Republicans love to Blame everyone else (Democrats, emigrants, gays, Jews, Blacks, and on and on) for their problems, but they are now turning on each other. And (hallelujah!) they are especially attacking Donald Trump. According to Maggie Haberman and Michael Bender in the NY Times:
Donald Trump faced unusual public attacks from across the Republican Party on Wednesday after a string of midterm losses by candidates he had handpicked and supported, a display of weakness as he prepared to announce a third presidential campaign as soon as next week. As the sheer number of missed Republican opportunities sank in, the rush to openly blame Mr. Trump was as immediate as it was surprising.
Foes and allies alike attacked the former president, questioning his role as the party’s leader. For example, Rupert Murdock ran this cover:
Speaking of Rupert Murdock, his Wall Street Journal editorial board ran an opinion piece titled “Trump is the Republican Party’s Biggest Loser”. According to them, “Since his unlikely victory in 2016 against the widely disliked Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump has a perfect record of electoral defeat.” Ouch!
Republican politicians are finally starting to attack Trump. For example, Pat Toomey, the Republican Senator from Pennsylvania (where the GOP lost both their other Senate seat and the governorship) said that Trump bears significant blame for the election, and urged his party to move away from Trump’s influence.
Meanwhile, Trump is gathering dirt on his Republican rivals, including Ron DeSantis (who Trump has started calling “DeSanctimonious”, while the New York Post called him “DeFuture”), and others, including Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin. Trump is also keeping track of any GOP figures who try to blame him for the election. Is this the start of a GOP civil war?
Trump promised to make a “big announcement” next week, but now the Republicans are trying to put that on hold. Americans, and especially Republicans, hate losers. Just remember what happened to Sarah Palin after losing the presidential election.
Even if the Republicans do take over the House, they will have a very slim majority, and already some GOP House members are slamming the brakes on Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker of the House, blaming him for the midterm election failures. And what about the Senate, which the Democrats will likely hold. Will Mitch McConnell get the blame for that?
