subsequent outrage after outrage by the Trumpists against common, unassuming Americans and immigrants of all races and creeds, were test blows, too. And sadly to say, the results of these tests in applied fascism have become quite clear: Trumpist tactics are effective - they work.
Therefore I ask you to consider that these silent Trumpist politicians are largely not acting out of cowardice, but simply holding their breath,too, in shock, amazement, and malevolent glee, as they progress towards their goal of subverting and replacing our democracy, that which threatens their white supremacy, with an autocratic fascist regime.
I suggest that you consider engagement in preparation of the series of actions, physical, legal, and financial, that would protect you and those you love to the maximum extent possible against each phase of the fascist encroachment that is clearly upon us, culminating if necessary in relocating to the safest locations available, within our national border or without. I do not think that it is too far a stretch to consider that our current circumstances are analogous to that of Germany in the early 1930's, where a prescient few were able to slip the noose of fascist domination while others stood by, not believing their own eyes and ears, whistling past the graveyard of their fading democracy, and waiting until it was too late.
Understand that these are not what we formerly knew as "Republicans" who are attacking us, they are Trumpists, and they are not standing back in fear from their ranting fascist leader, they are lining up in echelon behind him — they’re just holding their breath.