Allowing Trump To Control The GOP Congressional Delegations Was A Grievous Error

"Elephant In The Room" by Nancy Ohanian

There are 3 candidates running for the California Senate seat who would make excellent senators— Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. In terms of policy, Barbara Lee is my kind of candidate and I’ll be voting for her next month. But Adam Schiff is leading the pack and the November contest is likely to come down to a race between him and Katie Porter or him and Republican Steve Garvey, a Trump-oriented former baseball player and, like his political role model, a predatory sex deviant. This week, the L.A. Times reported that Garvey’s website once boasted he is “a devoted family man… As a father of seven children, Garvey understands that in the ever-changing world we live in there is a great necessity of being a man of honor, integrity and quality.” He seems to have children by women wherever the Dodgers and Padres played, children he abandoned or refused to communicate with. His 49 year old daughter, Keisha Garvey told The Times, “There’s something lacking in him, something not authentic. To be a man of the people, to truly have experience of being a totally complete, loving family man… I wouldn’t want the people of California to buy into that just because he hit a ball really well.”

The last thing Congress needs is another character like Garvey, a phony and Trump sycophant. In fact, one of the worst things about our government right now is the control Trump has over Congress. When he wants to bother, wrote a team of Politico reporters, he “can exert more influence over the Republican agenda than either the party’s speaker or Senate GOP leader.” 

Members who know how to kiss his ass and get him to back their efforts— Politico used the example of Ways and Means Committee chair Jason Smith (R-MO)— can avoid his torpedo attacks. Smith kissed up to him in regard to the recent tax deal and, almost surprisingly, Trump allowed it to pass the House, even as some of the most MAGAty members— Gaetz (FL), Boebert (CO), Gosar (AZ), Rosendale (MT), Ogles (TN), Gosar (AZ), Biggs (Z), Luna (FL), Mills (FL), Perry (PA), Clyde (GA)— voted against it. “By contrast,” they pointed out, Señor Trumpanzee’s “vocal opposition has essentially put the Senate’s emerging border deal on life support.”

Diane Young, the progressive running in Michigan’s 10th congressional district north of Detroit pointed out the GOP incumbent she's opposing. "John James, while only being in office for one-term has consistently flip-flopped on issues and especially on who he supports at the top of the ticket. He's consistently made politics a priority rather than serving his district. When James first ran for office he boasted that he was ‘2,000% for Trump.’ However, once elected John James went from saying that ‘A man who would suspend the Constitution can't be trusted’ and ‘anyone who will put their egos over people is not fit to lead’ to being among the first to endorse Donald Trump's 2024 campaign. James' actions are not uncommon, the Republican Party is Trump's Party and whatever agency James or other Republicans claim they have is non-existent. When it comes to Trump, they all take their marching orders from him. You don't have to look farther than the recent House Republicans position on the recent border deal to understand that.”

Orange County progressive Cheyenne Hunt felt about the same in regard to her opponent, Michelle Steel, who, she pointed out, “is loyal to Trump and her own self interests above all else. She pretends to be moderate while falling in line with MAGA extremism, going so far as to protect Trump by obstructing the Select Committee's investigation into the January 6th Insurrection. Despite our district resoundingly rejecting Trump in the last election cycle, Michelle Steel has remained loyal to the MAGA conservative branch of the Republican Party, voting for Jim Jordan for Speaker after the Trump endorsement, pushing for a national abortion ban, and standing behind Trump's call for the removal of the Affordable Care Act. Michelle Steel is going as far as she can to demonstrate her loyalty, not to our community or any particular political cause, but to a single man's ego and his wavering sense of reality.”

At a minimum, Trump’s ballooning clout could doom two top Biden priorities: Ukraine aid and a bipartisan border deal. Even the tax deal Trump blessed on its way to House passage faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where some Republicans have warned that it could amount to a win for Biden. Republicans are still wondering whether Trump might publicly support the tax bill, according to interviews with several senators this week, with Finance Committee ranking member Mike Crapo (R-ID) saying he’s only heard “rumors.”

On the other side of that GOP divide, a sizable number of lawmakers are chafing at the idea that Trump can single-handedly tie their hands.

“I just think it’s unfortunate that we can’t, as individual United States senators, take the time and the effort and intellectual honesty to study something on your own and make a decision,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND). “Donald Trump has an opinion too. That’s great, but ours should be our opinion.”

When the Senate started its bipartisan border negotiations last fall— a Republican demand, to be clear— it still was not entirely clear Trump would lock up the GOP nomination. More than three months later, as those negotiations come to a close, Trump’s collision course with Biden is threatening any deal in Congress that has Biden’s imprint on it.

So Trump’s attacks have become something of a bat signal now for many Republicans in Congress.

“When former President Trump says something, everybody listens,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who hails from a border district. “Everybody.”

…The effect is most pronounced in the House, where two-year terms and a constant threat to Johnson’s job make it politically perilous to diverge from Trump. Plus, House members are more susceptible to primary challenges that could easily spring from Trump-defying votes, like on the Senate’s border and Ukraine package.

“President Trump has had an influence on it. You also have to think about where we are in political cycles,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said. “If you’ve got somebody who’s got a filing deadline in March or April or May, there’d be no way to prevent an uninformed person from challenging them.”

Tillis, one of Congress’ most prominent deal-cutters, is urging other Republicans to develop their own opinions about legislation. The North Carolina Republican is opposing Smith’s tax bill and supporting Sen. James Lankford’s (R-OK) border deal, which backers argue won’t hurt Trump because it comes far too late to save Biden’s standing on the issue.

Trump realizes the border “is a potent issue for him. What I would tell him is I don’t think the issue is going to go away,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a potential future GOP leader who has endorsed Trump. “Even if something were to pass in the next 10 months, I don’t think you’re gonna see a dramatic change at the border.”

So far, that argument has not sunk in. Trump visited Washington this week and attacked the border deal, warning that those who support it are making a “terrible mistake.” Episodes like that remind Republicans trying to negotiate deals Trump doesn’t like— and break Congress’ stubborn unproductive streak— that every day becomes more of an uphill battle.

Trump cronies he seems to talk to most frequently include Elise Stefanik (NY), Max Miller (OH), Marjorie Traitor Greene (GA) and Ronny Jackson (TX) in the House and Senators J.D. Vance (OH), Lindsey Graham (SC), Steve Daines (MT), Marsha Blackburn (TN) and Tommy Tuberville (AL).

Troy Balderson (R-OH) isn't a Trump confidant, more a backbencher who just goes along with the MAGA agenda to avoid problems. His opponent, Jerrad Christian: “When my opponent stays silent about the interference by the former president, his inaction goes beyond mere passivity; it becomes a testament to his character. Those who expect Balderson to stand up for fairness and justice in crucial matters are met with a disheartening realization of his indifference. His actions are a failure to act with integrity and uphold the values essential to a just society. In this critical context, Balderson's silence becomes a tacit endorsement of the wrongdoings at the border and beyond. It's a clear indication of his disloyalty not only to our principles but also to those who rely on him to champion what is right and good for his constituents. We need those in office with the courage required to confront and address the challenges posed to them. Even on the most recent deal to avoid a shutdown - Troy's pick for speaker of the House, Jim Jordan voted against it. Balderson may not be screaming MAGA from the mountain tops, but he sure doesn't mind them running the show.”