Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., told his colleagues earlier this week that he was bowing out because he no longer could bring himself to serve in Congress in the same party as President Trump.
“We must never adjust to the present coarseness of our national dialogue with the tone set up at the top,” he told his colleagues in announcing he would not seek re-election. It was all about President Trump and “the daily sundering of our country – the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency. The reckless provocations ….”
It was reckless provocations that drove Flake out of politics all right. But they weren’t Trump’s — they were his.
Flake recklessly provoked his supporters in Arizona when, after serving as a staunch conservative in the House and campaigning as such for his Senate seat, he proceeded to squish out on issues such as Obamacare, immigration, and even guns. Within his first three months of office, he had surpassed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and became “the most unpopular senator in America.”
In the House, he had ideological soulmates – his fellow Club for Growth supporters. But, as Erick Erickson wrote in The Resurgent, “The smaller Senate with even fewer conservatives unleashed Jeff Flake’s need to be liked. He went from being a reliable Club for Growth member to a reliable Mitch McConnell member.”
Then, he recklessly provoked Trump. A lot of members of Congress have criticized the president, and there are some in his own party who belong squarely in the #NeverTrump camp. But Flake went farther. He wrote a book trashing Trump, entitled “Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle.”
Although he got as much as 79 percent in one of his six victories in the House, Flake was never that strong a candidate in the Senate. He won his last Senate election by 3 percentage points on the same day Mitt Romney carried the state by 10.
Already struggling to raise money and build enthusiasm after his votes on guns and immigration, Flake made the bet that lining up the case against Trump would make him the avatar of the anti-Trump movement and propel him to re-election to the Senate and perhaps beyond. But he lost the bet badly.
Trump went to Phoenix for a rally that drew thousands of adoring fans. He tweeted that Flake was one of the few Arizonans he did not love. Soon, Kelli Ward, a state senator, had signed up to run against him in the Republican primary for his 2018 re-election bid and had taken a double-digit lead, according to some polls.
Ward probably won’t be the winner. State party officials already have begun to line up new candidates with Flake out of the race, and Steve Bannon, the former White House adviser who is recruiting candidates to primary anti-Trump senators, could be persuaded to switch.
Either way, the Republican hand in this race is strengthened by Flake pulling out.
The media has outdone itself when it comes to getting this story backwards. Flake’s resignation and fiery speech were said to be clarion calls for Republicans to break with the president and return to normal governing. He and Corker, freed from not having to face the voters again, would be free to sabotage Trump’s entire agenda. Their floor speeches would be daily reminders of what is being done to the conscience of a great political party.
In reality, most members are scarce on Capitol Hill once they bow out. And Flake quit for the same reason as Corker – he wasn’t going to win. He took on Trump and learned quickly that voters are more interested in Trump than the meek, gentlemanly politics Flake exemplified. Flake says he no longer will be silenced by Trump, which is just as well since his not being silenced by Trump contributed to his political demise.
For now, the party of Lincoln is the party of Trump. The president understands political considerations will cause people in Washington to say unfortunate things at times. But the continuous sanctimonious assault on the president and his character won’t be appreciated.
In fact, it won’t even be heard or noticed for much longer.
Ford O’Connell (@FordOConnell) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, worked on John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, and authored the book “Hail Mary: The 10-Step Playbook for Republican Recovery.”
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