Josh Marshall responds to a reader who wonders if the GOP might finally turn on Trump and admit that he lost in 2020. What's so bizarre about all this is that A) of course he lost in 2020 and B) the only way to win the nomination in 2024 is to point this out.
The result is a GOP primary field that largely won't take Trump on for...anything or everything. The one exception appears to be Chris Christie who is in the primaries for exactly that reason. Pence might get there under oath in the 1/6 trials, and he's made a few halting moves in that direction.
For DeSantis, whose whole schtick is being a suppurating asshole, not attacking Trump directly makes him look weak and whiny. That's how Trump is defining him and his refusal to take on Trump directly is one of many reasons why he's collapsing in the polls.
A few of the people running for the nomination are likely positioning themselves to be Trump running mate, so that they can call on the allegiance of the Trumpenproletariat in 2028. But he's going to pick some lunatic like Kari Lake, so why bother?
If enough people in GOP come out and attack Trump over the Big Lie, we could see that disheartening number of Republicans who believe Trump won slowly decline. Getting THAT number down is huge.
Republicans are mostly authoritarian-curious or committed at this point. They will follow the lead of the strongest voice, even to the point of convincing themselves that Trump is Christian.
Until the GOP challenges Trump directly, that dynamic will remain a threat to our democracy.
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