Why Are Most Republicans In Congress Afraid To Speak Out About Trump's Psychosis The Way Jeff Flake Does?

Jeff Flake has never been someone with whom we've found much common ground here at DWT. He was a very conservative House member and he is a very conservative senator. But unlike most Republicans in Congress, Flake isn't a coward when it comes to the execrable Señor Trumpanzee. When Flake was asked by Jake Tapper on CNN's State of the Union if Clinton could win his state-- polls show a dead-heat in Arizona, although the most recent shows Hillary beating Trumpanzee 35.1% to 33.5%-- he said he wouldn't vote for either Hillary or Trump and pointed to "the tone and tenor of his campaign" and "the characterizations of many of the state's population" and said that's "put the state in play." Trumpanzee went ape-shit of course, running to his twitter account and declaring that Flake is "very weak and ineffective." Anyone who opposes Señor Trumpanzee is... as anyone who follows him on Twitter knows.

Yesterday Flake struck back at Trump, saying that his electoral woes stem from an unwillingness or inability "to propose serious solutions to the problems facing our state" and that "what Trump has been willing to do is say terrible things about women, mock the disabled, disparage minorities, impugn the character of POWs, and go after the Gold Star parents of a fallen U.S. soldier. I’m not OK with that, and I’m going to keep speaking out until he changes the tone of his campaign. If he refuses to do so, Republicans will lose a lot more than the election in November."

Many Republicans and independents in the congressional district that stretches from downtown Austin into San Antonio and through the suburbs of both cities wish they had a congressman who would call Trump out on his gratuitously insulting and demeaning bullying that way Jeff Flake does. Instead, they have Lamar Smith, the anti-science chairman of the House Science Committee who was the first House committee chairman to endorse Trump and the only member of the House-- from any state-- to donate money to Trump. Many are wondering why Smith has attached himself at the hip to Trump despite all the crazy utterances. We asked the progressive Democrat running for the TX-21 seat, Tom Wakely, a military veteran who won the primary against a conservative Democrat, if he's coming across voters fed up with Lamar Smith's pandering to Trump and all his crackpot, ever-changing positions on serious matters. He sure is-- and here's what he told us:

"I'm finding folks all over the district who are simply sick of Lamar Smith. From the Hill Country to the metro areas of our district, they're not only tired of a congressman who's done nothing for the district in nearly three decades, but they're sick to death of Trump's insane rhetoric and Smith's utter lack of repudiation. Lamar must feel it, too, as he's begun campaigning across the district, which by most local accounts, signals that we're doing far better than anyone would have guessed. It really shows the shortsightedness of my opponent, as Trump barely cracked 30% in the district during the primary, yet it didn't stop Smith from getting greedy in his unwavering support of one of the most dangerous candidates in recent memory.

"And as far as I'm concerned, there's a pretty simple reason for that. Lamar Smith finally found a presidential candidate who really shares his values. Islamophobia, xenophobia, misogyny-- you name it. Smith really only goes further than Trump in his rampant homophobia. Times have changed immensely over the last 30 years, and yet we have the same representative in the House. In my book he'd essentially be unfit to serve on this aspect alone, but when you're willing to go on record as Trump's #1 congressional supporter? It's inexcusable. It should be disqualifying and if you ask any amount of voters in this district, they tend to agree.

"The voters of this district might disagree with me ideologically on several issues, or maybe even every policy issue, but they recognize that I'm here working for them. They didn't take kindly to Trump in the Republican primary and they don't take kindly to Smith now. Local papers are calling out Smith's subpoenas of climate groups and state attorneys general as inexcusable and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Local media is beginning to question how a congressman has gotten away with this kind of arrogance for so long. The voters? The voters are starting to realize there's a chance for change. The voters are ready to wake up Congress."

Moderate Republicans and independents on Long Island may be wondering why their own congressman, Peter King, has stuck with Trump like they're brothers. Nothing seems too much for King and he's always on talk shows defending him. We asked the progressive Democrat running for the South Shore seat, DuWayne Gregory, a veteran Army officer and the presiding officer of the Suffolk County legislature if he's coming across many voters who are noticing King's subservience to Trump and apparent acquiescence to all his crazy, ever-changing positions on serious matters. "My dismay with Washington politics has only grown since I announced my campaign 15 months ago," DuWayne told us. "Peter King is a well heeled member of the Washington establishment, and he's repeatedly put party politics before his country. He once said Donald Trump was 'unfit morally and intellectually' to be president. Since then he has stood by silently as Donald Trump has insulted a POW, women, Muslims, Mexicans, African-Americans, the disabled and... the list goes on. Donald Trump exemplifies the worst of America and no party label can hide that fact. Peter King's lack of leadership has not gone unnoticed."

Alina Valdes is a physician and a dedicated progressive running against an entrenched Republican incumbent, Mario Diaz-Balart, the only South Florida member of Congress who is backing Trump. Miami-Dade neighbors and fellow Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo have both said they wouldn't endorse or even vote for Trump. Diaz-Balart, somewhat desperately, keeps defending him. This morning Dr. Valdes told us she had "come across many constituents who are frankly fed up with Diaz-Balart and his policies. He supports the Cuban embargo despite changing opinion in the Cuban community where more than half now support lifting the embargo. He also has voted over 60 times with his Republican colleagues to repeal Obamacare while having people in the district living in Hialeah with the highest enrollment anywhere in the country last year. He also follows the party line when it comes to privatizing and cutting back on Social Security benefits despite the large population of retired elderly living in this community. It comes as no surprise that he puts his party above country when he will support the Republican Presidential nominee, Trump, despite the horrible things he has said about Latinos, who make up about 70% of this district.  By supporting Trump and his vitriol, he is essentially agreeing with his policies and condoning his hatred towards anything not white and male. This man does not deserve to represent the good, hard-working people of Florida's 25th district since he does not listen to their wants and does not fight for their needs. At least the other two Republican Cuban Americans representing South Florida had enough sense to disavow Trump and what he represents, which is certainly not what the people in the district expect from someone who wishes to represent them for another term."

Arizona Republican Jeff Flake hasn't been allowing Trump to spew his hatred and his crazy and divisive statements without being called out. The Republicans being challenged by Democratic nominees DuWayne Gregory, Alina Valdes and Tom Wakely aren't holding Trump accountable for anything. These three candidates would make great replacements for Peter King, Mario Diaz-Balart and Lamar Smith. The DCCC isn't helping any of them... but we can. Please tap the thermometer below and consider helping them make Congress a more progressive and accountable body: