Throwing a monkey wrench into the Republican impeachment dismissal thresher this week, Senator Roy Dean Blunt (R-MO) slyly suggested President Donald Trump does not have the support of the needed 51 senators to dismiss the House’s two articles of impeachment against him. The senior senator told reporters on Jan. 13, “I think our members generally are not interested in a motion to dismiss … Certainly there aren’t 51 votes for a motion to dismiss.”
Blunt’s statement refers to at least two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (ME) and Rob Portman (OH), who have signaled they would potentially oppose a motion to dismiss, believing that Trump’s legal team should be able to make a solid defense. They also have suggested the House should have its proverbial ducks in a row to make a case to continue.
Of course, the president was unhappy, hoping for a swift dismissal. He tweeted, “Many believe that by the Senate giving credence to a trial based on the no evidence, no crime, read the transcripts, ‘no pressure’ Impeachment Hoax, rather than an outright dismissal, it gives the partisan Democrat Witch Hunt credibility that it otherwise does not have. I agree!”
If there is any truth to this latest unfounded declaration of the Senate “royal we,” the GOP may need to be immediately placed on a 72-hour psych hold. It can’t win without Trump, and it would be simply suicidal to try.
Bipartisan Clubbing and Coattail Riding
The 2016 mauling of the Democrats surprised many – on both sides of the aisle – prompting desperate attempts to temper and reverse the national election. It only strengthened Trump and buoyed his base. Ongoing efforts to unseat the man have backfired spectacularly on those who believe their full-time job is to remove a sitting president. Republicans who believe they can help jettison Trump out of the Oval Office and retain power are as delusional as the Democrats.
Trump energized an apathetic electorate as a booster rocket for the silent majority to get up and get out the vote – taking along several marginal Republicans streaking across the sky to victory. The party simply cannot return to the era of presidential candidates such as the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ) or the newly resurrected Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). We are no longer a nation of “one-size-fits-all,’ and that should be painfully obvious.
Donald Trump (Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
There is a giant neon sign in the foggy, verminous Swamp for members of the Grand Old Party, blinking out a warning, “Danger. Quicksand,” in the latest polling stats. Nearly 44% of voters feel closer to the average Democrat compared to a scant 13% who line up with Republicans. It’s the 37% who share the same values as Trump who should resonate with the folks with an (R) after their names. Without Trump’s devotees, 13% isn’t going to elect a Republican base of power. Not in 2020. Not in 2024. By then, America will not be recognizable.
How is it that a couple of House Democrats, namely Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (HI) and Collin Peterson (MN), knew enough to stay out of the partisan fray, yet some Republicans still experience a level of discord that hints at upsetting the apple cart? To the point, one Democrat, New Jersey’s Rep. Jeff Van Drew, officially changed his party affiliation to Republican.
What is with the Republican-controlled Senate – the last stop on the long-drawn-out attack on America – that won’t do what needs to be done to end this mess fair and square? Are Republicans steady and confident enough to go against the will of the people? Or is this simply the first vein-slashing of a slow, merciless death of the GOP?
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