There may never be an answer to the question, “Why is the Republican Party so determined to die on the Great Orange Hill?” However, any serious search for an explanation has to factor in the answer, “Because most of them are chickenshit motherfckers, that’s why.” Politico illustrates.

You may recall that, on Monday, Politico reported that, back at the beginning of April, the National Republican Senatorial Committee had circulated a memo to Republican senatorial candidates that advised them to go on the attack against China when discussing the pandemic, but not to defend the president* “other than the China ban.” In other words, defend the racism, but not the racist.



The memo includes guidance on what Republican candidates can say when asked whether blaming China for the pandemic incites racism. Candidates are urged to respond by saying that, “No one is blaming Chinese Americans. This is the fault of the Chinese Communist Party for covering up the virus and lying about its danger. This caused the pandemic and they should be held accountable.”

“No one has suffered more from the murderous Communist Chinese Party dictatorship than the people of China,” the memo adds. “We stand with them against their corrupt government that caused this pandemic.”



Looked at from the malignant perspective of modern Republican realpolitik, this advice makes perfect sense. Engage the fundamental xenophobia of the party’s base without reminding them of the president* that this produced last time. If I were a Republican senator, prior to my hurling myself into the Bay of Fundy in a grand act of self-loathing, I would take this advice. However, the Trump campaign found this approach to be something up with which it would not put.



On Monday — just days after POLITICO first reported the existence of the memo — Trump political adviser Justin Clark told NRSC executive director Kevin McLaughlin that any Republican candidate who followed the memo’s advice shouldn’t expect the active support of the reelection campaign and risked losing the support of Republican voters.



You would think that, by now, this kind of clumsy shakedown wouldn’t work any more, but that would mean that the Republican Party was not being run by chickenshit motherfckers, and that would mean you were very, very wrong.



McLaughlin responded by saying he agreed with the Trump campaign’s position and, according to two people familiar with the conversation, clarified that the committee wasn’t advising candidates to not defend Trump over his response.



Like a cheap suit. Like a two-dollar accordion.



Were I running a Republican senatorial campaign, especially were I running one on behalf of a particularly endangered incumbent, I’d tell old Justin Clark to go whistle up a fish and follow the committee’s original advice. But the real story here is how thoroughly the Republican Party has adopted the administration*’s Piranha Brothers approach to political strategy, even unto its most distant parts. Every piece of advice carries a threat. Every bit of help implies a debt. Nice little campaign you have there. Be a shame if anything happens to it.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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