The GOP sends in the cowards

In the past, Iowa has been a presidential proving ground that separates the cowards from the courageous. Januaries in the Hawkeye State can turn any campaign into a grueling, exasperating experience. One day it’s merely cold and crisp and a candidate has to deal with wrangling pigs, walking through thick mud and talking to people individually that they will never have to face if they are elevated to the presidency. The next day they are driving into a white out (stop drooling coke heads, it means something else in this context) to deliver a speech before the Sunday men/ladies gathering of the local amalgamated groupof those unattached to other organizations meeting.

Vivek Ramaswamy choked this week, delaying campaign stops due to weather, while Donald Trump decided to avoid Iowa in order to show up and campaign in Washington D.C. before a panel of judges who will rule on whether or not Trump has immunity from prosecution for crimes he may have committed before, during and after his presidency. Meanwhile, after he refused to say that he’d stick to the facts of the case and not engage in ad hominem attacks, Judge Arthur Engoron in Trump’s New York civil fraud case denied the former president the ability to deliver part of his closing arguments himself.

So that apparently left Trump free to go to Des Moines to stage a televised town hall meeting on Fox News, while Ramaswamy was free to livestream a town hall with a right-wing podcaster. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trolled each other in a debate on CNN during which neither one had the courage to take on Trump. And former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie? Well, he said a few choice words about both Haley and DeSantis on an open mic before he dropped it and cowardly left the race to run home to New Jersey. Maybe he’ll work on his tan.

Ramaswamy is a coward. The snowstorm that struck Des Moines in the last few days is not unheard of in an election year and canceling a campaign stop for an average Des Moines wintry day is a telltale sign you can’t handle the pressure of the presidency. If you can’t battle an average snowfall in Iowa, how can you handle the international stage? Trump is not only a coward, but a craven coward, who wants to retire knowing he can break the law with impunity while his latest gas-bag lawyers argue he could use Seal Team 6 to take out political rivals.

Meanwhile, on Monday Biden crisscrossed the U.S. talking about issues from the economy to infrastructure and ended up back at the White House Monday night. He’s recently traveled to Valley Forge, South Carolina and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre promised from the Brady Briefing room on Wednesday that we will “see a lot more of this president” on the campaign trail soon. Republicans have called Biden a coward for not being more available to the public and the press. That statement may have some validity to it, but it’s hard to swallow the hypocrisy of a political party that won’t admit it lost the last election, still clings to the “Big Lie” and is so cowardly that it falls on its knees in fealty to Donald Trump. Face it; The GOP is no more. You’re either a Trumplican or you’re sitting on the sidelines like Liz Cheney because you had the courage to challenge Trump.

The biggest problem Biden actually has right now is the legitimate “Where’s Waldo?” question of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who went missing for four days before it was found out he was being treated for prostate cancer. He kept his illness hidden and was incommunicado during key moments in the Ukrainian and Middle-East conflicts. While the administration has defended him, with both NSC spokesman John Kirby and White House press secretary Jean-Pierre speaking to the issue, it isn’t far-fetched to understand why Biden would be upset. It was a cowardly move.

It is a huge health concern for Austin, but it gives the impression that a vital member of the administration was out of the loop at the worst time imaginable in the last three years. “Reckless and Irresponsible,” was the headline in Politico. Like Biden needs that scandal around his neck. It’s the only legitimate beef the GOP has with the president, so you can imagine how far they’ll try to run with this little nugget. Then again, James Comer and the rest of what passes for Trumplican leadership in Congress (except for Mitch McConnell) seem intent on sticking to fiction – as they are all cowards.

It also begs the question as to how Biden should go forward with his campaign. While trailing, or in some cases leading, Trump in the polls, the energy for “Ridin’ with Biden” appears lackluster at best.  

