Note to pundits, etc.: if you are planning to write about the Cult of the Convicted Former President* and are groping for historical analogies, please be advised that it was Flavor Aid, not Kool-Aid, that the Reverend Jim Jones laced with poison. Thank you, The Management
Anyway, watching the zombie-licious reaction of Republican politicians to Thursday’s verdict has been both nauseating and fascinating. And the most nauseating and fascinating of all came from renowned centrist Sen. Susan Collins, whose brows are now furrowed deeply enough to hold a three-day rain. I thought she’d never top her speech in defense of the nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, especially the part about how impressed she was by his promises to respect precedent as regards Roe v. Wade. But give the senator credit. She’s not a woman who rests on her laurels. On Thursday, she cleared the high bar for cheating her job that she set for herself back in 2018, and she did it with room to spare. From the Portland Press Herald:
“It is fundamental to our American system of justice that the government prosecutes cases because of alleged criminal conduct regardless of who the defendant happens to be. In this case the opposite has happened,” Collins said in a written statement Thursday night....“The district attorney, who campaigned on a promise to prosecute Donald Trump, brought these charges precisely because of who the defendant was rather than because of any specified criminal conduct,” Collins said. “The political underpinnings of this case further blur the lines between the judicial system and the electoral system, and this verdict likely will be the subject of a protracted appeals process.”
My Lord, what a waste of a Senate seat this is.
The rest of the Republicans fell into their Make Way for Ducklings routine, lining up behind El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago like little Jacks, Kacks, Lacks, Macks, Nacks, Ouacks, Packs, and Quacks. From Axios:
Republican power players are seeking to channel the conservative frenzy into fundraising, activism and a commitment to vote President Biden out of office in November. “Don’t just get angry about this travesty, get even!” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) posted alongside a link to WinRed, the GOP fundraising platform that crashed in the hours after the verdict. “There is now only one issue in this election: whether the American people will stand for the USA becoming a Banana Republic,” tweeted tech investor David Sacks. “I wouldn’t want to be a Democrat right now. It’s unleashing unprecedented levels of unity among Republicans I’ve never seen in the Trump years,” Republican strategist Alex Bruesewitz told Axios.
Among hardline conservatives and Trump loyalists, meanwhile, the verdict has raised existential questions—and triggered a menacing response. Potential attorney general pick Mike Davis told Axios he wants GOP prosecutors in Georgia and Florida to open criminal probes into Democrats for conspiring to interfere in the election by indicting Trump. “This is a battle of good versus evil,” declared Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “This won’t stop Trump. He’ll win the election if he’s not killed first. But it does mark the end of the fairest justice system in the world,” claimed Tucker Carlson. “Anyone who defends this verdict is a danger to you and your family.”
And the various cult members took every one of their political psychoses out for a walk on Xwitter. Come on down, Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y.
Today marks an unprecedented corruption of our justice system and a very dark day for America. We have witnessed a blatant action to imprison a Presidential nominee and steal the election out of the hands of the voters. A corrupt prosecutor, a corrupt judge, and a corrupt jury conspired to undermine our democracy in a manner more fitting of a banana republic than the United States of America. George Soros bankrolled Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, acting as a useful idiot for Biden, has manipulated the legal system to serve the interests of the radical Left. It is an egregious abuse of power aimed solely at keeping President Trump out of the White House. Every American should be deeply concerned and have serious doubts about the integrity of our judicial system after what we have seen today. This miscarriage of justice is not just an attack on President Trump but also on our democracy and the very principles that our nation was founded upon. I stand fully behind President Trump and reject this sham trial just like the Appellate Division will. The real verdict will come on November 5th when the people vote to send Trump back to the White House.
You’re next, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
What happened in NY is disaster verdict by a crooked judge and a crooked prosecution. Donald Trump is innocent. To hell with what the jury said. America, this is what a political prosecution looks like. Remember in November!
Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, got all pithy. I said pithy, dammit.
The Bolsheviks are back!
New York is a liberal shit hole.
And hitting cleanup, it’s Rep. Mike Collins, R-Georgia.
Time for Red State AGs and DAs to get busy.
Mitch McConnell joined in the general quacking.
These charges never should have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal.
And we conclude with Sen. Tim Scott, who would like to be vice-president more than you would like to take your next five breaths.
Absolute injustice. This erodes our justice system. Hear me clearly: You cannot silence the American people. You cannot stop us from voting for change. Joe Biden—you’re fired. We the People stand with Donald J. Trump.
That’s some tasty Flavor Aid.
Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.
