The following post is by Jen Psaki at MSNBC.com:
It has been a news week for the record books. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said he felt “like the guy standing in the middle of the field in a thunderstorm, holding up the metal stick.” An evocative image, yes, and one that tells us pretty much everything we need to know about the modern GOP.
Lankford dared to negotiate one of the more conservative border bills in history to address an issue his party has been screaming about for years. As a thank-you for his efforts, he was censured by the Republican Party in Oklahoma and threatened with destruction by a prominent MAGA radio host.
And Lankford is not the only Republican leader the right wing threatened to devour this week. Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel has spent years catering to Donald Trump’s needs. She’s endured years of attacks, spent hundreds of thousands of donor dollars on Trump’s legal troubles, faced multiple subpoenas and even stopped publicly using her maiden name in deference to the de facto party leader. In return, she is being publicly ousted as the leader of the RNC
Typically, politicians succeed by expanding their support base. In contrast, Trump sends his MAGA wolves after anyone who dares compromise, work with the other party, or deviate from the guidance of the dear leader.
In Trump’s view, everyone is replaceable. Loyalty trumps intelligence, experience or efficiency. And he could care less if he burns the Republican Party to the ground as a result.