Alice Stewart, a prominent Republican strategist said on the podcast “Just Ask The Question,” the Democrats are missing the boat. Biden began his campaign reminding everyone of the cowardice of Republicans and the horror show of Jan. 6. Instead of campaigning on that, Stewart says the Democrats should have the courage to push abortion rights to the head of their campaign efforts. Though a strong pro-life advocate, Stewart acknowledges that “pro-life candidates do not win at the ballot.” And she suggested to reach more people Biden should elevate abortion over the Jan. 6 insurrection “knowing full well how horrible and criminal” the actions were to concentrate on an issue that would get them elected.

Seems everyone’s helping the Democrats and you have to hope that soon they’ll have the courage to help themselves. They do have a decisive issue upon which to run. 

And that would be Donald Trump.

Nothing drives home the cowardice of Trump more than his posts on social media and his lawyers’ arguments in court about immunity. Trump seeks immunity from prosecution for the laws he may or may not have broken while president. (Remember he faces 91 felony charges in four jurisdictions). But his lawyers tried to argue Trump could use Seal Team 6 to take out a political rival and without immunity it would be “very hard for a president to enjoy his or her ‘Golden Years’ of retirement. Imagine having to be responsible for your actions like everyone else? Trump’s cowardice knows no bounds. He lies and says most Americans support unlimited immunity even as most polls show that, overwhelmingly, most Americans do not. 

Imagine being able to kill political rivals and then resting comfortably at the end of the day. That’s all Don wants. He’s a simple man.

Of course we all know that a president isn’t immune from prosecution. Trump’s lawyers argued former presidents can only face prosecution if they are first impeached and then convicted by the Senate. Make no mistake, this bitter gambit is made only to benefit Trump. The argument has been labeled “obscene”, “insane” and is the rant of a cowardly would-be tyrant who seeks legal cover for illegal activities. If Presidents enjoyed unlimited immunity, why did Gerald Ford Pardon Richard Nixon? I’ll wait for the answer. 

The argument is nonsense of course, and the judges during the hearing Tuesday echoed that sentiment. But it makes no difference. Donald Trump doesn’t actually think he’s going to win this argument – he just wants to string it out as long as he can in the courts to avoid prosecution. It’s an oldy and goldy from the Trump tent – delay, delay and delay again. A man who has cowardly never faced accountability for his actions isn’t going to let a little thing like the rule of law or the U.S. Constitution stand in his way of running away.

He is the lowest of craven cowards among a bucketful of political scum. 

 “At this hour our democracy is under an unprecedented assault,” President Biden said at the time of the insurrection. He’s always had the courage to call it for what it was, and he continues to do so, even as his re-election campaign takes on the taint of cowardice from those who should know better.

Courage is sorely lacking in the United States. The almighty dollar and fear of losing it has crippled anyone in the GOP as Trump presses Republican politicians to back him prior to the Iowa caucuses. It has also exposed our politicians for the greatest crime of cowardice: hypocrisy.

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Jim Jordan can scream about Hunter Biden and demand he be held in contempt of Congress for not answering a subpoena – though he has cowardly avoided one for close to two years.

The cowardice of the GOP is compounded by its stupidity – especially when it comes to Donald Trump. Or, as Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin pointed out Wednesday, “I don’t even know why you stick with him. He was a Democrat longer than he was a Republican. You guys have been taken over by an absolute conman and now you’re acting like members of a religious cult who don’t even remember how you got in in the first place.”

Ultimately, if we want courage in government, we have to have courage from the voters.

The first act of courage this campaign season will be with the voters in Iowa. Who will show up for the caucus votes? According to the Des Moines Register, “Temperatures during the day Monday are expected to hover in the single digits to zero degrees but wind chills will make it feel even colder, said meteorologist Brad Small.”By 6 p.m., Monday, when people will be lining up to check-in before caucusing starts at 7 p.m., temperatures are expected to be minus 1 to minus 5 degrees, depending on what part of the state you're in.

It will be a cold day in Iowa that will test the courage of the American democracy and the cowardice of its politicians.

Don’t expect to see Trump out in the cold shaking hands.

Like the rest of the cowardly hypocrites, he’ll be inside where it’s warm, denouncing his enemies and asking you for more money.