GOP fears anti-Trump wave
http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/381201-juan-williams-gop-fears-anti-trump-wave
So far, 24 Republicans have announced their retirements from Congress this cycle. This number is the highest of any congressional cycle since 1973.
What was happening in 1973?
The Watergate scandal. It exposed the lies and cover-ups of Republican President Richard Nixon and forced his resignation.
In the 1974 midterm elections, 49 Democrats took House seats away from the Republicans, giving them more than a 2-1 majority in the lower chamber. Democrats also gained four Senate seats, bringing them up to a total of 60 seats.
Democrats are praying for history to repeat itself with
President Trump in the Nixon role.
Incredibly, Republicans seem to agree that 2018 will be a lot like 1974.
In addition to all the other retirements by House Republicans, there is now talk of Speaker
Paul Ryan (Wis.) possibly quitting, too.
Ryan’s spokesman has denied he is considering resigning. But Nevada Congressman
Mark Amodei, a very vulnerable Republican in the coming midterms, is on the record telling reporters that is what he is hearing from party colleagues.
Talk of Ryan’s departure is significant because lesser-known House Republicans have no reason to think they will survive if Ryan isn’t inclined to try to hold on.
Take a moderate Republican congressman like Pennsylvania’s
Ryan Costello. He told MSNBC he is not running for reelection because Trump is making it impossible for House Republicans to do their jobs.
“It’s very difficult for me to get [any] message out because we’re talking about Stormy Daniels, or it was [fired FBI deputy director Andrew] McCabe, before that it was [fired secretary of State]
Rex Tillerson and where he heard the news that he was fired, and just one thing after another,” Costello, a two-term Congressman, complained.
And that’s not the only sign of dread among Republicans.
