#leverage with McConnell to get #TaxReform. He doesn’t need leverage with voters to elect Moore. Trump goes for the leverage.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) September 22, 2017
This line of thinking makes some sense.
If Trump went out of his way and threw his support behind one of the conservative challenges, he would have further poisoned the pool of comity with the United States Senate leadership. His relationship with McConnell is icy at best, and to foment further ill will would ruin just about everything else.
In a way, this kind of thinking seems to be playing out. Currently, Trump has announced rallies in Alabama, but does not mention Strange, and he left out the US Senate candidate’s name. At one point earlier this week, Trump meekly acknowledged he may have made a mistake about Strange. He then added that he would fight for Moore if he won the primary.
This calculation makes the most sense. Most US Senate colleagues in particular, and federal officials in general, will not endorse a primary challenge. It’s just unbecoming, especially since the elected officials are still working together. This special election in Alabama has been exceptional in that regard, though, since Congressional members are all lining up behind Roy Moore. Pro-Family and other conservative PACs are supporting Moore, too, which means money is coming in.
Reviewing the options before Trump, he could not sit out the race and say nothing. If he had endorsed Strange’s challenger, and then Strange would win, Trump would have even less power and influence in the upper chamber than he already has. Key US Senators are already lining up to oppose his agenda (McCain, Murkowski, Collins, and to a lesser extent Heller, Corker, and Flake). He can’t afford to fan the flames of anti-Trump rebellion.
So, Trump’s best option (though not that great to begin with) was to line up behind Strange, however tepidly that he could.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, let’s hope that the Trump supporters get our final wish: Roy Moore winning the run-off then trouncing the fledgling Democrat in the December General election. We need a fellow disrupter in the United States Senate who will accomplish the most conservative outcomes possible and further drain the swamp!
