Look, I'd vote for a sea cucumber if it ran as a D against Justin Amash.
But some R had to be first. Might as well be him.
He will now return to his regularly scheduled awful.— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) May 19, 2019
Few things about Amash:
In the MI House he once got applause for voting yes on something. He voted against nearly everything.
His family is Christian Arab (I think Syrian).
His district—once held by Jerry Ford—is not as Repub as many think. Grand Rapids is changing rapidly
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) May 19, 2019
Like Dana Houle, I remember Justin Amash as a local (state) nuisance, carrying water for his deVos family patrons in order to help the proud Christianists of Western Michigan stay barefoot and ignorant. But unlike such ‘independent thinkers’ as Mike Lee or Little Prince Rand, he’s not a moron, and he doesn’t assume that everyone not Justin Amash is either lying or a moron or both. If he’s made the decision to cut line on the Squatter-in-Chief, well… He does have his Libertarian principles, but I’m halfway hoping he’s also the first defector before the flood.
Republicans caught between Trump and reluctance to penalize Rep. Amash after ‘impeachable conduct’ declaration Via @rachaelmbade @mikedebonis https://t.co/Tz6Unz5RsP
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) May 21, 2019
For the supposedly well-disciplined and implacable Trump Brigades of the GOP, this is some very weak tea, per the Washington Post:
… Trump privately has vented to associates about the Michigan lawmaker, who on Saturday became the first congressional Republican to raise the possibility of impeachment, citing the findings of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations…
But on Capitol Hill, few Republicans are eager to punish the libertarian, who had a long history of bucking GOP leaders even before Trump was elected. Top Republican lawmakers and aides said Monday that kicking Amash out of the GOP conference or off his committee would only draw more attention to his apostasy. Instead, they have focused on isolating Amash and portraying him as an outlier. The House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group of which Amash is a member, also took a position Monday night “strongly disagreeing” with Amash’s comments…
Cold Grey Pre-Dawn Open Thread: Justin Amash, LibertarianPost + Comments (23)