Perhaps I am a bit out of line, but I just wanted to direct a rant toward the Republican Senators who have suddenly grown some sort of proverbial spines, in speaking critically, even defiantly, of Donald Trump.
Pardon my French, but this is some bullshit.
Set aside the fact that Trump has seemingly been a disaster since the moment he entered office, appointing wildly-unqualified members to his Cabinet, trampling on Constitutional principles such as the Emoluments Clause, and generally being unfit for office, so you are really only now saying what has been plain to the rest of us for months now.
Set aside the fact that you have seemingly only gained the power to defy your Party’s standard-bearer after deciding not to run for re-election — freeing yourself of the need to demonstrate fealty to the Republican Party, and the deep pockets of its oligarchic puppeteers.
The fact is, that with as much power as even a single Senator has, and even considering the precarious balance of the current Senate, you have seemingly gone along with over 80% of the Trump agenda you claim to detest and denounce as “undermining our democracy” so loudly.
Except for McCain, Murkowski, and Collins, in voting down ACA repeal, the rest of you have done almost nothing up to this point to prevent Trump’s agenda from taking effect, and negatively affecting the rest of us Americans.
So, far from being as principled as other Trump critics, you and other Republican Senators who choose to supposedly speak out against Trump, are actually quite worthy of ridicule yourself — you claim to reject Trump, yet you waste more power that the rest of us could even dream of having, that could actually be used to make a statement against Trump’s attacks on our democracy, and return the government to regular working order, the thing you claim to want.
If you really give a damn about defending the ideals and principles of this country you claim to love so much, instead of just talking a good game, why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?
Here’s the thing: there are so many Republican Senators now willing to speak out against Trump. But it would only take three of you to regain the power of the Senate to actually rein in Trump.
With just three of you “courageous” Republican Senators, you could hand the gavel to Schumer and the Democrats. Or even if that is too far of a bridge to cross, you could likely still make a deal with Democrats, that would take the gavel out of McConnell’s hands, and into the hands of Flake, or McCain, or whoever, at least until you depart. These would be the most direct ways to oppose the deleterious effect of the Trump administration, the best use of the immense power you wield in the Senate, and would be an actual step towards restoring the integrity of government, moreso than whatever the Hell your posturing has been up until now.
Of course, I am sure you can surmise how much expectation I have, for even one of you Republican Senators to take such actual steps at leadership.
So until you are actually willing to prove that you will do something, anything, to back up your grandstanding, do us all a favor, and go back to pretending you are good little loyal footsoldiers, like the rest of the GOP Congressional contingent, anytime Trump comes calling, simply hoping for the scraps that he drops from his gaudy dinner table. At least they do not have the gall to pretend they are anything different.