Call me crazy, but I don’t get why people who say incredibly damning things about a candidate then turn around and support him. Not only support him but campaign to be his vice president. Here are some comments from Trump’s current VP contenders.
Marco Rubio. “He runs on this idea that he is fighting for the little guy. But he has spent his entire career, sticking it to the little guy…If you all have friends who are thinking about voting for Donald Trump, friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”
J.D. Vance. “I’m a never Trump guy.” “I never liked him.” “My god, what an idiot.” He’s “noxious” and “reprehensible.”
Doug Burgum. “I would not do business with Trump.” “It’s important that you’re judged by the company you keep.”
So, how weird is it that Trump would narrow his VP picks down to these three guys? Not sure I would select someone as my running mate who has said so many derogatory things about me. And I certainly wouldn’t put aside all my principles to partner up with this guy.
Nikki Haley called Trump “unhinged “and “diminished.” She said making Trump the nominee, “is like suicide for our country.” She also said that “Trump showed that with that kind of disrespect for the military, he’s not qualified to be president of the United States, because I don’t trust him to protect them.” Haley has now endorsed Trump and last week turned over her delegates to him.
The list of those who have said damning things about Trump and then turned around and endorsed him is long. It includes Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Lindsay Graham, former Attorney General William Barr, Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, and Representative Elise Stefanik, to name only a few.
The few Republicans who have stuck to their guns and refused to endorse the guy include Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey; former speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin; Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas; Mike Pence, former vice president; Liz Cheney, former representative of Wyoming; and Adam Kinzinger, former representative of Illinois.
You may say, hey it’s just politics. But I don’t think so. It’s just politics when you are generally on the same page as your opponents and are singing off the same song sheet when it comes to policies and priorities. It’s not just politics when you decide to join a cult with a guy you find utterly reprehensible, has no moral scruples, and is a convicted felon.
The philosopher Hannah Arendt once said, “Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil, but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core.” Amen.
Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, piano, kayaking, biking, gardening, and nature.
Michael Callahan says
A bit out of touch today, or are we done trying to lower the rhetoric already?
James Wilson says
What she is saying was true 3 days ago and 1 day ago and today and tomorrow and so on. Nothing can change the truth. That is how we got to where we are with eople believing lies and others having no moral backbone.
William Keppen says
Well, she/that pretty much says it all. I would like to associate myself with those remarks.
Chip Heartfield says
Not understanding why this is more notable than in any other case, for either party? Where, for example, is the mention of Kamala Harris going after Biden for racist positions in the first debate in 2020? Or the vicious attacks by LBJ on JFK and vice versa in 1960? Or, really, any of the accusations and insults hurled in the primary campaigns of either party in the past 50 years. Many of those who trashed their opponents in primary debates ended up as cabinet secretaries, high-ranking members of administrations, and yes – as Vice Presidential candidates.
Melissa Cona says
Amen. Nailed it.
Reed Fawell 3 says
Maybe, it’s because these folks Maria criticizes for exercising their right to make their own choice as to who they endorse for the Republican Presidential nominee are Republicans, and Trump has overwhelmingly won the Republican nomination by a landslide, and Joe Biden (or Ms. Harris)now seems their only alternative, all by reason of voters’ choices in the Republican and Democratic primaries. Maybe, the real question is why can’t the writer accept her fellow citizens choice, without hurling insults at those she disagrees with.
Barbara Jefferson says
So true! The leopard did not change his spots. He’s worse than ever. He is not fit for office, period. Therefore, the never-Trumpers have decided to bend the knee for favors. Republicans can do so much better than Trump, and his radical MAGAS. He is leading this country down a very scary, slippery slope, with our personal rights being stripped away, no moral character, greed, lies, theft, corrupt, with the goal of becoming a Dictatorship. The leopard should be behind bars.
darrell parsons says
Unfortunately, I think I do get why these three guys have said such critical things of Trump and are now his best buddy. He just chose the most critical one for his VP. It has nothing to do with liking or respecting Trump – it is pure political calculation. Those guys just want to have a share of the potential power. Who knows what they really think about anything?
Wilson Dean says
These individuals who at first spoke truth about Trump and who now kiss his feet do so for a very simple reason. The Republican party, once a bastion of solid conservative principles, has now set aside those policies and transformed itself into a cult led by an authoritarian. If one doesn’t fall at the feet of the cult leader, then one has no power at all. Vance, Haley, Rubio, Burgum and Lindsay (as well as almost all Republicans in Congress) have figured this out. They’ve all opted for power over principles.
Jeff Staley says
I am prepared to say with as much certainty as can be had in these circumstances that Liz Chaney (who has been considered a qualified Presidential candidate) and Adam Kinzinger, will Never endorse Trump/Vance. I am not a political “junkie,” so trafficking in anything less than provable truth is complete BS to me. Can you feel my pain? Anyone who has flip-flopped on Trump in his favor is no better than him. During his term, those who do fact checking found Trump put forth roughly 14,000 false or misleading statements. That’s about 14 per day for every single day, including weekends, of his time in office. He provably lost the 2022 election, but you can’t work for him unless you profess the election was rigged. With social media available and the Fox News/Murdoch family manipulation machine behind him it is not surprising a big chunk of the electorate is confused about reality. Fox paid a $790 million fine for defaming Dominion Voting Systems, a large voting technology company which claimed the network and its hosts spread false claims that its equipment helped rig the election against him. Trump has also been convicted of dozens of felonies with more convictions on the way. He is about to be financially liquidated. His only hope is to be elected President so he can order remaining cases be stopped. You can expect him to continue claiming he is the victim, though he is only about winning the election to protect and enrich himself. If you are a Trump supporter, I urge you to try to pierce his cover and see him for who he is. Only 4 of his 44 cabinet members have endorsed him. Even his Vice President, Mike Pence, has not endorsed him. The 2024 election is about preserving Democracy and electing Trump will not achieve that goal.
Maria Grant says
Thank you so much for these insightful comments.
Thomas kicklighter says
Amen
Charles Barranco says
Jeff,
Agreed and well stated!
Reed Fawell 3 says
Jeff above says: “I am not a political “junkie,” so trafficking in anything less than provable truth is complete BS to me. Can you feel my pain?”
Perhaps Almighty God has joined our conversation. I doubt it, despite the claim.
But meanwhile back to reality on Earth, Matt Walsh, see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gACw9uyQrtg