If William Shakespeare were still alive, he might consider writing another classic, about how House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) stabbed President Donald Trump in the back.
By now, I’m reasonably sure almost all readers have seen or heard the dialogue between Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and McCarthy that was recorded on Jan. 10, 2021, and first reported by our friends at The New York Times.
Of course, this is the same NY Times that sat on the New York Post coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop for the better part of a year, knowing full well, as we all did, that the story was accurate and most likely worse if, as could easily happen, the “big guy” were to be implicated.
Nevertheless, in this case, they had backing from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow who, more than pleased to resurrect her reputation after two straight years of lying about Trump–Russia collusion, was handed audio of the conversation.
“I’m seriously thinking of having that conversation [about resigning] with [Trump] tonight,” McCarthy told Cheney.
He also told her, in response to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, that had occurred four days earlier: “We know [the impeachment resolution will] pass the House. I think there’s a chance it’ll even pass the Senate, even when he’s gone. I don’t want to get into any conversation about Pence pardoning [Trump]. The only discussion I would have with him is that I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign.
“I mean, that would be my take, but I don’t think he would take it. But I don’t know.”
Ironically, this is being revealed amid a welter of questions about the provenance of the actual events of Jan. 6—namely, who really is responsible for them. Media outlet Revolver showed many possible government agents involved as possible instigators (this in the shadow of many similar agents having been outed in the putative kidnapping of the Michigan governor, resulting in supposed perpetrators being found not guilty).
Many videos and photos have emerged of the Jan. 6 demonstrators being ushered freely into the U.S. Capitol by the police, everyone smiling. And finally, why have so many been so harshly incarcerated for so long for minor crimes that may or may not have been committed, while the Capitol policeman who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt remains unpunished?
This all reminds me of the old song “a fine romance with no kissing.” This was a fine insurrection with no guns. Someone should wake up Muammar Ghaddafi; he'd be amused.
The reports coming out from this incident are filled with nauseating reminders of the ugliness of U.S. politics, with even Republican whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) being tarnished. (Is anyone not a RINO?)
Which brings me to Cheney, the other end of the phone call and the queen of the RINOs. I met and liked her years ago when interviewing her father for the now-defunct PJTV. I also knew her younger sister Mary, a lesbian in a gay marriage, who Liz “threw under the bus” when running for congresswoman in Wyoming, thinking (most likely erroneously) that her sister’s sexual preference would negatively affect her candidacy.
But where does that leave us, with a Republican Party poised to take power but in seeming disarray?
We’re at a moment with runaway inflation, a plunging stock market, endless war in Europe, a “woke” Democratic Party gone so far to the left that JFK wouldn’t begin to recognize it, and a president literally so non compos mentis that the United States could devolve into a Third World country, sending the whole world into chaos.
Donald Trump has often said that he could easily “act” presidential if he wanted to. Even though he’s out of office, with a justifiable claim that he shouldn’t be, this, more than ever, is the time for him to adopt that stance. We sorely need it.
This is the moment for him, of all people, to move to bring the country together, not just charge up the many fans who already support him. His rallies are fun, but he has to do more. The world is too bleak.
This isn’t to say his speech in Ohio on April 23 wasn’t great. It was. And it had a fantastic moment, a coup de theatre that was obviously spontaneous.
While he was touting Dinesh D’Souza’s movie on election fraud, “2000 Mules,” coming out shortly, the red light (signaling it was operating) went out on two news cameras. Trump pointed straight at them.
It was news suppression in front of our very eyes. He called it “communism.” He was right.
