In 2012, Republican strategist Grover Norquist described his ideal president. In 2017, he got his wish: a president with enough “working digits to be able to hold a pen.”
And this idiot-with-a-pen philosophy, I have come to believe, is as good an explanation as any for why Republicans stick to Trump no matter how blatantly ignorant, unhinged, racist, inappropriate, infantile and illegal he reveals himself to be. They’ve made their deal with the devil–as long as he gives Republicans what they want–which is abortion, guns, anti-immigrant policies, white supremacy and freedom to weaponize Christianity against anyone or anything they don’t like, they’ll support him and let his bullying run wild.
Here’s what Norquist cynically fantasized about and shared at the annual CPAC meeting in 2012:
And useful idiots will vote against their own best interests as tools for these anti-American criminals, oligarchs and fascists.
And this idiot-with-a-pen philosophy, I have come to believe, is as good an explanation as any for why Republicans stick to Trump no matter how blatantly ignorant, unhinged, racist, inappropriate, infantile and illegal he reveals himself to be. They’ve made their deal with the devil–as long as he gives Republicans what they want–which is abortion, guns, anti-immigrant policies, white supremacy and freedom to weaponize Christianity against anyone or anything they don’t like, they’ll support him and let his bullying run wild.
Here’s what Norquist cynically fantasized about and shared at the annual CPAC meeting in 2012:
And useful idiots will vote against their own best interests as tools for these anti-American criminals, oligarchs and fascists.