Republicans are confused
by digby
Trump has really scrambled their brains:
“Should be skeptical of any deal with (Kim Jong UN),” Rubio tweeted Tuesday. “Limits to future strategic weapons instead of eliminating current program not an acceptable outcome. Hope I’m wrong but still believe they will never give up nukes & ICBM’s unless believe failure to do so triggers regime ending reaction.”
Then Rubio took at shot at Kim, who took power in North Korea after his father and grandfather previously ruled the country, arguing that the 34-year-old autocrat “would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy.”
“One more thing about KJU,” Rubio tweeted. While I know POTUS is trying to butter him up to get a good deal, KJU is NOT a talented guy. He inherited the family business from his dad & grandfather. He is a total weirdo who would not be elected assistant dog catcher in any democracy.”
Rubio’s comments on the North Korean dictator mirror his attacks on Trump during the 2016 presidential primary, when the Florida Republican said Trump’s career in real estate was due to his father’s wealth.
“Here’s the guy that inherited $200 million,” Rubio said during a debate. “If he hadn’t inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be right now? Selling watches in Manhattan.”
And Rubio’s tweet criticizing Kim Jong Un drew a head-scratching response from Missouri Republican Rep. Billy Long.
“If he one day runs for President of the Korean Peninsula perhaps you can give him some pointers on running a successful Presidential campaign?” Long said in response to Rubio, mocking Rubio’s presidential loss to Trump and offering a scenario where a third-generation dictator would somehow run for elected office in a unified Korea.
Ok. So, Rubio says that Kim Jong Un is nothing more than a callow scion of a ruthless father, using the same words he used to describe Donald Trump two years ago. It’s true in both cases, of course.
And now Republicans are defending Kim Jong Un from attacks by a fellow Republican because he’s Trump’s bff.
That’s where we are.
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