I wish I could say I was disappointed in Trump. In my mind, disappointment means you expected one thing and got another. No, I knew exactly what to expect from Trump, and he has delivered. He has been childish, impetuous, spiteful, unreasonable, uniformed, unprepared, and grossly incompetent. Those who surround him are the same if not more so.
I am truly disappointed in spineless GOP senators. They were quick to jump on the Trump train when he was the inevitable nominee and just as quick to jump off after Trump stepped on himself multiple times and seemed to be the inevitable loser in the general election. He personally insulted and demeaned many of them...long-standing senators who enjoy the support of hundreds of thousands of constituents...some of them his fellow former presidential candidates. In case you forgot, here's a quick reminder:
1. Senator Cruz - Trump insulted his wife and accused his father of being involved in the Kennedy assassination.
2. Senator Rubio - "Little Marco." (They traded insults quite a bit during the campaign. But I'll lay into Rubio more a little later.)
3. Senator Graham - Trump implied that he shouldn't have bothered running and that he would "crack that 1 percent barrier one day."
4. Senator Paul - Trump said point blank that Paul shouldn't even be on the same debate stage because of his dismal poll numbers, and Trump seemed to praise himself for not attacking Paul's looks (whatever the hell THAT means).
5. Senator McCain - Trump demeaned his war record and his POW status, saying that he wasn't a war hero because he was captured.
He's also clashed with GOP senators who have spoken the truth about Trump (Senators Sasse and Flake come to mind).
I am disappointed that partisanship has superseded discipline, common sense, and the rule of law. Why are these GOP senators giving Trump everything he wants and not standing up to him? Yes, they may say publicly that the wall is stupid, that the immigration ban is heartless and unnecessary, that his conflicts of interest are still conflicts of interest, blah blah blah. But what about hitting him where it hurts...his cabinet nominations? Tillerson, DeVos, Sessions, Price, Carson, Mnuchin, Perry, Puzder, and Pruitt are all terrible nominees for a variety of reasons and yet the GOP Senate is just letting them slide through one by one.
Can they possibly believe that these people are qualified for these positions? If not, why are they confirming them if not for just pure politics? Two senators in particular have stoked my ire:
1. Senator Rubio. He said he wouldn't run again. He changed his mind and he says this is why "We’re in a different place now. Now we have a binary choice -- not a choice between 15 people or 12 people. There are two people in the world that are going to be the next president, either Donald or Hillary Clinton. In our republic, while the presidency is powerful, there is a balance of power in this country, and a significant amount of it resides in the United States Senate. It’s one of the reasons why I seek to run again.”
When is he going to actually exercise that balance of power? The answer is, he won't. He has a political future to think about and constituents (read - Trump supporters) to answer to and fear. Yes, he fears them. Many elected officials do.
2. Senator McCain. Mr. Maverick. He's 80 years old and safe for another 6 years. He's not going to run for president again. He probably won't run for Senate again. He supported Trump (grudgingly) to get reelected. Well, he got there. What is he going to do now that he's there? Criticize Trump when it's convenient but not vote against his nominees when it would really send a message? That's no maverick.
Trump supporters have become the revival of the Tea Party, and the GOP is terrified of them. They know Trump is wrong on every level, but they won't stand up to him because they're afraid of some hard-right Trumpian candidate challenging them and beating them in a primary. They will capitulate until they can't legally do it any longer. At some point, Congress has to do its job and investigate wrong-doing! Trump's most ardent supporters will still stand by him no matter how many times he or his minions bend the truth, lie, bend the rules, or flat out break the law. These same supporters will vilify Members of Congress and curse them as traitors. So, yeah...they're terrified.
Spine? Nope. Integrity? Not a chance.
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