1/ I'll summarize this for the slow learners in the Senate one last time.
Your protestations of independence, integrity, and honor will mean nothing to the voters this Fall. Nothing.
You're going to moo and walk into the chute like cattle, terrified of Trump and Mitch.
Your protestations of independence, integrity, and honor will mean nothing to the voters this Fall. Nothing.
You're going to moo and walk into the chute like cattle, terrified of Trump and Mitch.
2/ So when you're underwater in the polls, drowning in public anger at becoming accessories to Trump's coverup, here's a handy list of what went wrong. Clip-and-save, because you'll need it later.
3/ WHAT WENT WRONG, A PARTIAL LIST:
A. The facts of Ukraine will never, ever get better for Trump. You know this.
B. Truth outs. Bolton's book hits. Documents leak. More people come forth.
C. *TRUMP* admits it. You know he will.
D. The polls are not going your way.
A. The facts of Ukraine will never, ever get better for Trump. You know this.
B. Truth outs. Bolton's book hits. Documents leak. More people come forth.
C. *TRUMP* admits it. You know he will.
D. The polls are not going your way.
4/ D (cont). Two-thirds of the American people want to see evidence and witnesses. Support for impeachment is steady.
E. The McConnell strategy looks great in the short term as a DC-clever-process story in a few months looks like a massive coverup.
E. The McConnell strategy looks great in the short term as a DC-clever-process story in a few months looks like a massive coverup.
5/ F. The locked-room, one-camera, dead-of-night game YOU voted for looks more and more like the work of co-conspirators, not judges.
G. Trump won't help you later. His loyalty is to himself. If you're in trouble *even for helping him* you're dead meat.
G. Trump won't help you later. His loyalty is to himself. If you're in trouble *even for helping him* you're dead meat.
6/ H. Even if he *does* help you, does it *help* you? Trump rally fever plays only to the reddest red audiences. You know, like Maine and AZ...oh. Wait.
I. Mitch only has so much money to spread around. Sure, in January he's saying, "I got you" but does he have *enough*?
I. Mitch only has so much money to spread around. Sure, in January he's saying, "I got you" but does he have *enough*?
7/ J. Even *Mitch* will flip if the majority is in danger, and how are you gonna walk that back? You won't get a second chance to be strong and do the right thing. You won't get another moment to show you give a damn about something bigger than Trump's rage.
8/ K. Voters hate corruption (cf, 1974, 1980, 1994, 2006) as just a few examples in recent memory) and they hate its enablers more. It reinforces their existing feelings about politics and politicians.
L. Trump gets passes you never, ever will.
L. Trump gets passes you never, ever will.
9/ M. "I voted against witnesses and evidence and covered up Trump's crimes of obstruction, lying, and abuse of power so he wouldn't tweet mean things about me." is a shit political obituary. So is, "I didn't want a primary."
10/ N. Everything Trump Touches Dies.
Proceed accordingly.
Proceed accordingly.
