Shouting into the Wind

President’s GOP, military critics are unlikely to sway voters

Some pretty well-known mainstream Republicans are lining up against the re-election of President Donald Trump. But will that matter to voters?

On Saturday, the New York Times reported that former President George W. Bush isn’t on the Trump Train. Nor are former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Gen. Colin Powell. Mitt Romney, former GOP presidential nominee and current U.S. senator isn’t a supporter, either.

Powell has been among the most outspoken, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” and accusing the president of habitual lying and straying from the Constitution. He said he would vote for near-certain Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Another military veteran, President Trump’s former Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis, has also been critical of the president lately, as have two former chairmen of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey and Adm. Michael Mullen.

Naturally, the president has taken to Twitter to show his displeasure with Powell, Mattis and others. He’s not known for taking criticism well.

So, will any of this hurt him come the November election? Frankly, we don’t see it happening.

President Trump has a loyal base. A base that goes to the polls religiously. And those folks, right or wrong, have shown a tendency to dismiss any criticism of the president out of hand.

It should be remembered as well that the “mainstream” is what many of these Americans were voting against. Criticism from the party’s longtime core is, to many, validation of that vote.

It’s important, too, to note that Republicans in the House and Senate — many of whom will also face voters in November — aren’t joining the chorus critical of the president. Some may agree with Bush, Powell and the like, but if so they’re keeping it to themselves. They know where their bread is buttered.

We can’t say for sure what will happen in the November election. But we can doubt the “mainstream” opinion will have much influence.