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The 38 Year-Old Reason the GOP Will Never Abandon Trump
In the days immediately following the 1/6 insurrection, there seemed to be reason to hope for a return to a semblance of sanity by the Republican Party. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us…. If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is.” He later said, “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was equally blunt: “The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.” Two days before, McCarthy was recorded saying, “[Trump] bears responsibility for his words and actions. No ifs, ands or buts.”
But within a matter of weeks, they were back on the Trump Train, defending everything Trump had ever done, and pretending they had never said anything untoward about him. What happened?
Right-wing media happened, beginning (ironically enough) in 1984.
1984 was the year the Rush Limbaugh Show first aired. Of course there had been many influential…
