The GOP Is the Party of Lemmings

Mother Jones illustration

This past week, Donald Trump depicted himself as Jesus and attacked Pope Leo XIV after the pontiff assailed the Iran war. These Trump outbursts triggered outrage—and even drew criticism from MAGA loyalists and a tiny handful of Republicans. Regarding the Trump-as-Jesus meme, House Speaker Michael Johnson noted he had told Trump “that I don't think it was being received in the same way he intended it.” And Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) said Trump “was wrong to criticize Pope Leo.”

What’s most noteworthy, though, is the widespread GOP silence that met each of these Trump offenses. Like the dog that didn’t bark in the Sherlock Holmes story, this quiescence is the big tell. At the moment, there are 270 Republicans in the House and Senate. Almost all of them said nothing. Just as they have refused to question Trump’s poorly planned and impulsively launched war of choice in Iran. Trump’s approval rating has been in sharp decline and practically every election held in the past six months indicates a tectonic shift toward the Democrats, yet Republicans are sticking with their cult leader through hell and high water. With the midterms fast approaching, the GOP is a party of lemmings.

Trump doesn’t believe in course corrections. His faith in his own infallibility is unshakeable. That’s the result of his maniacal and dangerous narcissism. But his mass deportation crusade, his tariffs, his war in Iran—none of it is regarded as a success by a majority of Americans, especially as prices for food, housing, health care, and much else rise. (Trump did bounce Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi—but more out of pique with their performances than any desire to significantly shift policy gears.) And his conquer-by-chaos, unceasing corruption, and self-worship and self-aggrandizement are not wearing well. Yet Republicans still seem willing to follow Trump into what now seems like an electoral abyss.

One of the cognitive developments for children is learning from mistakes. There’s much research indicating this skill is attained and honed to different degrees at different ages. Republicans seem to be fundamentally impaired on this front. They are missing the gene.

It’s no surprise that Double-Down Donald doesn’t tend to recalibrate. After he provoked cries of “blasphemy” from his own religious-right supporters, Trump posted an image of Jesus hugging him with a caption saying Trump was exposing “all these satanic, demonic child sacrificing monsters.” Say what? Who is that referring to? If Jeffrey Epstein, let’s remember Trump tried to block the release of the Epstein files—many of which are still being withheld by his Justice Department.

And after Trump’s slap at the pope provoked a backlash, he refused to apologize, and his sidekick, JD Vance, continued the assault. On Fox News, the veep said of the pope, “Stick to matters of, you know, what’s going on in the Catholic Church. And let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” (Dictating policy? Is that what a president does? What was Vance revealing about how he views the presidency?) At a Turning Point USA gathering, Vance chastised the pope, saying, “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” It seemed slightly arrogant for Vance, a not-long-ago convert to Catholicism, to be lecturing the pope about what he can and cannot say about theology. (For Chrissake, he’s the pope!)

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) took up this cause, too, saying on CBS, “As a Catholic, I don't want to see the pope weighing in on domestic U.S. politics, or, frankly, national.” And on CNN, she whined, “I don’t want to see the pope as a politician.” Remember when some Catholic bishops said they would refuse communion to then-Sen. John Kerry during the 2004 campaign because of his support for abortion rights? Republicans didn’t complain about that Catholic intervention in politics.

Throughout this attack on the pope, most Republicans were mute. As we know, silence can be considered assent. By saying nothing, they were not just ducking this fight; they were signaling that they were fine with Trump’s assault on the head of the Catholic Church. Ditto for the Trump-Jesus stunt.

The Republicans are not learning the lessons they should be. They are giving Trump free rein in Iran. (On Thursday, just about every House Republican voted against a resolution ordering Trump to end the Iran war.)  The defeat of Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán doesn’t seem to have spooked them into rethinking their support for the authoritarian-wannabe in the United States. After Orbán’s massive loss, MAGA strategist Steve Bannon told the New York Times that the Hungarian election demonstrated that Trump and the Republicans ought not “moderate” their policies. (Was Orbán going soft?) Like the cowbell on the classic Saturday Night Live bit, he wants more MAGA. 

