Republicans are Living an Alternate Reality

I find it embarrassing to contemplate I was a Republican for most of the first twenty-five years of my voting life.

The evidence President Trump colluded with the Russians to get elected in the first place is at best circumstantial and speculative.  But the evidence he welcomed Russian interference was overwhelming -because he invited it and celebrated it in tweets and speeches.  

The more recent evidence President Trump threatened to withhold Military aid already approved for Ukraine as a lever to buy a Ukrainian investigation into corruption centered on his political rivals son, Hunter Biden has become overwhelming.  

The President views this all as just another partisan fight, he is blind to the implications for the institutions that have made our democracy special among the worlds democracies.  The ethics of our President are not uncharacteristic of those money and power obsessed business people who think their ends justify their means.  

But sadly, the President is not the only one who has bought into his view.  The vast majority of the elected and appointed Republicans seem more concerned about the Republican party, and their own re-election, than the law, the Constitution and the future of our democracy.

Attorney General Barr following up on the Presidents theory that the Democrats are behind it all, authorized an investigation into the underlying process that brought the Russia meddling to light, thinking it would show illegal Democratic involvement.  Apparently somehow Trump's enthusiasm for Russian involvement would be justified because the Democrats were playing dirty politics?  

The investigator found that although there were mistakes made by over-zealous agents and bureaucrats, the process was lawful and justified.  When it became clear the first report was not going to prove the conspiracy theories Attorney General Barr authorized a second, criminal investigation into the origins of the Russia Investigation with a broader scope and powers

But by the time the first report came out it had been overshadowed by the Presidents subsequent attempt to sell our military aid in exchange for an investigation into his political rivals son.  To President Trump the aid approved by Congress to help Democratic Ukraine avoid being absorbed into not so Democratic Russia was a bargaining chip he could use to his political advantage.  

Republicans have adopted the second investigation as a crutch to avoid facing the reality of the President's conduct.  Now their talking points are how the new investigation will prove their conspiracy theories about "deep state" crimes.   Never mind that even if the investigation produces some sort of evidence or wrongdoing, it doesn't excuse the President's conduct in telling the world he wanted Russia to meddle in our election, and using Military aid for Ukraine as a bargaining chip to try to gain a domestic political advantage.

The most insane thing about this whole process is what actually happened before the 2016 election.  Shortly before election day Hillary Clinton had a comfortable lead over President Trump in the polls.  Then the FBI director, Republican James Comey, ignoring FBI traditions to avoid statements that might affect an election, announced the FBI was reopening an investigation into Hilary Clinton.  The announcements implication of wrongdoing caused an immediate loss of support for Clinton and Trump won by a whisker.  After the election the "new investigation" into Clinton, was quietly wrapped up after producing no evidence of wrongdoing.

Trump would not be President were it not for a lapse in judgement by the FBI director who is a registered Republican.  Yet elected and appointed Republican's are sure this next investigation will prove some "deep state" exists that is bent on "framing" Trump.  It's just all to weird to be reality.