THOMAS FRIEDMAN: Where are the Republicans who will put America first? |
As President Donald Trump and his administration head toward the midterm elections, it's now clear that the Republican Party has split into three factions: the "Never Trump" Republicans, who refuse to ever vote for this unethical man; the "America First" Republicans, who favor Trump's policies but won't countenance his destroying American norms and laws; and "Trump First" Republicans--those who think Trump's dictates come first and the Constitution and traditional norms come second.
The most alarming thing happening in America today is that the Trump First Republicans, on Trump's orders, are purging the few America First Republicans. So should the GOP hold the House and the Senate in the midterms, there will be no brakes whatsoever on this party and this president. I would not at all rule out their pushing for a third Trump term. We are going to a very bad place.
Look at the trend line: The Never Trump Republicans, who included traditional conservatives such as Liz Cheney, John McCain and Mitt Romney, did not believe in Trump the man or many of his ideas. They thought that he both dishonored the Constitution and true conservative principles. Alas, though, McCain died, Cheney was forced out of the party, and Romney quit politics altogether.
The America First Republicans were ready to sign on to many Trump ideas--lowering taxes or limiting immigration or deflating........