Interesting quote in The Atlantic

Is the Never Trump movement over? As one of the sane Republican falls in line, is there even a path for the Republicans to return to the "before times"? One has to assume the answer is no.

As I was doing my morning news bingeing, I stumbled across this piece in The Atlantic: “The Last Man in America to Change His Mind About Trump” (gifted link for the next two weeks).

One of the remaining anti-Trump Republicans, Spencer Cox, the Republican Governor of Utah, has been staunchly at arm’s length from Trump, had an epiphany in the immediate aftermath of the attempted murder of candidate Trump in Butler Pennsylvania. He came to realize that her had to join in the melee “for the greater good”.

Alas, he had been watching the increasing polarization, and realized that he had to get on the train.

Cox had grown steadily more anxious in recent years about the prospect of a complete democratic breakdown in America. He’d immersed himself in the literature of polarization and political violence. He couldn’t escape his fear that the bullet that grazed Trump’s ear had been millimeters away from starting a civil war.

As he sat in the pews of a Latter-day Saint ward the next morning, an idea came to him: He should write Trump a letter. This was not an obvious instinct. Cox was one of the few office-holding Republicans left in America who hadn’t gotten on board with the former president. He didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 or in 2020, and had publicly pleaded with his party to nominate anyone else in 2024. But Cox was relieved that Trump—at least so far—had not responded to the assassination attempt with escalatory rhetoric or threats. He felt he should encourage whatever instinct was behind that restraint.

There’s a lot to unpack there, but in short, the narrowness of Trump’s escape from having his head blow off meant that Cox needed to get off the fence, and support Trump, to preserve democracy in America.

What the actual fuck?

So, this pathetic man pulled out his iPad and typed up a hagiographic letter to Trump exhorting him to become a unifier, to tone down the rhetoric, and to bring Americans together.

What the fuck is in the water in Salt Lake City? Do they lace it with microdoses of LSD?

When asked about his about-face, he was open:

But Cox was surprisingly transparent about the calculation he was making. He told me that the Never Trump movement had utterly failed, and said he’d come to realize that he couldn’t have any influence on the modern GOP “if I’m not on the team”—that is, Trump’s team. “It’s absolutely a litmus test. I don’t think it should be. I wish it wasn’t that way. But it is.”

Cox told me he’s on a mission that’s more important than maintaining his anti-Trump credentials. This is perhaps the most mysterious part of his new posture. The cause for which he’s willing to ally with an insult-flinging felon? The healing of America’s political culture. (emphasis mine)

You know what? He’s absolutely right, the Never Trump movement has failed. Sure, they keep the flame, the sit on the sidelines and pontificate, gnash their teeth about perceived strategic blunders of the Dems, fretting that Trump will win again.

But I am not seeing the “Never Trump” movement growing. I suspect that they aren’t increasing the ranks of Never Trump republicans in or out of office. All the principled Republicans have either slunk away having lost their primaries (Liz Cheney) or chickened out and didn’t run (Adam Kinzinger¹).

Sure outlets like The Bulwark still pen essay after essay, they do focus groups that confirm that a solid 30ish% of the electorate is attached to Trump like a remora on a shark, and another 15% are just fine to look past the festering tub of shit to get their favorite pet policy (mostly lower taxes and less regulations).

But won’t you think of the children?

While I think Cox is a monumental sell out, it really is the cherry on top of the MAGA Sundae, and the belief that there is a solid block of “sane” Republicans that will be ready to take back the party once the Orange-hued Rhinoceros has shuffled of his final mortal coil.

No, the Republican party is firmly MAGA, and there is no chance that the Never Trump cohort wrests control from the vermin that Trump will leave behind.

Yep, that song sums it up.

1. Yeah, I did it, I called Kinzinger a chickenshit coward for just walking away

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