I don’t get this, man. Have you looked at who Vindman is? For the GOP senators, he is their literal wet dream of what an American immigrant should be. If they aren’t behind him, they will be absolutely exposed for the frauds we already know they are. It will be pounded over and over how bad this is in hearings, and the GOP won’t be able to run away from it. You either think this guy dedicating his life to this country is a hero, or you think he’s a traitor for doing the right thing about a guy who has only cared about himself.
Still, this firing needs to have actually happened and is not just some kind of outside media trial balloon in order for that to be in play.
I have to believe his advisors strongly suggested he not fire the Lt. Colonel. Pretty clear nobody around Trump anymore has any ability to reign in his worst impulses.
This is a double edged sword as it can lead to him to do some horrible things but will likely fuel his demise.
Not only don’t get your hopes up that it’s an inflection point, this development is at most a one, two day story with the public hearings starting this week. For good or for bad, the GOP has shown that people who do their duty no longer have a magic cloak around them that protects them from the basest of partisan politics. That’s more a reversion to the historical mean than the breaking of it. But @ me if I’m wrong, would be happy to be.
There are lines even these people won’t cross, in my opinion. I think it’s a great inflection point, though. I want to know right now how they feel about this, right at almost the worst point something like this could happen.
I’m betting quite a few of those senators wore the uniform and wouldn’t like that used against them or someone who is a real hero in comparison to them. And if I’m wrong, it’s super good to know that now.
You get that no one in the GOP actually believes in all that jingoistic “support the troops!” bullshit, right? Only the centrist Dems buy any of that crap.
No, this is an inflection point. It’s the point where you can tell whether there is any chance on conviction. If this doesn’t move any or many of these GOP senators, nothing will. This will be highlighted in front of the American public and leading into the hearings. It will also inform questioning of certain witnesses who are well aware of Vindman’s capabilities and contributions.
Remember, I’m not talking about the average American public or the monster GOP turds in the House. I’m talking about 53 GOP senators who fellate the military at every opportunity. If you’re going to take down a guy like Vindman, why would anyone in the current military ever want anything to do with you again? It is the very definition of crushing morale, for a guy who makes serving in the military infinitely more dangerous daily.
The Republicans who will be upset about this will be the same Republicans who were upset over Valerie Plame being outed. It will be the same Republicans who cried fowl over John Kerry being swiftboated.
Let me explain to you how Republicans think. First off, they tend to be consequentialists. What is ethically right for them is what leads to their preferred outcomes. And they are self-centered. Their preferred outcomes deal with preserving their power and wealth. For most Republicans, the line they won’t cross is when protecting Trump becomes a threat to their power and money. Any talk about principles coming from Republicans is just talk. They lie because it helps them win elections.
I firmly disagree with this take. They can weasel out of it, because there hasn’t been a trial. When they actually have to vote, you’ll see what they will do. In those cases, they’re looking for a smoking gun. Ukraine was that, and they were wishy washy but it moved the needle no matter what you say. Firing Vindman, a first generation American immigrant who rose to a relatively high rank in the Army in addition to being a Ukraine expert Director on the NSC because he reported something is beyond the pale. What the GOP House monsters and people like Ingraham’s show did is way beyond that.
By the end of tomorrow, Vindman will be firmly labeled a deep State anti trumper by Trump and fox. And that will be plenty of cover for the coward GOP senators. This isn’t moving the needle in the Senate. Nothing is. He is never getting removed from office.
Funny thing that, they’re losing A LOT of elections that would normally be thought of as slam dunks right now. You’re confusing lack of a spine with expedience. We’re talking about a guy being fired who was an integral fact witness to the crimes that the president is being impeached for. Show me an allegory in modern times in this country.
Again, this hasn’t been picked up anywhere, so I’m still not even sure the firing has happened. And if it hasn’t, that changes quite a bit of what I said. They’ve done this kind of stupid trial balloon before to see how it plays.