Former GOP congressman Joe Walsh on what the left doesn't get

[funkingded]

A good article / interview with Joe Walsh. He hits the key points of what got us here and why we may not make it out.

Joe Walsh on what the left doesn't get: TrumpWorld "would happily burn this...

I (Joe Walsh) am in a weird position. I was part of TrumpWorld. I was part of the Trump cult — and I got out of the Trump cult. Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to wake up Democrats, and anybody else who will listen, to what the people in TrumpWorld and who are part of that movement are really all about and what we’re really up against. I do not believe that most Democrats and independents really believe it when they say, “We have to defend our democracy.” They do not really understand how close we are right now to losing it all.

[The_President]

It was a good read, and I would say that MSNBC, in particular Chris Hayes, has been covering most of this for the past year.

This section is spot on:

Is it just about money? How do these people choose between power and the truth? Do they have any higher principles beyond immediate gains?

Some believe in the cause, but most do not. It’s analogous to the other world I come from, Congress. Most Republicans in Congress privately believe Trump is bad. He’s bad for the party. He’s bad for the country. They don’t say it. It’s all utilitarian. They want to get re-elected.

Some, though, do believe it. There are true believers in the Republican conference. In the conservative media world, most don’t believe it, but some do. And the reason you sell your soul, and I couldn’t do it, is that, man, the money is good, the recognition is great, the power is awesome, the ratings are through the roof. That’s really hard to walk away from. Being a congressman is an awesome job. They decided, “I’m going to keep my mouth shut when it comes to Trump because I want to get re-elected.” I get that. They told me that night after night, day after day. It’s a hard thing to walk away from.

Extend this to the COVID debate in the US. Politicians and right wing media are taking those conservative leanings and receiving big donations and ratings while they sell what people want to hear, rather than what they should hear or need to hear.

[JFG]

@The_President

Politicians and right wing media are taking those conservative leanings and receiving big donations and ratings while they sell what people want to hear, rather than what they should hear or need to hear.

Given the ridiculous crap I hear spewed, I thought we all knew this.

[The_President]

Ignoring the DeSantis supporters, maybe.

[dr_t_non-fan]

None of this is new IMO. The trickle is hopefully coming, as McConnell wants real control of the GOP. Question is, can he retain his Senate Majority Leader title by sticking his neck out like he is? I think he knows he can, otherwise he wouldn’t.

[Triweasel]

@dr_t_non-fan

sticking his neck out

Good one

[Ted_Hoffman]

McConnell knows the Senate rules like he knows every wrinkle on the back of his hand. It’s why even in the minority, he knows how to run the Senate and grind things to a halt. [Something that Chuck Schumer is woefully inept at, and even less prepared to deal with.] If the party caucus were to try and remove him as their leader, McConnell would use every tool available to stymie anything they want to do where it didn’t suit his own needs.

Not to mention, who else is going to be rally everyone else in the party to stand together on something? Moscow Ron? Cancun Ted? Mediocre Tommy?