As other Republicans keep equivocating, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse is the only Republican in the Senate to consistently oppose Donald Trump. And he is paying a price for it. But Sasse, a Lutheran, is standing firm. An interesting profile after the jump.
From Ben Terris, As the GOP’s anti-Trump, Ben Sasse picked a big fight. What would it mean to win? – The Washington Post:
Today, freshman senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska remains the only Republican in the U.S. Senate who has consistently, and vocally, opposed his party’s nominee.
For much of the rest of his party, it’s been a tortured, up-and-down relationship they can neither quite commit to nor quit. In the days since Trump attacked a federal judge for his Mexican heritage and congratulated himself for guessing that a mass shooting had links to Islamic fundamentalism, many Republicans have been looking for ways to distance themselves from a candidate they had only just recently embraced.
Some are splitting hairs — saying they will “support” Trump but not “endorse” him; they will endorse him but condemn his rhetoric. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona have said they can’t support their party’s nominee but haven’t fully closed the door; Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois broke with Trump, but previously had said he’d support him; even former arch-antagonist Lindsey Graham is having “cordial” conversations with him. Many others, clearly perturbed, spent last week refusing to utter Trump’s name, telling reporters they won’t discuss him until after the election — or, if that didn’t work, realizing that they were suddenly late for a meeting.
All this drama coming so soon after many startling reversals — Marco Rubio, who once called Trump a “con man” now saying he’d be “honored” to speak at his convention; Paul Ryan, who dissed the nominee by withholding his support,ultimately endorsing him.
Only Sasse, among Senate Republicans, has not budged and maintains he never will. If there will be a moral high ground to claim after 2016, he may be standing on it by himself.
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