If one were to draw a Venn diagram between ardent Trump supporters and ardent Trump critics, within the intersection of the two, you’d likely find individuals like the junior Republican senator from Nebraska, Ben Sasse.
Prior to the 2016 election, many people staked out their allegiances. The hard-core Trump and anti-Trump people had already decided to go all-in to support him or to support his impeachment. The loudest groups now are those who were Trump skeptics but chose to vote for him as opposed to Hillary, and those who didn’t vote for him but didn’t jump to the other side. It’s those latter two groups that became the loudest critics of Sasse and others like him, but for different reasons.
Despite the differing reasons, it certainly hasn’t alleviated the annoyance of their grumblings. Sasse, by almost any measure, is one of the most conservative members of the Senate. Elected in 2014, he was voting for conservative-backed legislation when Trump was making his way down the escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy for president.
Yet, to the new believers in Trump, that’s not good enough. Sasse’s conservative record, including supporting nominees and legislation signed by Trump, plays second fiddle to the demand that he not only stop criticizing the president but also joins in with other various members of Congress who spend a lot of time yelling about the “deep state,” “FISAgate,” or generic railing about special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of “Democrat donors.”
On the other side are those who have turned into quasi-resistance players. To them, Sasse is not a Trump sycophant. You won’t see Sasse donning a “Make America Great Again” hat. But this faction has adopted new catchphrases and accusations they enjoy using. While Sasse hasn’t shied away from public criticism of Trump, to the new arbiters of principles, they accuse him of “not holding Trump to account.” By voting for legislation he’d vote for otherwise, or approving nominees such as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Sasse is “enabling” Trump or is “complicit” in Trump destroying democracy or something.
There’s no reasoned debate among either side. About the best they can do is offer up heaping servings of self-righteousness and faux outrage because Sasse is not doing what they want him to do.
Part of it is due to the tribalist nature of our politics. But more importantly is the myopic view they have of government. To both sides, the government is now a monolith and you’re either “for America” or “against America.” It’s almost as if they’ve forgotten how our government works. When Sasse (or any member of Congress) was sworn in, his only allegiance was to the Constitution, not to any president and especially not to a bunch of heel-nippers who think they know best.
Sasse also has a responsibility to the voters of Nebraska – you know, those people who elected him. It’s astonishing that both sides of the Sasse critique pool are unable, or unwilling, to grasp the idea of representative government when it falls outside of their standard for what constitutes Sasse doing his job. For either group to claim they know what best Sasse should do is complete balderdash.
Come 2020 both Sasse and Trump will vie for re-election. Here’s something to keep in mind: Should Sasse win and Trump lose, Sasse will continue to do what he’s been doing: pushing for more limited government, voting for legislation he supports, and confirming nominees he believes are qualified for the positions for which they’ve been appointed. If both of them win, Sasse will still have a Senate office when Trump packs up his belongings in the White House and heads back to Trump Tower.
Either way, I suspect Sasse will just do his job and ignore the demands of the shouters — as we all should.
Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is an editorial writer at the Dallas Morning News. He is also a contributor to National Review.
