[guest post by Dana]

I’m just saying: if my husband endorsed a lunatic for the presidency after he had publicly humiliated me by making racist comments about me, he would find himself living in a house, a cold house, divided. And yet, this is what Mitch McConnell did today:

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday he will support Donald Trump for the presidency, a move that comes more than three years after they have last spoken and after the Kentucky Republican pointedly blamed Trump for the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said in a statement. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.”

It is the ‘Party First’ mentality that has led us to this awful moment. We’ve watched elected officials and Republican leaders sell their souls in order to remain in the good graces of the man who controls the Republican Party. As it has always been, what matters is keeping Trump happy, despite him trying to illegally overturn a legitimate election and trash the Constitution. The Republican Party no longer bears any resemblance to that which most of us once knew. It has morphed into a gross sideshow with very few visible reminders of saner days.

But back to McConnell. He has already announced his end-of-the-year retirement and thus has nothing to lose, so why not, on behalf of his wife and the nation at large, stand against the corrupt individual that he blamed for the insurrection on Jan. 6. Instead of endorsing a grifter who sexually assaults women, be the bigger man and just say that, in good conscience, he cannot endorse him. Maybe “good conscience” is the problem, maybe pragmatism wins the day. I don’t know. But it would sure be a stellar parting gift to Americans at such a critical time in our democracy.

I say all of this because I believe wholeheartedly that: We can survive bad policy, we cannot survive a president who torches the Constitution.

—Dana

[guest post by Dana]

The morning after:

Donald Trump on Truth Social:

President Biden’s statement:

“It takes a lot of courage to run for President – that’s especially true in today’s Republican Party, where so few dare to speak the truth about Donald Trump. Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin.

“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign. I know there is a lot we won’t agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.

“We all know this is no ordinary election. And the stakes for America couldn’t be higher. I know that Democrats and Republicans and Independents disagree on many issues and hold strong convictions. That’s a good thing. That’s what America stands for. But I also know this: what unites Democrats and Republicans and Independents is a love for America.”

Choose wisely.

—Dana