by Norman Halls, contributor
It is very hard to figure out what the Republicans are thinking. “To be sure, the United States has not experienced any major catastrophes, even though massive policy mistakes always seem to be looming on the horizon. Much of the blame for this belongs to the Republicans, who have fallen into line behind Trump for reasons that are still difficult to understand.” By J. Bradford Delong “There are obvious reasons why Republicans have been so unwilling to stand up to President Donald Trump: political tribalism, transnationalism, anti-anti-Trumpism and, yes, timidity. While expressing dismay in private, GOP officials know that the Republican base remains solidly behind Trump. In a hyper-partisan environment, standing on principle can be dangerous for your political health. Republicans in Congress now not only have to swallow Trump’s erratic narcissism, but also his assaults on the very core principles that supposedly define their politics: fiscal conservatism, free trade, the global world order, our allies, truth and the rule of law.” Wrote Charles Sykes Time Magazine
As a result, the Republicans appear unified on some loyalty thoughts or policies to person who never understands democracy or the principles of government. “Democracy is a system of processing conflicts in which outcomes depend on what participants do, but no single force controls what occurs and its outcomes.” From Wikipedia “When the representative body have lost the confidence of their constituents, when they have notoriously made sale of their most valuable rights, when they have assumed to themselves powers which the people never put into their hands, then indeed their continuing in office becomes dangerous.” –Thomas Jefferson. We have three branches of government, Legislative, Executive and Judicial, the Constitution divides the federal government into the branches to make sure no individual or group will have too much power.
House of Representatives: are suppose hold hearings which committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of policy making. Whether legislative, oversight, investigative, or a combination of these committees, all hearings share common elements of preparation and conduct. The House Republican Intelligence Committee, Trump’s supporters, have requested information from FBI and DOJ, that may compromise ongoing criminal investigations. Could the representatives be held for obstruction of justice?
Republican leadership has obstructed or denied fellow legislators to have hearings and are allowing Trump to be a political wrecking ball. Such as the Paris climate accord, trade deals and the separation of families at the southern border. Republicans cannot control Trump, listen to the president when he is at political rallies. As Native American’s say: “He speaks with a forked tongue” meaning to deliberately saying one thing and means another or, to be hypocritical, or act in a duplicitous manner. “On one issue after another – from Russia and free trade to corruption and the rule of law – Republicans have adjusted their principles to conform with Trumpism, which often means with Trump’s latest glandular impulse. The fiasco in Helsinki, where the president openly sided with Vladimir Putin over his own country’s intelligence agencies, was not a one-off for this president but rather an exclamation point on what has happened to the American right.” Charles Sykes wrote
GOP lawmakers are frustrated over the future of Congress, concerns and hopes of any change. “It is clear in this moment that a traditional conservative, who believes in limited government and free markets, who is devoted to free-trade, who is pro-immigration, has a narrower and narrower path to nomination in the Republican Party, the party that has for so long defined itself by its belief in those things,” Sen. Jeff Flake said.
