Accusations of cowardice have a special standing in the American culture. We make heroes of criminals, we make heroes of gangsters, we make heroes of scoundrels. But we do not make heroes of cowards.
What the Republicans are doing about the confirmation of grotesquely unqualified — anti-qualified — Trump nominees is clearly wrong. And they know it’s wrong.
I wish that a morality-based appeal to them, or a morality-based denunciation of them, had power. But the Republican Party, and the Republican base, have checked out on all that stuff about morality, or honor.
But clearly, appealing to “the better angels of their nature” avails nothing. They’ve long since stopped being concerned about right or wrong, or true or false, or even honoring their oath of office.
However, even among a group of what used to be called “juvenile delinquents,” “You’re yella!” lands with an impact.
And we know that for most of these Republicans in the Senate, it is cowardice that makes them surrender their power to Trump. They know that Trump will punish them if they step out of line. They know that he is vindictive enough to turn his cult-following against them, and drive them out of office.
And it is out of fear of losing their seats that they willingly support people like the grotesque Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, and that the repugnant RFK Jr. gets voted out of committee to be head of HHS, and we’ve got Patel coming up for heading the FBI.
“Out of fear.”
So the Democrats in Congress should start calling them out as COWARDS.
The American people should start seeing them in those terms, because Americans never make heroes of cowards. They have contempt for them.