Meanwhile, the Trump White House intends to use Vance to bolster Republican candidates in the midterms—though his visit to Hungary to help Orbán and his attempt to negotiate an end to the Iran war were each flops. This month, Vance is slated to head to Iowa to campaign with Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), who’s in a tough fight with Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott in one of the 17 swing districts in the midterms.

Vance’s ability to aid GOP candidates is questionable. After failing on his overseas missions, Vance this week jetted to Athens, Georgia, for that Turning Point USA conference. Here’s how the AP summed up Vance’s appearance: “Instead of showcasing the youthful energy that the organization harnessed to return President Donald Trump to the White House less than two years ago, there was a mostly empty arena, awkward questions and unusually sharp criticism.” The medium-size venue was not even one-third full.

Anyone can have a bad night. But this did not bode well for a White House that seems to believe Vance can help save endangered Republicans. It may be best for in-trouble Republican candidates to display distance from Trump and his wheels-coming-off administration. But there are no signs his cult followers in Congress are eyeing the exits.

By all conventional measurements, the GOP is in a tough spot heading toward November. The majority party usually suffers losses in the election between presidential contests. And the party of an unpopular president often takes a hit in Senate and House races. As of now, both these trends are…trending high. Trump has been on a steady descent. His war in Iran lacks support. Attacking the religious leader of roughly 50 million Americans is not going to win him voters. Nor will comparing himself to Jesus. But Republicans can’t quit him. They can’t break with him on the war. And they can’t denounce his atrocious actions.

I don’t make predictions. There’s too much volatility in modern life. But Republicans seem resigned to go down with the ship as it sails off a cliff. As of now, the GOP does have a large money advantage over the Democrats, and I expect we will see huge infusions of dark money into key House and Senate races, with corporate interests and MAGA plutocrats desperate to keep the Republicans in control of Congress. And, no doubt, Trump and his crew will devise assorted schemes to try to screw with the elections. Yet, as for strategy, the Republicans appear bent on more Trump and more MAGA—that is, more of what most Americans don’t want. Trump is leading them toward a (political) slaughter, and like brain-dead zombies they are following.

Got anything to say about this item—or anything else? Email me at ourland.corn@gmail.com.

At the last virtual meet-up of Our Land readers, I vowed to hold these sessions monthly. That hasn’t happened. But there’s a good reason. I swear.  I’ve been finishing a big project, and I’ll disclose it at our next Zoom get-together on April 22 at 8 p.m. ET, where we can share our worries about the Iran war and our hopes about the midterms and talk about anything else on your mind—or mine. And there is good news to discuss: the American pope and the Hungarian election!

Here’s the deal. These gatherings are only open to premium subscribers. On the day of the event, they’ll receive an email with a Zoom link. Click on that at the right time, and one of the highly trained Our Land bouncers will let you in. If you’re not yet a premium subscriber, you can sign up to become one here.

As always, let me thank those of you who have joined this noble band. Because you part with a few of your hard-earned bucks each month, this newsletter can continue. Without folks like you, Our Land would not be here. I’m tremendously grateful for your support and look forward to seeing you online. It’s BYOB.

Once again, the judges were overwhelmed. So much stupidity. Trump attacking the pope and posting a meme depicting himself as Jesus—and then claiming that he thought it was an image of him as a doctor and blaming the “fake news” for the outrage generated by the Jesus post.

Then there was Dr. Oz informing us that Trump drinks Diet Coke because he believes the beverage kills cancer cells. Why does Trump believe that? Because Diet Coke kills grass when it’s spilled on a lawn.

Wait until Trump hears about Roundup.

At the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Monday, Vice President JD Vance said, with a straight face, “Where I think Trump’s policy is most in accord with Christian social teaching and the Catholic faith is that, more than any president of my lifetime, Trump has pursued a path of peace.”

Moving on... At a Turning Point USA conference, Vance continued to be Trump’s No. 1 liar. Talking about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, he remarked, “When Trump said it was a hoax, what the was talking about was this Democratic idea that he’s connected to Epstein... Everybody in Palm Beach knew everybody. Okay? The president has said he knew Jeffrey Epstein and he was a scumbag.”

