Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who is up for re-election in 2020, has an interesting way of approaching politics. She waits until the temperature of an issue reaches hot but not quite boiling. Then, she makes comments that make people think she is going to be one of those rare Republicans who could flip the vote toward the Democrats in a closely held Senate. Take the SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh. After a very credible woman testified against him, saying he molested her, people were stunned when Collins voted in favor of Kavanaugh.
CNN Congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly tweeted about Senator Collins:
‘@SenatorCollins releases statement calling POTUS tweets “way over the line, and he should take that down.’
Now, though, people are onto Collins style. After Donald Trump told four freshman Democratic congresswomen of color to “go back” to their home countries, Collins called the president’s comments “way over the line.” She released a statement that read:
‘I disagree strongly with many of the views and comments of some of the far-left members of the House Democratic Caucus … but the President’s tweet that some Members of Congress should go back to the ‘places from which they came’ was way over the line, and he should take that down.’
Trump accomplished his goal of setting the Democrats’ hair when he attacked four Democratic freshman congressmen. Of course, POTUS did not call them out by name, but then again, that was not necessary. These four women have pulled in a fair amount of political coverage since they took office last winter.
They are Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
The commander-in-chief identified these women in his tweet as those:
‘(W)ho originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe…go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.’
Basically, there have been crickets from the Republicans in Congress over Trump’s very racist comments. When Senator John McCain (R-AZ) died, his close friend Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was forcefully broken away from him. Some thought Graham would take up the mantle that McCain left. Unfortunately, he very nearly surgically attached himself to Trump’s side.
Graham suggested POTUS “aim higher.” Then he called the women “communists:”
‘They are American citizens, they won an election, take on their policies…We all know that (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) and this crowd are a bunch of communists, they’re anti-Semitic…we don’t need to know anything about them personally, just talk about their policies.’
He will be on the ticket in 2020, and people wonder whether his actions have come from self-preservation. Once in a great while, the South Carolinian senator will put his foot into the most tepid water and gently urge POTUS to take a different course of action. Graham urged Trump to stay away from personal attacks and to just remain centered on the Democrat’s policies. Of course, Trump has not been one to take professional advice from anyone.
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) said that the president’s tweets were “wrong.” He also pointed out that the four congresswomen whom Trump criticized had citizenship “as valid as mine,” according to CBS News:
‘President Trump was wrong to suggest that four left-wing congresswomen should go back to where they came from. Three of the four were born in America and the citizenship of all four is as valid as mine. I couldn’t disagree more with these congresswomen’s views on immigration, socialism, national security, and virtually every policy issue. But they are entitled to their opinions, however misguided they may be. We should defeat their ideas on the merits, not on the basis of their ancestry.
Then, Representative Will Hurd (R-TX) stepped up to the plate and said Trump’s tweets were “racist and xenophobic.”
Representative Paul Mitchell (R-MA) said “we must be better than comments like these:”
‘I share the political frustrations with some members of the other party, but these comments are beneath leaders.’
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is among the few who go against Trump when the issue is profound. She called the president’s words “spiteful” and “absolutely unacceptable:”
‘”We have enough challenges addressing the humanitarian crises both at our borders and around the world. Instead of digging deeper into the mud with personal, vindictive insults –we must demand a higher standard of decorum and decency.’
Another freshman member of the Freedom Caucus, Chip Roy (R-TX) said:
‘POTUS was wrong to say any American citizen, whether in Congress or not, has any ‘home’ besides the U.S. But I just as strongly believe non-citizens who abuse our immigration laws should be sent home immediately, & Reps who refuse to defend America should be sent home.’
The only Black senator in the Republican caucus Tim Scott (R-SC) noted:
‘The President interjected with unacceptable personal attacks and racially offensive language. No matter our political disagreements, aiming for the lowest common denominator will only divide our nation further.’
Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) claimed that Trump’s comments were “really uncalled for” and “very disappointing:”
These four Democrats have criticized Donald Trump and his administration. Two of them, Omar and Tlaib, have been skeptical about the U.S.’s relationship with Israel, an American third rail that few have been willing to touch.
Trump frequently repeated that these women “hate America” to the cameras in a White House lawn gaggle. The president’s people had not wanted him to talk to the press and even moved the reporters, but Trump found his way to them, eager to talk about the amazing four. He said that if they hate America so much, which they have not claimed, they should “leave, just leave.”
In one of his tweets, the president noted that it was “sad” that the Democrats were defending these women. He claimed they used:
‘(D)isgusting language…(and said) many terrible things … about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged.’
Featured Image is a screenshot via YouTube.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
