Republicans turned pundits and former U.S. GOP legislators have been trying to answer why the Senate Republicans are so adamant about killing off the January 6 Commission. Their explanation seems to root around the idea that many of their former colleagues are “terrified of Donald Trump.” But is that true? Maybe not. Here is another alternative.
What if the Republican lawmakers are not “terrified of Donald Trump,” and instead they fear something far baser?
The ex-president promised them early on that if anyone hit him, he would “hit them back 10 times harder.” But what can he really do now as he has been hiding out in his resort, cheating at golf, and plotting revenge on anyone who ever crossed him? After all, Twitter and Facebook neutered his bullhorn. He has been permanently banned him and Facebook banned him temporarily.
Not only that, he has over 30 lawsuits against him at the moment. The most deadly are the criminal investigations and grand jury generated by two investigations. The first was from the powerful New York state Attorney General (AG) Letitia James followed by the wrecking ball Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance before they combined efforts, according to The Washington Post.
What if beneath the easy answer of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and the 50 Republicans he controls, blaming Trump, lies a more fundamental reason for the GOP senators?
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s comment at a private lunch on Tuesday translates into a big ugly “NO!” vote on the January 6 Commission. Afterward, he spoke briefly with reporters:
‘It’s a purely political exercise that adds nothing to the sum total of information.’
McConnell sounded a somber gong for his caucus, warning the commission could release its report during the 2022 mid-term season. That would cause them to lose “control of the House and Senate.” They would lose their jobs, their power.
So, the Senate GOP leader tossed out an excuse:
‘[The’] Senate Rules and Homeland Security committees’ mission would duplicate the work of law enforcement, as well as separate investigations from the Senate.’
But could the addictive human trait of greed, for money and power, have overruled their fear of death at the hands of terrorists? Was that possible?
Yes, absolutely. In a “well-regulated, well-balanced” world, greed is unattractive but not “the root of all evil,” according to a study conducted by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (NIH). But the Republican Party has become a near-fascist group rather than a democratic one:
‘[T]he trait greed predicts selfish economic decisions that come at the expense of others in a resource dilemma. This effect was amplified when individuals strived for obtaining real money.’
Democrats argued that the commission was necessary to investigate the events that led to the January 6 failed coup. So what would this commission do, and why is it so important?
The 10-member commission met the Republicans’ requests. It would be divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats and members of the commission would hold subpoena power.
Senate Majority Leader ChuckSchumer told the reporters:
‘I’m sorry that it may be bad politics For Republicans in their midterm campaigns. The Democratic-led Congress is not going to just sweep Jan. 6 under the rug. The truth will come out.’
Of course, Schumer was talking logic, and the Republicans were coming from an illogical place of greed, it seemed.
People with a high degree of greed trait are insensitive to “negative stimuli from the environment.” Certainly, these anti-commission senators suddenly grew insensitive to the failed coup on January 6:
‘[They] lack of sensitivity to adjust behavior according to positive and negative stimuli from the environment. brain-behavior relations further confirmed this lack of sensitivity to behavior adjustment as a potential underlying neuro-cognitive mechanism which explains selfish and reckless behavior that may come at the expense of others.’
Schumer wanted a vote before the Memorial Day recess. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin added the caveat:
‘[E]verything is subject to the amendment process.’
Additionally, Democrats argued that the Grand Old Party had become the Donald Trump Party. So, the question for them becomes, will the moderate Democrats let the filibuster stand and the commission die?
