Reschenthaler raises the bar for Trump sycophants
While confidence in American leaders and institutions crashes to all-time lows, economic anxiety refuses to abate and political divisions grow ever wider, Western Pennsylvania should be proud of political leaders who seek consensus and move forward serious proposals for the common good.
Instead, we have Guy Reschenthaler.
This week the Republican Chief Deputy Whip — the region’s highestranking member of Congress — introduced legislation to rename Dulles International Airport. For Donald Trump.
It’s a proposal, and a waste of time, that exemplifies the the dysfunction of the House Republican caucus. While it would be comforting to point the finger at Georgia (Marjorie Taylor Greene) or Colorado (Lauren Boebert) or Florida (Matt Gaetz), the Pittsburgh region has its own contributor to that dysfunction in Mr. Reschenthaler.
Let’s consider this Congress’s record. House Republicans banished former Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the sin of working across the aisle, then spent weeks on the absurd spectacle of cycling through wannabe speakers before settling on Mike Johnson of Louisiana. The caucus indicated it wouldn’t even consider bipartisan immigration reform before Senate Republicans killed the plan anyway. And it continues to juggle sensitive foreign aid packages while it was unable to pass a 2024 budget until March.
Meanwhile, members like Ken Buck, Colo., and Mike Gallagher, Wisc. — who was considered a rising star in the party — have chosen simply to resign and go home.
In all of this, the pathetic desire to impress Mr. Trump has driven much of the dysfunction. But in the airport naming bid, Mr. Reschenthaler has set a new standard for obsequiousness.
“As millions of domestic and international travelers fly through the airport, there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity and strength than hearing ‘Welcome to Trump International Airport’ as they land on American soil,” the congressman said in a release that would make a Soviet functionary blush.
It’s almost never a good idea to name an institution after a living person, whose career is unfinished and whose legacy is incomplete. It goes without saying that naming one of the nation’s premier airports for its most controversial figure — who is facing felony trials in four jurisdictions — is unwise.
But of course this isn’t about wisdom; it’s about showing off for the big guy — and setting up a loyalty test for fellow House Republicans. We implore the Republicans of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to quietly bury this stupid proposal, though we expect performative loyalty to Mr. Trump to win out.
Pagan Romans would insist that Christians light a pinch of incense to prove their fealty to the Roman gods. But the believers in the new religion would refuse, both because it was bad in itself to honor false gods, and because they knew a pinch of incense would lead to more and more loyalty demands. Perhaps someday Republican politicians, many of whom profess to be the spiritual descendants of those first Christians, will learn that lesson.