Respite From The Storm

It wasn't a good week for the White House. It began with the revelation President Trump divulged classified information to Russian diplomats in what could best be described as a bragging moment and ended with former FBI Director Robert Mueller appointed as special counsel to oversee the investigation into ties between Trump's campaign and Russian officials.

Let's face it, any fan of the Trump resistance probably went through a range of emotions last week ranging from outrage over the revelations to giddiness about the consequences they may bring for the President. The outrage is warranted. Trump is essentially a low information voter that managed to become President. For that reason, his statements and actions are anywhere from amateurish to destructive. As to the giddiness, not so fast. Trump himself may be in a spiral but do not expect the rest of the GOP to stand on the principle of defending the Republic and abandon the President publically.

Despite the Mueller appointment, almost no Republicans have come forward with anything beyond tepid lip service expressing concern about the Presidential controversy. The GOP has been extremely successful in ignoring principle to game the system to their advantage. The textbook example is Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell's decision to ignore the spirit of the Constitution and sit on President Obama's Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland. McConnell's gamble to wait out the November election paid off and likely protected the conservative agenda for years to come. On an academic level, it's admittedly hard not to respect the audacity of the strategy despite the damaging precedent set. Technically, McConnell's action wasn't against the law nor was Trump's decision to declassify information on the fly for that matter; neither was principled.

Expect the Republicans to use the same unprincipled tactics to prop up the agenda as the Mueller investigation unfolds. They will go through the motions to support the perception of cooperation and at the same time defend the President's indefensible behavior at the expense of logic as long as it helps preserve the GOP majority in Washington.

Trump himself is irrelevant to most of the GOP leadership but his popularity with the base means his demise could jeopardize the agenda of lining their own pockets through tax cuts and legislation benefitting the interests of the rich. Supported by the likes of conservative media outlets which downplayed the Trump allegations, the plan to maintenance low information voters in an effort to retain their support is well underway.

Trump remains out of the country this week and is basking abroad in the adoration that he so craves at home. An authoritarian kingdom has carefully choreographed the experience for the wannabe authoritarian President's enjoyment. With Trump gone, the sky at home may seem a bit more blue and the sun a little bit brighter. It's merely a respite. The storm clouds will return the moment Air Force One touches down at Joint Base Andrews later this week.