The Daly Weekly (5/22)

Thomas Massie, Graham Platner, Ken Paxton, and more.

Hi everyone.

Welcome to this week’s Daly Weekly, where I answer whatever questions you throw my way.

Let’s get right to your questions…

---

John- With socialists, communists, and progressives winning elections for various positions in our country, do you perceive more violence and upheaval against THESE folks by the more conservative and traditional? — Sharon H.

Hi Sharon. I’m not sure which “communists” you’re referring to (maybe I missed something). As for “socialists,” I’d argue that elements of both of today’s major parties are embracing tenets of socialism. Regardless, I get the gist of your question.

As I’ve stated before, I worry about political violence from both sides of the political spectrum (and in between), but the stuff we’ve seen from the Right over the past decade feels less tied to ideology than what we’ve seen from the Left. For example, the January 6 violence wasn’t aimed at socialists, communists, or progressives. It was a product of the “stolen election” hoax, and was aimed at the U.S. Congress (including Republicans members) and Vice President Mike Pence. Other, more isolated incidents have been motivated by bigotry.

So, I guess I’m not so much worried about political violence on the Right arising from lefties winning elections, as I am in reaction to conspiratorial B.S. and ethnic intolerance. That said, any political violence is of deep concern.

Editor’s note: The following question was submitted prior to Thomas Massie’s GOP primary loss.

So I have recently noticed a similar split forming in the Trump - critical conservative pundit space over Thomas Massie, as the one over Graham Platner. (He’s gotten at least one Strange New Respect piece from left leaning media too.) Curious where you stand.

Some, like Gregg Nunziata, advocate supporting him against a Trumpy primary challenger, as a rare Republican willing to publicly break with Trump at times. Others, like Kimberly Ross, advocate shunning him as an anti-Semite. (And yes, I did specifically pick these examples because they have both been on your podcast and probably agree about a lot, but not this.)

Also, do you think Massie even is anti-Semitic. The Dispatch recently published a Drucker piece on the primary that IMO glossed over the charge as Massie just being an isolationist opposed to maintaining ties to Israel, yet not only does he often ally with the Squad on anti- Israel bills, he also pals around with the likes of MTG and recently went on Tucker, both of whom I certainly see as anti - Semites who shouldn’t actually be embraced just because they’re now critical of Trump. Do you see Massie in the same camp, or not? — Alyene W.

Hi Aylene. I consider both Gregg and Kimberly friends. Like you said, they agree with each other often, and I agree with the two of them often. I’ll address each part of your question.

I think Graham Platner is a non-starter. The case Democrats and some Bulwark-types have been trying to make for him carries no weight with me, and it’s not just because it requires overlooking lots of things about Platner that should absolutely not be overlooked (some of which Bernie recently wrote about). It’s also predicated on the notion that Platner is somehow the “lesser of two evils.” He’s not, and here’s why: The Republican he’ll be running against (after he presumably wins the Democratic primary) is Susan Collins. And Susan Collins isn’t evil! Heck, she’s not even Trumpian. People may recall that she’s one of the few Republican senators who voted to convict Trump on his impeachment. Of course, for the Dems, this is all about winning the seat (at all costs), an not the quality or fitness of the person who holds that seat.

I didn’t read Gregg’s case for Massie, but I wouldn’t have voted for Massie (nor his MAGA opponents) in the GOP primary, and I don’t share that “strange new respect” for Massie (and MTG, Tucker, etc.) that some on the left have suddenly discovered. Massie is a longtime conspiracy freak who, among other things, whitewashed Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his provocation of the Jan. 6 attack (as MTG and Tucker also did). I’m not going to suddenly find any of them admirable just because they opposed Trump on the Iran War or his handling of the Epstein files. And that’s before we even get to the antisemitic charges.

As for whether Massie is authentically an antisemite, I can’t read his mind, but the nature of his attacks evoking Israel (like claiming his primary opponents were in the pocket of the pro-Israel lobby), and — as you said — his associations with people who are more transparently antisemitic, certainly make him look like one.

Is Trump setting up a $1.8 billion taxpayer-paid slush fund to supposedly pay large sums of money to January 6 criminals a natural progression of the unchecked corruption we’ve seen over the last year and a half? — Ben G.

Yeah, pretty much, and it goes back further than that. I keep calling this the YOLO presidency, and the president’s going to keep upping the ante on what he thinks he can get away with, until he can no longer get away with it. I’m probably going to write a column about this next week, Ben, but this extraordinary abuse of power (that Republicans would rightly be screaming bloody murder over if it were Obama or Biden), has likely risen to the top of the Democrats’ impeachment list for after the midterms.

John, I am not great at math, so maybe you can help. How much of your soul do you have to sell to become a politician? Is there a fixed percentage, or does the price increase as you rise on the political ladder? — Benn H.

In today’s environment, that number is very high. And yes, the percentage does increase as you rise up the latter and become more powerful and consequential. It’s especially challenging right now for House and Senate Republicans to demonstrate any semblance of dignity, due the intense demands for servility from the party’s leader and his loyalists.

If you’re a high-ranking GOP leader, unless you’re willing to completely prostrate yourself for the president, you run a very risk of being driven out of politics and public service forever.

John: Bernie commented this week about Trump's increasing disconnect with the American voter. But what about Republican primary voters' disconnect with the rest of the country and even their own party? They continue to roll over and acquiesce to Trump's every whim and endorsement, which you outlined yourself this week with the ending of Sen. Bill Cassidy's career. Just yesterday in my home state of Texas, Trump endorsed for senate Ken Paxton, a despicable politician who has a great chance of losing in the general election. This despite John Cornyn being a 99% reliable Trump backer and senator with the respect, authority and support of his fellow Republican senators. Cornyn still has a decent chance at winning in this runoff, but the odds just got steeper. I usually stay away from blaming voters - specifically the Trump voters that get vilified by the left - for the country's problems, but I'm solidly in that space right now. — Steve R.

With very few exceptions, the vast majority of GOP primary voters still vote for whoever Trump tells them to vote for. It doesn’t matter how much the candidate sucks, or even what the candidate believes in (as long as they reliably kiss Trump’s butt). Ken Paxton is a perfect example. The guy is corrupt to the core (morally, ethically, legally, you name it). Because of that, he’s less likely to win the general election than John Cornyn (though he could certainly pull it off, being that Texas is a red state).

Like you, Steve, I find it extremely frustrating. Our nation faces serious challenges. We desperately need competent, responsible, quality people in positions of public leadership. But that’s not a priority for the modern Republican Party, and it often isn’t for the Democratic Party either. Like you, I place blame on primary voters (in addition to party leadership). If they wanted serious, qualified candidates, that’s who they would nominate.

Sir John: according to some liberal memes, Mayor Mamdani of New York has he actually fixed the economy and everything is just fine despite the Naysayers on the right. I’m skeptical because snippets and sound bites often omit facts. What’s say you? —“Mamdani Saves New York” Regards from The Emperor

Emperor, I came up with my own political meme a few years back:

Hope that helps!

Seriously though, there’s absolutely no reason to take any meme at face value. And they’re easily fact-checked with today’s AI tools (which I can’t recommend highly enough to you, Emperor). Something going viral online doesn’t make it factually correct.

---

Thanks everyone! You can send me questions for next week by leaving a comment in the comment section.