Now that the midterms are over and the Ds have the House, things are going to get rough. You think the first 2 years of the Trump presidency were bad? You ain’t seen nothing yet. After all, you gotta have a compelling story line for the upcoming seasons of the reality show, keep the ratings up. So you can be sure Trump will do some things that most people will find appalling – much worse than what he’s done before. And yet many people will still support him, just like they have after all the appalling things he’s already done. Even so, there should be a line for most people; there should be some principle, deep in the heart of even the most loyal and/or depraved Trump fan, that if it were violated, they would reluctantly part ways with the Orange One.
Now, if you are a Trump supporter, you should establish where that line is, before the roller coaster takes that first stomach-churning plunge. If you want to make data-driven decisions you establish what criteria will drive your decision beforehand and then stick to those criteria. Same goes for principles – decide what circumstances will violate your principles beforehand, and stick to it.
Are you as all-in as he thinks you are – i.e., he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and you’d still support him? Or do you think he’s done some stuff that’s maybe not so good, but the good – Supreme Court justices you like, maybe tax cuts and cutting regulations - still outweighs the bad? If you’re in the second category, what kind of thing would it take for you to drop him?
I was going to put firing Sessions on this list as a mild lead-in example, but he beat me to it. There will be worse to come. Here are some possible examples:
1. Fire Robert Mueller
2. Fire Rosenstein and meddle in/try to stop the Russia, etc. investigation
3. Refuse to comply with lawful subpoenas from the Democratic House – for, e.g., his tax returns
4. Refuse to comply with a Supreme Court ruling
5. Piss tape – what if there really is one? What if it becomes public?
6. Piss tape, part 2: What if Putin has been blackmailing him about the tape, or something else, and he really is a Russian puppet?
7. Start a war
8. Disband Congress
9. Institute martial law
This is not an exhaustive list; I lack the imagination to predict some of what I am sure is coming. Feel free to add to it. Yes, I actually do think all of those things are possible, and much more. I think several of them are almost a certainty.
So where is your particular line? What would cause you to pull your support? Remember, no hedging later; you draw the line, and you stick to it.