David Frum has not been one to hold back on Donald Trump or the Republican Party. His insights on what the escalating Russia Scandal means is worth listening to as it foretells the likely failure of the GOP to effect their policies in the near term.
David Frum laid into the Republicans
David Frum appeared on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell and had less than kind words for the Republican Party as he told some unfortunate truths.
Lawrence O’Donnell started the segment with an assertive Senator Lindsey Graham asking FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray what should a politician do if approached by a foreign agent as Donald Trump Jr. was. The nominee hesitated, and Graham lit into him.
“You’re going to be the director of the FBI pal,” Graham said. “So here’s what I want you to tell every politician. If you get a call from somebody suggesting that a foreign government trying to help you by disparaging your opponent tell, us all to call the FBI.”
Lawrence then played Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s gelatinous response to Casey Hunt’s question as to what he would do if the Russians offered to help his reelection campaign.
“I’m not going to go into hypotheticals only,” Paul Ryan said. “Because I think it’s important that we get to the bottom of this. As you all know, I supported Bob Mueller being appointed special counsel. And I think we need to let him and his team and our investigators here do their jobs and follow these leads wherever they may lay and follow wherever they may go and follow the facts.”
Lawrence O’Donnell’s response to Ryan’s cowardly statement was epic.
“Paul Ryan could not say what he would do if the Russians or any other foreign government wanted to help his reelection campaign,” O’Donnell said exasperatedly. “He could not say that he would not commit that crime. That is how lost the Speaker of the House has become as he clings to the wreckage of the Trump administration in the hope that he will find a way to get the president’s signature on tax cuts.”
David Frum later in the segment had the most cogent monologue that described what Donald Trump has reduced the Republican Party to and why.
“Well I mentioned in an earlier segment how completely disoriented Republicans are this week,” David Frum said. “I mean it is a bizarre thing if you’re following social media or watching Fox News to watch some of the very cynical reactions. But understand the rug has been pulled out of everybody.Donald Trump has done to the entire Republican Party what he’s so often done to his designated White House spokesman. He has made liars out of all of them. They have for months been repeating no evidence of collusion, no evidence of collusion, it’s a hoax, it’s a made-up story. And today Donald Trump is saying it’s fine. Actually, it’s all true. And it was a good thing. And anybody would do it. And now how does a Paul Ryan react? What is the answer he can give? He doesn’t know where this story goes. The story can only get bigger. He must sense he is in a race against time to pass the measures he wants to pass before the bottom falls out. And he must also sense he’s losing that race against time. Obamacare is not going to be repealed before the before the end of July, maybe not ever. That makes the tax cut plan not work. And so the deal he did with Donald Trump, he is not going to get paid. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has his impunity from Congress.”
The chaos in the Republican Party opens the door for a sea change in Washington if Democrats were ready to monopolize on the realities in Washington. Unfortunately, to date, the Democrats seem unable to first, defend the policies most Americans yearn for that Republicans are attempting to take away. Second, fail to get on a narrative that lay the blame of all of the ills of the poor and middle-class specifically on Right Wing and neo-liberal policies. Third, they have yet to build one all-encompassing narrative that rolls off the tongue of every Democrat. And lastly, they continue to reign in the many parts of the Progressive base in as much as Progressives support the policies the vast majority of Americans want.