After vowing to “fight the meritless charges” brought against him following an indictment for insider trading, Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) experienced a political come-to-Jesus moment about the reality of his situation.
In a statement released over the weekend, Collins officially “suspended” his re-election campaign, which is just the Washington Doublespeak way of saying he’s ending his re-election bid because he’s still free to raise campaign money for his selfish political purposes.
While Rep. Collins is innocent until proven guilty, the repercussions following his indictment were swift, especially with the uphill climb the GOP faces in November. Democrats were ecstatic over the sudden opportunity to take a seat Republicans were expected to win. And right on cue, the GOP faithful lined up to support Collins, proving once again that conservatism has died within the GOP and has been replaced by the Trumpservatives.
In a statement of support for Collins who was an early support of Trump who served on his transition team, state chairman of the NY Conservative Party Mike Long said that Collins is “an excellent legislator and the most conservative member of Congress in NY.” An absurd claim considering Collins’ Liberty Score of 39% (F).
For the record, every NY Republican in Congress carries a failing Liberty Score with the most “conservative” being Rep. Lee Zeldin at 54% (F).
Sacrificing conservative values in the name of party loyalty comes as no surprise when NY Republicans are involved. After all, New York is the home of the liberal currently occupying the White House, and the longest-serving Republican in Congress from the Empire State is 25-year veteran Peter King, who carries a Liberty Score of 30% (F).
But the sad reality is that even so-called conservatives such as House Freedom Caucus members Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mark Meadows (R-NC) have made Trump and his agenda the new measuring stick of what constitutes a conservative.
In a Facebook post last Friday, I shared an excerpt from an email I received from the House Freedom Fund—the Political Action Committee of the House Freedom Caucus—asking for a donation in support of Jordan and Meadows, not because of their successes conservative track records, but because they have become identified as “Trump’s pit-bulls on Capitol Hill” working to push his agenda.
In the Age of Trump, it’s sad but not much of a surprise to hear that people like NY liberal Chris Collins and others who have worked for Trump are unethical Trumpservatives. However, when so-called conservative groups like the House Freedom Caucus begin acting the same way, it’s clear that conservatives no longer have a home within the GOP.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His politically incorrect and always “right” columns are also featured on NOQReport.com, and TheResurgent.com Community.
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