Every wonder what Republicans say when asked about Trump’s horrible actions? This thread has multiple examples. From Kasie Hunt @NBCNews Capitol Hill Correspondent.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., on the president’s photo op at St. John’s last night: “Didn’t really see it.”
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) June 2, 2020
Elected politicians know how to dodge questions from reporters. There are trained in multiple techniques. Constituents who challenge them sometimes can get a different response, but most politician know how to give non-answers. And the press accept it without digging.
Some politicians will try to look like they care while supporting Trump. Others are all in on Trump’s “dominance.” We know who those Republicans are and that they are expected to give a quote to support Trump.
But we often read about Republicans that say bad things about Trump in private but the press won’t identify them. This gives the politician the best of both worlds, they get to look concerned to the press, but still look like a public lackey to Trump.
It’s time to blow the cover on some of these people. But access journalists aren’t going to do it. My recommendation?
Regular citizens should listen to Q&A’s from Republicans during Town Halls & local COVID-19 press conferences. Sometimes a Republican will slip up and attack the President. When we find these examples we need to show them combined with actions against Trump. I don’t care if Ben Sasse (R) says he’s “troubled” by something Trump said or did, he votes with Trump almost all the time.
“But Spocko,” you may ask, “Why look for quotes from Republicans who condemn Trump’s words and actions? It might help them get re-elected!” My answer? Look for Republicans who aren’t running again in the fall. (here’s a link to all of them.)
These are the people to focus on. Many of these legislators are waiting to come back after Trump is defeated so they can come out as “the real Republican party.”
There is a category of people that the MSM want to hear from because they want to believe that there are some good Republicans out there. That is why the MSM LOVES the Lincoln Project, Steve Schmidt and George Conway. But they aren’t willing to push current elected officials for quotes that might help gather momentum from Republicans who want Trump out.
If these Republican retirees were voters they would be called swing voters–and we know how much the media love them. But they have been ignored, taken off the board while people hang on every word of Susan Collins.
They are preparing for their post congress careers as lobbyists and pundits. They will want to be on the Sunday morning shows in 2021 to say how bad President Biden is doing at “healing the nation.”
Now is their chance to earn some real, “I spoke out against Trump during the bad times” credibility while they are still in congress. The reporters know who these people are, they just need to push them.
It’s time to see who’s available to talk after lunch.