Virginia Republicans: Time To Be Critical Of Trump

Some of this is naturally spin… but it bears a ring of truth, from the Washington Post:

Two Republican politicians — Ed Gillespie, who is running for governor in 2017, and U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, who is seeking election to a second-term in November — issued statements praising Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 fending off a suicide bomber, and his parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan.

But their statements stopped short of criticizing Trump for his attacks on the couple in the days following their forceful condemnation of the presidential contender at the Democratic National Convention.

Of course, you’re not going to find a more principled and direct sniper on all nonsense Trump-related than Rep. Barbara Comstock, who has gone out of her way to show that conservative values simply reject the nativism implicit in Donald Trump’s candidacy.

Rep. Paul Ryan added a bit of flavor to it as well with his photo holding the U.S. Constitution.  Now that is a marker.

Yet the common talking point that seems to be the order of the day — praise Khan, ignore Trump — isn’t enough.

Moreover, it’s the sort of too-clever-by-half Potomac Two-Step that makes things worse, and made Trump a reality.

There seems to be a common theme imposed from without that one cannot be critical of a Republican.  Reagan certainly did not believe this in 1976, Brat did not believe this in the lead up to 2014.  Republicans have a moral duty to question and challenge their nominees and leaders, if for no other reason than we are supposed to be the party of free minds, free markets, and free ideas — not loyalty oaths, lullabys, and lock step.

Now there’s a caveat to all of this: Ed Gillespie is a consummate political communicator, far wiser and more experienced than little ol’ me.  Maybe he has the right vision on all of this.  Don’t be critical, no sins of commission or omission, contrast in praise, and point forward.

Still, we are in a defining era.  It is not enough to simply ignore Trump and let him die out of his own volition — it hasn’t happened yet.  No true opposition has really emerged within the Republican Party.  We ultimately had to rely on a Gold Star family to snap America out of its Trumpshevism and perform the collective gut check.  Case in point:

That’s telling, folks — and it’s no mere convention bounce.  Khzir Khan woke America up with a speech one would have expected in the 2004 RNC Convention… and found at the 2016 DNC Convention.

Donald Trump will be in Ashburn, Virginia today.  Few critics will be in attendance.  Plenty of others will be clamoring to be on stage and introduce the man, and that is their right to do so.

…but wouldn’t it be nice if Republicans could stand up and tell their leadership (and their nominee) that they are wrong without it being a mark of disloyalty?

Of course, we live in an era where all disagreement is hate speech… true for Republicans as it is for Democrats.  Still, in an era where conscience is lacking, that is all the more reason to stand up and provide the sort of leadership that Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) provides.  Even if you agree with Trump on the vast majority of issues, criticism only makes the man sharper… not weaker.  After all, when constructive, doesn’t that make a better America?

Don’t equivocate on this.  Be more like Comstock — lead.