William Kristol The state of the Republican union is in danger. Can it can survive Trump?
William Kristol is the founder and editor-at-large of the Weekly Standard. He served in senior roles in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations.
On the eve of President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union, I'm more pessimistic about the chances of really saving the Republican Party than I thought I would be a year ago. But it’s important to think about why the conservative movement is in such trouble.
So how did the GOP get where we are? Obviously, it’s a complicated story. There were weaknesses, it turns out, in the conservative movement that some of us didn't fully appreciate. There were weaknesses in the country. And there is a penchant for a kind of recklessness and vulgarity that obviously transcends any one movement.
Trump is also a very capable demagogue and he got lucky in terms of the field he was running against. I think ultimately it was kind of a perfect storm that produced a dangerous moment for the country.
In response, I do wish more Republican senators in Congress were standing up and pushing back. But the motivation isn’t there yet. I think what they would say is, "Look, I've got a job to do here. I'm voting for things that I mostly agree with. I'm not going to vote against Trump administration-supported legislation proposals because they're supported by the Trump administration. I'm not going to vote against qualified judicial candidates because they're nominated by Donald Trump.”
And in some ways, I agree with the Republican Congressmen on that.
So, then the question is, when do you stick your neck out? In politics, you can always rationalize your behavior. Politicians have the right to withhold their judgment at times, obviously. But I think they've gone down a slippery slope with justifying not speaking up. Suddenly, you have a whole party that looks intimidated by Donald Trump and complicit in the worst aspects of the Trump administration.
And, I think, a party that's in real risk of going down the tubes because of its acquiescence to Donald Trump.
