August 02, 2016 01:59 PM UTC

"Rebuking" Trump...But Only a Little

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Denver Post’s Mark Matthews reports on the reaction from Republican federal officeholders in Colorado to the latest controversy surrounding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump–this time the rapidly-building outrage over Trump’s disparagement of the family of a dead Muslim-American soldier who spoke out against his campaign at last week’s Democratic National Convention:

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner on Monday joined a growing list of Republicans critical of Donald Trump for his verbal feud with a Muslim-American couple whose son died fighting for the U.S. Army in Iraq…

Gardner, who has not endorsed Trump, said he honors the 2004 sacrifice of Army Capt. Humayun Khan and described as inappropriate Trump’s response to the appearance of Khizr and Ghazala Khan last week at the Democratic National Convention — although, like many lawmakers, he did not mention Trump by name. [Pols emphasis]

“There is no room in American politics to insult our Gold Star families,” Gardner said in a statement. But the Colorado lawmaker did not say how it would affect his support of the party’s presidential nominee.

What a profile in courage! Other Colorado Republicans were also critical, but only to a very restrained degree:

Two Colorado Republicans offered similar words of reproach, although neither mentioned Trump or his comments. [Pols emphasis]

“Americans who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country are to be honored and respected,” wrote U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, in a statement.

Said U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez: “Every man and woman who serves and the military families who sacrifice so much deserve our gratitude and respect.”

It appears that out of the Republican congressional delegation from Colorado, only Rep. Mike Coffman could even work up the nerve to mention Donald Trump by name–and even then failing to do any more than express idle “offense” over Trump’s jaw-dropping attacks on the family of a dead American serviceman.

It’s painfully obvious to everyone watching that the only reason Republicans are unable to condemn Trump’s statements in the strong terms they deserve is that they are irrevocably tied to Trump–at least through the November elections. Short of heeding President Barack Obama’s call today for Republicans to abandon support for Trump, which for all the damage he’s taking and causing remains extremely unlikely, there’s nothing they can do to distance themselves from Trump while still leaving a loophole open to ultimately support him for President.

Above all, any attempt to back away from Trump risks losing the support of too much of the Republican base, voters who will at this point back Trump all the way to the bitter end. The risk of splitting a Republican coalition now at least partly in the thrall of Trump leaves GOP politicos powerless to stand up to him–even if they know that’s what they should be doing.

Correction: they are politically powerless. Morally they could still do the right thing, even if it costs them the White House for four more years. That they cannot, or will not, fully reject Trump and let the chips fall where they may is worse than what they’re doing instead. It’s worse than staying silent.

It’s just a farce.