The people vs Donald Trump

| 4:00 pm EDT August 14, 2021
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The Hill’s latest piece makes clear that there are two types of Republicans in Congress: Those who want to serve the American people, and those who want to serve Donald Trump. While few Republicans have many virtues these days, those who want to serve are the ones we can best stomach. The Hill refers to Senate Republicans who joined President Biden’s infrastructure bill. Even Mitch McConnell signed off on the legislation, showing that he is not under Trump’s thumb, but he never really has been. McConnell placated Trump to get unqualified conservative judges on the bench. McConnell’s goal is to do what McConnell wants—period—which means McConnell wanted this infrastructure plan too.

The Hill believes that Trump maintains a “muscular grip” in the House because they believe Trump’s support vital to their reelection campaigns. Talk about putting all your eggs in one rotten basket. According to Gallup, Trump’s approval rating never broke 50%. At the end of his “administration,” his approval rating was 34%. It is doubtful that has changed. While House members believe Trump has some magical powers, most of the American people see it otherwise. Since the American people are the ones who will determine their return to office, they might want to try to serve the people instead of bowing to their golden idol, but they seem unable to do that.

Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, and Elise Stefanik are definite “no” votes on the bipartisan infrastructure. Perhaps their respective states have no crumbling bridges, no need for improved broadband and telecommunications, and have clean water supplies, but the Hill reported that “there’s no political upside for them to vote yes,” according to an anonymous source. Think about “no political upside” for just a moment. Any “upside” for their constituencies takes second place to their political aspirations. The other motivation, according to the Hill, is to quash Biden’s bipartisan victory. That stance is evil, and it is wrong. The American people would prefer that all our representatives work together to do good for the country, yet these people are willing to throw all of that away to please someone who has no political future. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) called it a “five-lane highway to socialism.” So, doing good for the American people in any form is socialism? Some of these people need to return to Civics 101, which discusses how all branches of government are to work together for the good of the people.

The good news, at least according to the Hill, is that with McConnell’s backing, this legislature is destined to pass. This will leave those who have refused to participate out in the cold (again) and bragging about something in which they had no hand creating, like the American rescue plan. Like that plan, the infrastructure bill is extremely popular with the American people. According to a CNN poll, 62% of Americans support the limited infrastructure bill, and 56% approve the remaining items proposed by Democrats. Perhaps if these Republicans continue to vote against policies that benefit the people, they will find their time in Congress short lived.