It’s always surprising when a seasoned pundit like Erick Erickson, former editor of far-right Red State and now editor, I think, at The Resurgent, proves to be quite naive about the nature of the far right. I somehow have ended up on his mailing list, and found this in my mail:
I confess to being aggravated by the Kelly Loeffler and Doug Collins race. It is a race that should not be. While I very much like and respect Doug Collins, I trust Governor Kemp who appointed Loeffler to the Senate. The race is dividing the Republican Party at a time it needs to be united.
Loeffler was appointed by Kemp to the Senate seat of Johnny Isakson (R-GA) a few months ago, not on the basis of experience, of which she had none relevant, but apparently based on the fact that, as a successful business woman, she has quite the funds available – or so the theory goes. Rep Collins (R-GA) was recommended for the appointment by President Trump, presumably as a reward for Collins’ vociferous support of Trump in the House, but Kemp chose Loeffler.
It is actually a blessing in disguise that the idea of a primary got scuttled. Republicans in Georgia have a history of not voting in races where their preferred candidate lost. Undoubtedly, a number of Cagle supporters in 2018 refused to vote for Kemp, causing the Kemp and Abrams race to be closer than it should have been. If Collins and Loeffler had a primary, some supporters would skip that race in November.
Now, at least, there will be a full Republican turnout in November for the President, David Perdue, and in the Loeffler and Collins race. If we must do this, however, please stop making it about Stacey Abrams.
And it would appear Erickson has decided the President is A-OK. Another conservative who endorses 16,000+ lies.
Two weeks ago, people close to Collins pushed out the picture of Senator Loeffler with Stacey Abrams at a WNBA event in Atlanta. The implication is that Senator Loeffler and Abrams are close. That led the Loeffler team to push out pictures of Collins hugging Abrams. Then outside groups weighed in with a recent video of Collins talking about his friendship with Abrams. In fact, the two are so close that Abrams named a character in one of her romance novels “Doug Collins.”
Does it really matter? I like Stacey Abrams too. I, like Collins, disagree with her on pretty much everything politically. But I interviewed Abrams for an hour during the 2018 race and she was one of the best interviews I have conducted. She offered comprehensive answers, was self-deprecating, and had a great sense of humor. One can disagree with Abrams politically while also recognizing she is a fine person.
The reason this race has devolved into a silly contest over who hugged Abrams the hardest is because Senator Loeffler and Congressman Collins agree on virtually every issue. They agree on life issues, second amendment issues, tax issues, regulatory issues, military issues, impeachment, the President, and any other issue one might toss at them.
The underlying presumption is that Loeffler is only pretending to be a conservative. This calls into question both Governor Kemp’s judgment and Loeffler’s integrity. Despite Loeffler’s strongly conservative record since joining the Senate, those around Collins would suggest she will “grow” in office once unencumbered by an election. Of course, whoever wins in 2020 will be back on the ballot in just two years.
This also ignores that Collins too has had issues in office. Collins has an 81% lifetime rating on the Heritage Action for America scorecard, having only a 75% in the 2017-2018 period. In the present congress, Collins has an 88%, but trails all the other Republicans from Georgia except Rob Woodall from the metro Atlanta area. Among other issues, the Heritage Foundation says Collins has been bad on immigration and supported an amnesty proposal.
And is this “Heritage Action for America” organization, of whom I’ve never heard, really worth paying any attention to? If they’re as xenophobic as … Collins has been bad on immigration and supported an amnesty proposal … suggests, then, in the context of its name, this organization must be exceptionally rich in irony.
I actually was fine with the Collins vote. I only bring it up to note if we are going with the “Loeffler may be bad eventually” or hugged Abrams scenarios, Collins will see the same leveraged against him. That makes this race so frustrating — two good candidates with identical views on the issues claiming we cannot trust the other. Ultimately, I do trust Brian Kemp and his judgment so I will go with Loeffler, knowing Collins would be just as good.
Let’s skip the off-topic bit about trusting Governor Kemp (R-GA), whose ethics are highly suspect. Erickson should be embarrassed to say he trusts Kemp, but we’ll move on.
No, what fascinates me is Erickson’s tone-deafness about the Republican way of doing things these days. Republican politics’ biggest lever is that of hate. Let’s not mince words; when a far-right House member like Mo Brooks (R-AL), ambitious to move to the United States Senate, is accused of being a Pelosi pal and supporter of the Islamic State (!) by members of his own Party, we’re simply talking about a cannon usually reserved for the Democrats being turned on their own siblings. When the issue of abortion, a doubtful issue of fallacious reasoning, is weaponized such that a candidate is judged on that issue to the exclusion of all else, not only ideological but even operational (competence, honesty, etc), that is the politics of hate.
When Newt Gingrich (R-GA) is a guiding star of the Party, that’s hate.
Or, more accurately, that’s the willingness to do anything to win, including employing the tools of hate.
It should come as no surprise that Stacy Abrams (D-GA) becomes a symbol of anti-association, because she’s a Democrat.
Quick, let’s associate Loeffler with Abrams! Why? Well, she’s a Democrat, a kissing cousin of the Devil Incarnate! Yes! A DemonLovingSocialistCommunistGunHatingBabyKillin’LiberalSecularUmmmmmLetMeGetOutMyListIt’sGettingSoLong … oh yeah, Democrats haven’t done nothing for America in oh so long!
Erickson is upset that his team isn’t playing like a team? That some of them refuse to vote for the rival who won the primary?
This is the fruits of winning at all costs. Trumpism, with its emphasis on toughness and never admitting to being wrong, actually plays right into this philosophy.
Folks lose the perspective of considering their rivals to still be Americans, or even Republicans. Or even Democrats – I skim The Daily Kos spam mails very lightly, but you can’t miss the cries of He’s not a real Democrat, kick his ass out! The partisans do tend to lean that way, regardless of ideology.
But, back to the point, it’s just going to get worse for Erickson if he wants everyone to play nice. The Republicans are no longer trained to have that sort of temperament; it’s all about absolutism: everything is free market, abortion rights are abominable sins, and because God is with us we’re never wrong.
The fruits of these attitudes is what Erickson sees in the Republican Party today, tomorrow, and right up until the Republican Party burns to the ground.
Like I’ve said before, someday the Republican Party will consist of three members, and two will be on probation due to suspicion of them being RINOs.
