Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)KRUGMAN: A "...de facto foreign agent sits in the Oval Office." [View all]
Congress is controlled by Republicans. And their response to a president whose actions are manifestly not just un-American but anti-American has been
a few sad tweets from a handful of senators who are unhappy about Trumps behavior but not willing to do anything real. Most Republicans havent even gone that far: Theyre just silent.
Why are Republican politicians unwilling to discharge their constitutional responsibilities? Relatively few of them, one suspects, actually want a trade war, let alone a breakup of the Western alliance. And many of them, one also suspects, are well aware that a de facto foreign agent sits in the Oval Office. But they are immobilized by a combination of venality and cowardice.
On one side, tax cuts for the rich have become the overriding priority for the modern G.O.P., and Trump is giving them that, so theyre willing to let everything else slide.
On the other side, the partys base really does love Trump, not for his policies, but for the performative cruelty he exhibits toward racial minorities and the way he sticks his thumb in the eyes of elites. So any Republican politician who takes a stand on behalf of what we used to think were fundamental American values is at high risk of losing his or her next primary. And as far as we can tell, there is not a single elected Republican willing to take that risk, no matter what Trump does.
What all this tells us is that the problem facing America runs much deeper than Trumps personal awfulness. One of our two major parties appears to be hopelessly, irredeemably corrupt. And unless that party not only loses this years election but begins losing on a regular basis, America as we know it is finished.
MORE:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/opinion/trump-quisling-enablers.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
46 replies, 8445 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (129)
ReplyReply to this post
46 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Krugman, author of "Conscience of a Liberal", has been a NYT columnist for many many years...
Hekate
Jun 2018
#37
Ask a trumpie: if Donnie's not a Russian agent, what would a Russian agent do differently?
unblock
Jun 2018
#3
So they admit to Russia meddling in our elections and not a word about tRUMP being elected* as a
SammyWinstonJack
Jun 2018
#39
Lord Fatass does look like he never stopped auditioning for the movie.
BlancheSplanchnik
Jun 2018
#31
I'm starting to blame Trump less for all of this and to blame Republicans entirely
renate
Jun 2018
#6
+1 - The founding fathers probably didn't imagine that we'd have traitors sitting in congress either
erronis
Jun 2018
#11
Definitely, pukes in Congress are willfully ignoring their oaths. They know it.
BlancheSplanchnik
Jun 2018
#32
The Republicans are NOT immobilized by a combination of venality and cowardice.
Efilroft Sul
Jun 2018
#12
Yep! Lyin Ryan said as much after the sham of an election, that they now control all three branches
SammyWinstonJack
Jun 2018
#40
EXactly right. I am growing very weary of endless analysis of why GOP does nothing; analysis
Amaryllis
Jun 2018
#29