McConnell and McCarthy Had the Chance to Take Out Trump, But They Chose Their Careers Over Conscienc

[babylonsister]

McConnell and McCarthy Had the Chance to Take Out Trump, But They Chose Their Careers Over Consciences
SWEET SURRENDER
The GOP leaders had Trump right where they wanted him—and they wanted him gone. But they got scared.
Matt Lewis
Senior Columnist
Published Apr. 21, 2022 4:26PM ET
opinion

snip//

On rare occasions—when they might have taken him out—they instead chickened out. Thursday’s New York Times report by reporters Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin sheds new light on the failure to exploit a rare moment where Trump was highly vulnerable, politically.

As Burns and Martin detailed, in the days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, “Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Sen. Mitch McConnell told associates they believed President Trump was responsible for inciting the deadly riot and vowed to drive him from politics.” McCarthy reportedly told members of his leadership team that he would tell Trump that he believed impeachment would pass and that he should resign. Likewise, McConnell thought the end was near. “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us,” McConnell reportedly told advisors in Kentucky. “If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is.”

But the Democrats did not take care of the son of a bitch for us—they needed at least 17 GOP votes to convict the president. They got only seven. And Trump walked.

In a rousing speech condemning Trump’s actions and the Big Lie itself, McConnell explained why he ultimately decided to acquit. But the truth is that neither he nor McCarthy could muster the courage to kick Trump while he was down and bring their party back to basic reality-accepting sanity.

As a result of their cowardice, populism, hyper-nationalism, and the Big Lie remained the watchwords of the conservative base—rather than the free market-oriented, limited government-advocating, robust foreign policy conservatism that preceded Trump. And the thing is, they really did have a chance to draw a line in the sand between the GOP and Trump.

more...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mcconnell-and-mccarthy-had-the-chance-to-take-out-trump-but-they-chose-their-careers-over-consciences?ref=home

[JHB]

1. Well, they have careers but don't have consciouses...

...so their choices were obvious.

[Blue Owl]

2. Of course those sacks of shit did

They're only in it for their own interests.

[Buckeyeblue]

3. Their real chance to take him out was the first impeachment

They could have be done with him and used the rest of his term to get ready for 2020.

[sdfernando]

4. Yeah...there should be a counterpart to Profiles in Courage..

call it Profiles in Cowardice and these 2 can the charter winners (whiners!).

[PJMcK]

5. Republicans are fundamentally cowards

I liked the last line of the article.

"If it were me, I would have twisted the knife."

Me, too.

[dem4decades]

6. These should be the only questions asked of McConnell and McCarthy, why did they not hold Trump

Responsible?

But the press is just as cowardly, afraid to offend and lose access.

The country is fucked.

[BWdem4life]

7. I'm sorry, did I see the word "conscience" in the same sentence

as McConnell AND McCarthy?

[Samrob]

8. I only hope that FOX viewers will somehow see and hear this information. If they lie to each other,

their constituents must understand that they will lie to them without reservation.

[Samrob]

9. I only hope that FOX viewers will somehow see and hear this information. If they lie to each other,

their constituents must understand that they will lie to them without reservation.

[ancianita]

10. Over and over, Lawrence O'Donnell called them COWARDS. They represent the politics of cowardice,

lies, and spite.

[lindysalsagal]

11. They all took filthy Russian ologarch money. If they out him, he outs them.

Nothing else to know.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Trump is not being given credit for his ultimate bipartisanship achievement

A bipartisan coup!! Against the country, against Democrats and Joe Biden, against VP Pence!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

13. They certainly chose the career paths of least resistance.

I think they could have survived taking on Trump but they'd have to somehow muster giving the appearance of actually having principals.

[Grins]

14. Here is where Romney should stand and say: "Toldja'!"

[BlueWavePsych]

15. MRGA