Of Primary Importance

As we've read for the past few years, one of the reasons that so many Republicans in Congress have been terrified of crossing Trump is that they're terrified of him riling the Republican base in their home district or state and getting a primary challenge.  As a friend write me a while ago, "They're still terrified of the hold that the madman allegedly has on their base.  This is still all about being primaried.  And until the madman is somehow neutralized as an influence, how do you break that spell?  

​When I wrote my friend back, I explained that I had come up with a way that a Republican politician breaks that concern of being primaried.  (This would hold for any politician whatever their party, but it appears to be an issue almost exclusively for Republicans these days.  Of course, any politician can get a primary challenge, but only Republicans live with the Fear of Trump.)  Over time, I've mentioned my gambit to a couple of people who thought it made great sense.  Not that that means a Republican would do it.  But I do think it makes great sense.  But then, I'm biased.

Here's how it works.  And it's not terribly convoluted.  In fact, it's not convoluted at all.

If there were rumors that I’d get primaried because I'd dared go against the party on just one issue (or any number of issues, but "one" is usually all it takes with Trump and the Republican base), I’d quietly go to the head of the GOP in my area and say, “If I get primaried, please know that I believe I would be FAR better to serve my district than the Democrat running in opposition -- and I'm sure you agree with that -- but  also, I believe I would be MUCH better than any Republican in the district who I can see and am aware of.  So, if I lose the primary to someone less than me, who wouldn't serve the district nearly as well, I will run as a third-party candidate.  Just like Lisa Murkowski did and like Joe Lieberman did when they were primaried and got beat in their party – but both won in the general election.  Indeed, Lisa Murkowski even won as a write-in candidate.  And people had to spell "Murkowski" correctly.  I believe I would win, just as they did.  The risk to you is that it could split the party vote, and you’d lose the seat.  But there’s no downside to me, since if I lost a primary I’m out anyway.  And probably out of politics.”

I’d fight back just as hard and put the fear of God in them.  And get them to either discourage any primary challenge, or to support me in a primary challenge, or -- at the very least -- not support the primary challenger.  But whatever they did, if I lost the party primary, I would keep my word and run as a third-party candidate as I promised I would.

And the more primary challenges backfired -- especially if Republicans lost seats -- the more the threat of a primary challenge would diminish.

By the way, I only suggest this if one was primaried because of making one, responsible vote -- maybe two or three -- and it upset Trump and the base for not being "pure" to the party.  If it was a case of being challenged because, during my time in office, there was unhappiness at my work overall, I would accept a primary challenge as part of the political process.  But not because I dared go against the party's fascist overlord and did the right thing in living up to my oath representing the full district and protect, preserve and defend the Constitution.

And to be clear, as easy and basic as I think this approach is, I don't expect many, or really any Republicans to do it.  That's because my observation over the past four years is that most Republicans in Congress today appear to be craven cowards, afraid of standing for themselves, insistent instead on following the pack in pure unanimity, and willing to turn their hypocritical and fascist souls over to a daddy figure telling what they must do.

But that's how you break the spell.  You push back.  Because you have nothing to lose.