The Trump Cult Purges Another Apostate

When Ocasio-Cortez won her primary the news media reactions were predictable, ranging from "socialists have taken over the party" narratives on the right (and on the left) to a Democratic civil war narrative in the mainstream. A month later this all looked pretty foolish (as it did to a lot of us at the time). But the Dems in Disarray trope is deeply wired into the news media, so look forward to any disagreement within the party as evidence of flailing (among mainstream journalists) or Stalinist groupthink (on the right).

Meanwhile, in the real world:

Minnesota Republicans decisively rejected the comeback bid of former governor Tim Pawlenty, a onetime kingmaker in state politics who proved unable to overcome his 2016 description of Donald Trump as “unhinged and unfit” for once boasting of grabbing women....

“Tim Pawlenty stuck his finger in the wind,” Johnson said in his closing ad, which condemned Pawlenty’s criticism of Trump after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in October 2016. “I won’t panic when it matters most.” [emphasis added]

Yes, that's right: Pawlenty lost his primary because he made an ineffectual token gesture toward minimal human decency. That's today's GOP.

And Pawlenty's loss is almost a non-story because we've seen it happen so many times already. As Greg Sargent points out, absolute loyalty to Trump at his worst has become a litmus test in GOP primaries. No wonder they keep nominating candidates like Roy Moore and Corey Stewart.

But hey, Dems in Disarray. Always.