Culture
Even In Trump Era, Republicans Prioritize Pandering Over Pushing Back
The GOP's priority should be fighting, not pandering, and they shouldn't confuse the two either.
By Emily Jashinsky
July 2, 2020
Republican politicians are right to be afraid. This is a frightening moment. The cultural left is feverish, and firmly in control of media and business. They are winning scalps left and right, and from the left and right. No whisper of dissent is tolerable. This is exactly why it’s not the time for pandering, and that’s a statement of both pragmatism and principle, since much of the GOP only seems concerned with the former.
Take Republican Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, who framed his new qualified immunity bill as an imperfect reform effort introduced to ensure Republicans are part of the “conversation†about racial justice, since “Chuck Schumer‘s already decided he can make hay off it in the election.†Braun, a businessman, also endorsed the radical, leftist Black Lives Matter movement, rather than simply proclaim his categorical support for equality. The logic is that Republicans should make small sacrifices for political expediency in order to retain appeal with the public. (And then pass tax cuts.)
This may also be the logic behind a bill proposed by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) that would eliminate Columbus Day’s status as a federal holiday and replace it with Juneteenth. There’s a perfectly fair argument to be made for such a swap, but making it now is a concession to the statue topplers, an indication of mixed up priorities, and almost certainly rooted in political motivations.
more
https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/02/even-in-trump-era-republicans-prioritize-pandering-over-pushing-back/
