Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), finding himself in an unexpectedly difficult reelection fight, and perhaps worried that with roughly four weeks left, MJ Heggar (D-TX) may be able to make up the gap, whatever it is (I’m not finding any recent polls), in that time, is starting to put some separation between himself and the President, much like these incumbents. Here he is, critiquing the President’s take on the coronavirus:
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Monday that President Donald Trump “let his guard down” on the coronavirus and that the president’s rhetoric has created “confusion” as the country has struggled to get the pandemic under control.
“I think he let his guard down, and I think in his desire to try to demonstrate that we are somehow coming out of this and that the danger is not still with us — I think he got out over his skis and frankly, I think it’s a lesson to all of us that we need to exercise self discipline,” Cornyn told the Houston Chronicle editorial board.
The comment came as he was asked about Trump rarely wearing a mask, holding Make America Great Again rallies and hosting a Supreme Court nomination ceremony at the White House attended by at least eight people, including two senators, who have since tested positive for the virus. [Houston Chronicle]
Cornyn’s TrumpScore? As of this writing, 95.1%.
Cornyn’s selection of the coronavirus as his divergence point from President Trump may have been inevitable, as Hegar has been attacking him on the subject (see above link), but it’s not without risks. I think that one of the key linkages between Trump and his base is his public embrace of magical thinking, which he has put on display repeatedly since the coronavirus became a pandemic.
That linkage validates the central identity of his supporters, as evidenced by their indulgence in such beliefs as claiming Covid-19 is a hoax, it’s only as bad as the flu, it’s a weapon, and several other false tropes that I might expect to hear from barstool blowhards, but not from serious people.
When Cornyn suggests that Trump is wrong, he is taking a risk that avid Trump supporters, sensing their central identities are not being validated by Cornyn, will turn on him in disgust. Through Trump, they have achieved a visceral power, a position on the prestige ladder, at least in their own eyes; Cornyn’s betrayal is an attack on their position.
It’ll be interesting to see if my hypothesis is correct. If he wins in November, I’ll have been wrong.
And if he loses?
Not only will I be right, it’ll be evidence that indulging in magical thinking isn’t merely a weird little habit of some people, but a road into a swamp from which there is no escape.
