As Sarah wrote in a VIP post earlier Monday, Donald Trump didn’t seem to be doing the GOP any favors by calling Colorado Republican Senate candidate Joe O’Dea “this RINO character.” We get that O’Dea beat Trump’s MAGA candidate in the primary, but Trump’s not helping matters by suggesting Republican voters stay home and let the Democrat keep his seat.
Daily Beast columnist Matt Lewis has written that Trump has “destroyed an entire generation of conservative rising stars.” We wouldn’t count O’Dea among them, but Adam Kinzinger? Liz Cheney? Rising stars?
Reminder: Trump destroyed an entire generation of conservative rising stars. https://t.co/xAcPDsX5PF
— Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) October 16, 2022
Lewis writes:
I could probably also mention Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger—two young conservative leaders who once had promising futures in the GOP. Their votes to impeach Trump and their work on the Jan. 6 committee, however, resulted in a situation where neither of them will be returning to congress next year. Trump’s purging of Cheney is especially significant and symbolic, since she’s the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and also served (until 2021) as the Chair of the House Republican Conference, making her the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives.
And, of course, there was Sasse, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014. Like Rubio and Ryan, Sasse, a former (and likely future) college president, had a gift for talking about conservative ideas in a way that felt inspiring, optimistic, and inclusive. (There was a time when this skill set was vital for a conservative wanting to win arguments and elections.) Also, like Rubio and Ryan, Sasse had a boyish charm that could translate into a Kennedy-esque conservative. Instead, the Republican base threw in with a grumpy old man.
This editor is going to be accused of sexism here, but so be it: We wouldn’t call Liz Cheney, 56, a young conservative leader. Young compared to the 79-year-old president and 80-year-old Speaker of the House, maybe, but hardly young or a rising star.
It would be more accurate to say that in a crisis, they revealed who they really were.
— Tycho Manson (@TychoManson) October 16, 2022
Did he? Really I’m guessing they just revealed who they really are
— Linda Costello☮️ (@LindaCostello37) October 16, 2022
But the ones we got in return are so much better 🙂
— Megan Bush (@MeganLBush) October 17, 2022
That was literally my favorite thing about him! I want him back to finish the rest of them off.
— Ultra Nuclear MAGA (@NarrativeFilter) October 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/casualhexes/status/1582027909589393408
They were in charge of their own stars!
— Elyse Scott (@ElyseSScott) October 16, 2022
Exactly.
Most of the examples here—Sasse, Kinzinger, Cheney—weren’t just out of step with Trump; they were out of step with the priorities of GOP base on immigration, war and trade. But it’s so much easier to talk about Trump’s personality. https://t.co/J4STRfWpFq
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) October 17, 2022
No one believed Sasse was a rising star other than those who currently work at The Dispatch.
— Josh Hendrickson (@RebelEconProf) October 17, 2022
Spot on, Dave! Matt Lewis’s framing is quite manipulative and misleading.
— Kira Khrushchev, refugee from 🍌 Republic of 🇺🇸 (@KiraKhrushchev) October 17, 2022
You can almost forgive him: he owes his career to the Bushes, and never had a single interesting thing to say.
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) October 17, 2022
I’m surprised he didn’t mention Jeb!
😅😂
— Sir Aaron (@SirAaron_) October 17, 2022
Matt Lewis has never been worth the time.
— ℝ𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕥 (@rdbrewer4) October 17, 2022
Rising stars for the WEF.
— Fox News dad (@misogynist_usa) October 17, 2022
It's almost as if the existing establishment sucked, and the weakest lackeys in office have thus far shown themselves out, rather than risk losing an election.
— Max Stahl (@MZero1294) October 17, 2022
Demanding GOP politicians actually represent their constituents?! An idea so crazy it just might work!
— J. Whitebread (@JWhitebread1) October 17, 2022
I stopped reading at “the orange God king.” I mean, come on, get some new material, Matt.
— Julie Gunlock (@JGunlock) October 17, 2022
The thing is, conservatives will vote for conservatives. The Dispatch and Bulwark crowd would love you to believe the only options are MAGA extremists or Democrats, and they’ve chosen the Democrats. There are a lot of rising stars who are going to shine in November, and conservatives know who they are.
***
Related:
Rep. Adam Kinzinger says Republican ‘crazies’ will try to impeach President Biden ‘every week’ if they take the House https://t.co/aVwfFL8J7f
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 19, 2022
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