If there is one lesson that Republican politicians should have learned well by now, it’s that Donald Trump will blithely betray those who have sold their political souls for him the moment it suits his self-interest. Yet they keep not learning that lesson. The latest failing grade goes to Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler. Hartzler last week privately requested Trump’s endorsement in her U.S. Senate bid, only to have him publicly announce that she’d asked and that he’d refused. Ouch.
Hartzler has seldom been a publicly enthusiastic cheerleader for Trump’s various outrages like some congressional Republicans have, but her voting record was in line with Trump’s positions more than 95% of the time, according to a fivethirtyeight.com analysis. More importantly, Hartzler (like most of her Republican colleagues) voted against both of Trump’s thoroughly justified impeachments. And, most shamefully, she supported his attempt to overturn the voters’ decisions on Jan. 6, 2021, so he could retain power after an election he lost.
In short, while Hartzler didn’t bang the MAGA drum as loudly as many, she certainly was never among the sliver of Republicans who courageously put country above power as a dangerous would-be autocrat commandeered their party.
