Juan Williams: GOP support for Trump begins to crack

[workinclasszero]

Juan Williams: GOP support for Trump begins to crack
BY JUAN WILLIAMS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 04/23/18 06:00 AM EDT

What are we to make of arch-conservative Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) taking a stand against President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky)?

Tillis is among a surprising group of Senate Republicans backing a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller in case Trump fires him.

Here is Tillis, who votes with Trump 96 percent of the time, sending the message to his fellow Trump backers:

“The same people who would criticize me for filing this bill would be absolutely angry if I wasn’t pounding the table for this bill if we were dealing with Hillary Clinton,” he said last week. “So, spare me your righteous indignation.”

With less than seven months until the midterm elections, the most politically savvy Republicans are drawing the obvious conclusion from current polls: If the election were held today, they would lose the House and possibly the Senate because of Trump.

http://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/384374-juan-williams-gop-support-for-trump-begins-to-crack

[Iliyah]

1. 2018 mid-terms

If it wasn't happening they still would be having a man crush on him, although many still do because they are insane.

[Cosmocat]

23. YEP

He won the nomination for a reason, the party has brainwashed itself to such an absurd level, he truly represents what it is now.

3 years of this thing where they get petulent about him at times, but when push comes to shove, they get in line like the obedient pods they are.

[imanamerican63]

2. But there are those who will back Trump to get reelection!

[Scarsdale]

3. Not just because of tRump

but also the top tier of the gop who protect him. They are dismantling the entire government, and getting huge tax cuts for their owners. They do not represent their constituents, only wealthy contributors. Worth mentioning is that the gop got a lot of $$$$ from Russia. Why are they not called TRAITORS? We know tRump is being blackmailed, but what is their excuse?

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Trump's got something on all of them?

purse strings and party discipline anyway

[Cary]

8. #fakepresident supporters

Republicans piss them off at their own peril

[lagomorph777]

14. Putin has provided Pres. Turd with reams of Kompromat on the whole RePutin Party.

And, of course, Kompromat on Turd himself.

#NRAROUBLES factor into this big time; a very efficient way to generate Kompromat.

[usaf-vet]

28. I would guess blackmail as well!

I think we would be kidding ourselves if we thought our Congressional leaders weren't also being surveilled by the Russian operatives in and out of the country.

[DownriverDem]

4. Exactly why

All left leaners need to vote for the Dems in November. That is the only way to slow/stop the trump/repub agenda.

[dembotoz]

6. 96% vote in line does not an independent make

[workinclasszero]

12. Good point!

[Mr. Ected]

7. GOP Congress is a reflection of their base

And not necessarily Trump himself. As long as their voters continue to support him, no matter how incredulous that may be, those spineless reps and senators will toe the line.

[riversedge]

9. #🌊🌊🌊 #FlipItBlue #BlueWave2018 #VoteThemOUT

[Tarc]

10. My American Civics recollections are fuzzy. Can a vote be forced without

the Senate majority leader's consent?

[zipplewrath]

11. Sorta

I can find the specific process, but it'd be hard. Someone would have to pick the right moment to make a motion to bring it to the floor and then a majority of the Senate would have to support it. I don't think it's ever been done before.

[bullwinkle428]

13. Some of these mofos are figuring out that Pence would be an equally

useful tool for their desires as Chump.

[anneboleyn]

18. Trump is infinitely worse. Pence would be hobbled by the Trump disaster plus he is an EXTREMELY

dull — zero charisma — individual. The national audience saw little of him during the election, and Pence is dreadful on his own. For example, if Trump resigned or whatever, Pence would be hobbled to some degree by negative public sentiment plus he is an extremely dull and charmless politician on his own. He makes Ryan and McConnell look like George Clooney. Pence was disliked in Indiana — likely the most red state of red states.

It’s true that Republicans might think that Pence could just sign bills but this isn’t going to matter that much anyway if public sentiment turns hard against the republicans. And Pence will be a dreadful rep for the party as he is the very definition of a cardboard cutout.

[Angry Dragon]

20. It could come to that

[marybourg]

15. I wouldn't believe Juan Williams

if he told me the Earth is round.

[Honeycombe8]

17. I agree not to believe pundits. But this is a factual statement. nt

[marybourg]

30. So is the roundness of the earth.

[Honeycombe8]

31. Exactly. So whoever points out the roundness of the earth is correct, regardless of who he is.nt

[marybourg]

32. But if it were Juan Williams,

I wouldn' believe it.

[Honeycombe8]

16. A Repub with cajones? Quick, take a picture before he's extinct!

Good for him.

[workinclasszero]

19. Looming massive electoral defeat

stiffens the spine apparently.

Who knew?

[MyOwnPeace]

21. Time to "remember your people........"

The Pubs have spent this much time of this administration getting what they want regardless of the cost to their constituents. Now, however, since it's getting close to election time they're gonna' let their people know how much they mean to them. They count on their people to have a short memory (and, of course, they do!) plus they'll throw out a few guaranteed winning phrases (gun rights, Muslim terror threats, racist alarms) and expect their constituents to send them back to DC.

[JustAnotherGen]

22. I respect Juan Williams

however - I think he is wrong about this. The 'elected' officials might be cracking - but 45/140's voters are all in with 45 - and anyone (like the coal mine guy in WV) who supports 45 as part of their campaign to get rid of Republican elected officials.

Mr. Williams is not making clear the distinction between elected and the voters.

[Mr. Sparkle]

24. We need to remember that republicans are slow, it took them awhile to turn on GW Bush too.

[hibbing]

25. They got their masters their tax cuts n/t

[BobTheSubgenius]

26. I hope they have come to that realization too late.

I'd be devastated to see their numbers start to climb ahead of the mid-terms.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

27. I don't think that Williams' assertion is entirely supported by the evidence

In this case, we have two Republican Senators pushing for a bill to protect Robert Mueller that won't see the light of day in the House and may not even make it onto the floor of the Senate to be voted on and ignoring the threats of their Majority Leader to quash the bill. I wouldn't say that that is a serious "crack" in support of Trump. Tillis has actually been pushing this bill-with bipartisan support- for awhile now too. He's also trying to drag Hillary Clinton into the argument as well. I'm sure Williams means well but Trump is in no danger of losing Republican support or protection in Congress unless the Republicans wind up in the minority after the November elections.

[Cha]

29. KICK.. I wish.