Personal opinions aside, one person wondered why many prominent Republicans, like Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, refuse to admit Donald Trump’s faults. They asked the internet for insight into the “inside game” going on, and people responded with their best guesses.
Note: Some quotes in this piece have been lightly edited for grammar.
1: Prime Example
One commenter urged people to look at what happened to Liz Cheney for all they need to know. “She genuinely stood up to Trump, and the very next election she lost her primary in a landslide. That’s why you only get retired Republicans criticizing Trump.”
2: Bully Behavior
One person thinks Trump’s bullying and harassment techniques are effective on people’s emotions. “Not only does it stir up his supporters, it causes fear of any retaliation to anyone he perceives as his enemy. Yet, there’s been barely a peep from the GOP to push back on this behavior. They like it and/or fear it themselves.”Â
3: It Takes Two
One commenter noted that Trump doesn’t operate alone, with media mogul Rupert Murdoch acting in a similar light. “He uses his media to destroy individuals who stand up to the extreme right across the English-speaking world. He does it almost for fun.”
4: Saving Face
“They don’t actually care who is in charge, as long as they’re part of it.” says one person who thinks the GOP is just looking to get by. “While they personally hate Trump and hate having to kowtow to his supporters, they love the permanent distraction that he is from real issues that they don’t want to deal with.”Â
5: Leading the Way
One commenter thinks the problem has more to do with the Republican party, but it boils down to the same thing. “IMO… at the base of it is that Trump is a bully – and these people are scared of what he will do or say.”
6: Frenzied Fans
According to one poster, Trump uses his cult-like following to his advantage. “He yields that like a weapon to rule the party. It shows that Trump not only doesn’t care about America, he doesn’t really care about the Republican Party.”
7: Career Ender
One commenter warns it’s a prisoner’s dilemma for most establishment Republicans. “The penalty of going against Trump is having your political career fed to the MAGA mob. Unfortunately, no one of them wants to risk standing up to Trump, hoping the rest of their establishment peers will follow, then getting their career ended because they stood alone.”
8: Losing the VotesÂ
“If they go against Trump, they lose 30% of their potential voters,” one commenter says. “There is simply no way to get elected as a Republican without appeasing him.”Â
9: Hive Mind
One person compared the Republican party to a swarm run by billionaires, and it wasn’t hard for Trump to take control. “Without much thought or effort, he stole the majority of the swarm’s loyalty by manipulating the same garbage impulses while obviously being just as ignorant.”Â
10: Now and ForeverÂ
Even Reagan is no match for Trump’s power and die-hard loyalty, according to this commenter. “If you go against Trump, you’re going against American conservatism. Trump is now the entirety of the conservative movement in America. And that is where it will be forever if you ask me.”
11: Losing Supporters
One commenter said prominent Republicans aren’t actually afraid of Trump. “They’re afraid of Trump’s supporters not voting for them if they aren’t on team Trump.”
12: Money Talks
One commenter thinks it’s more calculated than fear. “The base is firmly in Trump’s pocket, and everyone who has stood up so far has suffered the consequences. Real billionaires aren’t scared by Trump, but politicians will be until he falls and tumbles.”Â
13: Rest in PeaceÂ
“It’s like signing your own political death warrant,” one commenter says. They added that the pool of Republicans that oppose him is a tiny minority. “It’s also always pretty obvious these people are just choosing a lane. They’re being fake, and it is very obvious.”Â
14: History Repeats Itself
Despite what a previous commenter said, this person thinks this situation resembles Reagan-era politics. “For nearly 30 years, every Republican was forced to pretend that the sun rose and set on Reagan’s legacy. The party needed a new champion because, after 30 years, more and more Americans didn’t give a crap about Reaganism and his policies.”
15: Going Against the Grain Â
One commenter says it’s not about whether or not they stand up to Trump but if they play the media’s game. “The entire point of the question is to create this narrative. Nobody is asking every Democrat every day about Biden’s alleged corruption, his moments of senility, or the outright lies that he tells about himself every day.”
Source: Reddit.Â
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