Uh...

By the way, a federal judge this week dismissed the lawsuit Trump brought against the Wall Street Journal for revealing this lewd birthday card Trump sent Epstein.

On CNBC, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) groused, “All government does it mess up your life. Government is always the problem.”

A reminder: Scott led a for-profit hospital chain that was fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud. No doubt, that government investigation was a problem for Scott.

Kevin Hassett, the director of Trump’s National Economic Council, gave us another ludicrous pronouncement: “Imagine if oil prices start going back down because the [Iran] situation resolves itself somehow, then you could be looking at an inflation close to zero. That's something the Fed needs to pay attention to."

You might also get a magical unicorn in the mail. It’s possible, right?

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, showing yet again that he is not the adult in the room, smugly proclaimed there was nothing to climate change:

The climate does change, as we all know. The natural habitat for the Earth is water…Ice was an unusual cycle. We are going through cycles, and I believe it is very difficult to deconstruct the reasons around why anything changes.

It may be difficult for Bessent. But it is not difficult for scientists. He has no expertise in this area, and anyone who can’t acknowledge the science of climate change should not be believed regarding what they say about economics—or anything else.

By the way, this week the major climate news was that the system of ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean—the immense conveyor belt that moves heat, salt, and freshwater and shapes the weather around the world—is closer to collapse than scientists previously believed. If it goes kaput, there would be multiple catastrophes across the globe; one consequence would be Europe descending into a deep freeze. So...screw Bessent for trying to gaslight the public.

Regular readers of this newsletter know that the judges prefer to not award the trophy to the most obvious act of verbal dumbassery. Such contributions tend to receive sufficient attention elsewhere. But this is one of those weeks when the most obvious could not be ignored. Thus, Secretary of Killing and Whining Pete Hegseth is in the winner’s circle.

At a Wednesday night worship service at the Pentagon, Hegseth intoned a biblical passage about the vengeance of the Lord that he said had been recited by one of the soldiers who participated in the search-and-rescue mission that saved the two Air Force crew members who were recently shot down in Iraq.

One problem: Hegseth wasn’t quoting the Bible. He was quoting a fictional portion of the Bible that Jules, the hit man played by Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, delivers right before he kills his targets.

Some cinephiles might consider Quentin Taratino’s dialogue to be holy. But what a bad joke this was. No one bothered to check? At the end of Pulp Fiction, Jules reflects on his recitation of this made-up passage: “I been sayin' that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your ass. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a coldblooded thing to say to a motherfucker 'fore you popped a cap in his ass.” Perhaps Hegseth should have questioned what he was saying, too.

Pope Leo was in the running again. After being attacked by Trump, he didn’t back down. Instead, he fired back. “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” he said. And when asked about Trump’s comments on Truth Social, he quipped, “It’s ironic—the name of the site itself. Say no more.” Whoa. The pope essentially called Trump a liar. Then on Thursday, he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and he observed, "Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth." Might he have anyone specific in mind?

Not that this is a contest—we can have more than one source of inspiration a week!—but the top honors go to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, with which we don’t always agree, for presenting a concise definition of “just war” and an explanation of why Trump’s misadventure in Iran doesn’t qualify.

Reader Steve Singer reacted to the issue about Trump’s con possibly losing its hold on voters with an interesting personal nugget:

I just finished your article on Trump, as the ultimate con man, and I am somewhat mystified by his success. Trump only had two reasons he ran for office: To get a lot richer and to get even with those he hates. All the promises he made had nothing to do with reality. He said whatever his base wanted to hear but he never had any intention of accomplishing any of these promises, nor would he have even the least idea of how to accomplish them, even if he chose to do it.

By this time, we all know who and what he is. It’s that some people choose not to believe it. Whenever he recounts a conversation that starts with “Sir” it’s a complete fabrication. Whenever he states “he doesn’t know anything about it” he knows all about it. He never got over Forbes throwing him off the 400 list and it has been driving him mad for years, trying to steal enough to get on there again.

