The cavalcade continues, according to CNN/Politics:
More than two dozen former Republican lawmakers announced Monday they are endorsing Joe Biden for president.
Former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona and former Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania are among those throwing their support behind the Democratic presidential nominee through “Republicans for Biden,” and the endorsements come on the morning of the first day of the Republican National Convention.
Biden has repeatedly emphasized Republican support as he looks to build a broad coalition in his campaign against President Donald Trump.
And does this worry the Republicans?
While the endorsements offer a symbolic boost to Biden as he seeks to win over persuadable voters, Trump is still overwhelmingly popular among Republicans, a point made by Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh, who dismissed the significance of the endorsements.
“Joe Biden has been a failure in the Washington Swamp for a half century, so no one should be surprised when Swamp creatures gather to protect one of their own,” Murtaugh said. “President Trump has unprecedented support — over 95 percent — among real Republican voters and is also making strong inroads in Biden’s core Democrat constituencies, like Black Americans, Latinos, and union members. President Trump’s record of success for all Americans will carry him to victory in November.”
Which, given the toxicity of the Trump Swamp that’s taken the place of the Swamp which Trump claimed to drain, is nothing more than sour grapes. It’s also reflective of the speed with which the Republican Party is headed over the cliff of right wing extremism, because many – if not all – of these former lawmakers contributed to the GOP culture which has led to these contretemps: team politics, no concept on governance, no morals, and an absurd clinging to a past that never existed.
But under the bus they go anyways. Notice how they were all RINOed – another symptom of the fatal illness of the Republicans.
Meanwhile, here’s FiveThirtyEight’s latest summary of polls concerning Trump’s Approval and Disapproval numbers:
13+ points divergence, and after a couple of weeks of tightening up, it may be growing again. My concerns about the overall health of the American polity is in inverse correlation to the size of that abyss.
But we’ll see what the RNC does for it. My suspicion is that the Republicans are still in their epistemic bubble, unable to see how everyone else sees them, and they’ll come out with a presentation which doesn’t appeal to most voters. The real question will be, will their presentation be sufficiently repellent to sink Trump, and the other Republican candidates, even further in the polls.
