August was already shaping up to be brutal for congressional Republicans. It's only been a hardy few that have shown their faces in public back home to face up to their votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something Mitch McConnell scratched down on a dinner napkin. But then last weekend happened. Trump happened. And now they've taken deep cover, refusing to go anywhere near a TV camera. Even John McCain.
CNN hosts discuss the strange phenomenon:
CHRIS CUOMO (CO-HOST): Here are the Republicans who have called out the president by name. And by name matters. And calling this what it is matters. So you see them there, [Sen.] John McCain [(R-AZ)] started it going with [Sen.] Marco Rubio [(R-FL)], Sen. [Lindsey] Graham [(R-SC)] came out yesterday about this. But the bigger number are those who are remaining silent. We contacted all 52 Republican GOP people, invited them on the show to get statements --
POPPY HARLOW (CO-HOST): Senators, all of them.
CUOMO: Yes. Nothing. They didn't want to do it.
And not just CNN:
"Let's be honest. Republicans don’t mind coming on Fox News Channel." But "we couldn’t get anyone to come and defend him here," Shep Smith said at 3pm Wednesday.
Chuck Todd reported the same result on "MTP Daily" at 5pm: "We invited every single Republican senator on this program tonight, all 52." Plus a dozen House GOPers. "None of them agreed to discuss this issue with us today."
Wolf Blitzer said something similar at 5:30: “We did reach out to Republican leaders throughout the day. They all, at least for now, refused to join us..."
And Kate Bolduan, filling in for Erin Burnett at 7pm, said bookers called 55 Republicans and only one said yes…
We get it, being put in a position of having to answer for Trump on national TV is a no-win proposition. So if they won't go in front of a camera to defend him, why are they willing to push his agenda in Congress?