As a point of interest, you may not know why he started Mar-A-Lago as a club. When he first showed up in Palm Beach he applied to every good country club in the area. Without exception, they all rejected him. We were told, as a member, not to even invite him for lunch or golf, as he was not welcome.

Who knows what might have happened had Steve’s golf club welcomed Trump. Maybe if Trump had found that acceptance in Palm Beach he long sought...

My remembrance of the first moon landing and contemplation of the Artemis II mission inspired many readers to share their recollections and opinions:

Susan Myerson wrote:

I was 16 in 1969, when my dad and I watched Neil Armstrong step on the moon on our black and white TV in our basement playroom in Needham, Massachusetts. I kept the Boston Globe story of the moon landing for many years. I'm inspired by the Artemis crew.  It must really irk Trump that the crew was diverse, a single father, a man of color, a woman, and a Canadian.  And they all earned the right to be there through merit. He'll be forced to honor them.

Tim Feran emailed:

Thanks for your grace note to the gift of the Artemis II mission. I confess, with all the f**k-ups lately,  I was fearful for those four souls. But when they landed perfectly my wife said, “Proving that we can do good work!” But, dammit David, we were promised flying cars!

Michele Coxon reflected:

Reading your beautiful thoughts on Artemis II and how fragile we are in this bigger picture warmed my heart but also made me incredibly sad. As Homo sapiens, for all this big brain we were so gifted through evolution is a double-edged sword. We are the only species in history who is systematically destroying our life sustaining environment...and each other. I have always felt our hearts never kept up with our brains.

Do we have to destroy everything to return to dust and begin again? Develop other rocks in space and trash them, too? I try very hard to keep my head up and continue breathing even when the weight of threatening forces makes it very hard. Wish there was comfort in knowing we are not alone and fervently wish our efforts to change before it's too late will be realized. I did watch the splash down and felt that awesome again. The picture of Earth was a stark reminder, once again.

A reader named Marjorie shared this:

Your article was a lovely tribute to the Apollo space program. It was the summer between my sophomore and junior high school years, when my family was glued to our black and white television with bunny antenna. Two weeks later my father, a union machinist at the Chesapeake and Ohio rail yard, brought home a beagle puppy named Apollo.

I wonder if there are any Artemis puppies these days.

Bob Jacobson had a different take on the first visit to the moon:

I appreciated your tale of the first lunar landing. I, too, was at a summer camp during the landing. My camp was a coed Unitarian Universalist camp in Northern Minnesota. We normally had no TV on the island, and counselors brought one to watch the landing. Unlike you, my girlfriend (now wife of 50 years) and I were 16 years old and more interested in making out than watching the landing. I think we made the right choice, and we enjoy our own jokes about the landing.  

At that point I had been counseling people on how to avoid the draft for three years, and I was dubious about the bread and circus component of the space race. Although I’m a Trekkie and shared some of your optimism, I know the economic toll of the space and military industrial complex. They have robbed the world of assets that would have better served the health and well-being of our country and people. The space program remains a distraction from the world’s problems and enables the continuing bread and circus mentality that controls our society. Sorry to be such a downer.

I understand and respect this position. I wish we could focus as much attention on improving life on Earth. Absent that, I do think that events like this can generate hope and emphasize the connections we share—or ought to. We do need thrills every once in a while. 

Marty had a similar take:

Nice newsletter and I can feel the potential in these space pursuits. But for me it is so much money spent that could help take care of the millions of people in the world who need more than they have.

Richard Gilbert offered this profound point:

Humans are the product of a constantly evolving universe. In fact, we, like all physical objects, are a product of stardust. Due to the existence of humans, the universe has the ability to think about itself.

So our consciousness is the universe trying to figure out itself. That’s your Big Thought of the week.

“What do you smell there, Moxie? Deer? Rabbits? Foxes? Coyote?”
“Coyote? Are there coyotes here? Do they attack dogs?”
“A coyote was spotted a block away. They might attack a dog that’s under 25 pounds.”
“What’s for dinner?”
“I think you’re having—”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll have two.”