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(メモ) トランプを激しく非難 － ジェフ・フレイク共和党議員とボブ・コーカー共和党議員 トランプは、演説やツィートで、明白な事実のねつ造、ウソを毎日吐き続けている。こうしたことが９カ月にもわたって続いており、そしてその状況をアメリカ社会・政界が止めることができないでいる、ということは、歴史的にみてもありえない醜態である。 トランプは意図的にウソをついたり、ねつ造しているのかだが、おそらく彼の特異な、つまり病的な体質に由来すると見た方が納得しやすい。彼は自分のなかでかたくなな自己を形成しており、そしてその神聖さを信じて疑うことがない。そして外界で生じている事実にはけっして目を向けることなく、口を動かしている。 このことが極端な状況に達しているのがトランプである。トランプには政策的な構想とか、少しでも内容のある話をする能力とかいうものは、ほとんどないことは、これまでのさまざまな放送でも取り上げられているから、周知の事実である。 このたび重なる愚行にたいし、共和党内部からのトランプ非難は、マケインが最初であったが、それに続き、コーカー、そしていま新たにフレイクが加わった。 フレイクの上院での演説は、トランプはウソとねつ造でアメリカの価値理念を根底から崩していることにたいする批判、そしてその事態を黙して語らない同僚の共和党員への問いかけが中心であった。こうした点が最もいま重要な問題になるべき時にアメリカは来ている、というものである。 コーカーの非難は、トランプのえげつない批判にたいし、それとほぼ同等の非難で応戦している。「ホワイト・ハウスは大人のデイ・ケア・センターになっている。担当者がシフトを怠ったにちがいない」をはじめ、面白い言葉を連発して痛烈な非難を続けている。彼が使っている#AlertTheDaycareStaffというのがその代表であろう。 一番情けないのは、共和党の２人の議長であろう。トランプにさんざん罵倒されながら、大幅減税（これは１％の富裕層にほぼ恩恵が行くもの）にのこのことトランプにくっついていく行動しかとれていない。 いま共和党が激変状況におかれていることは間違いがない。ほとんどの共和党議員は私的にはトランプがおかしい、と述べている。しかし、選挙を考えて表だってそうした表明は避けたままである。 ただ、アメリカ社会には、次のような深刻な問題がある。これだけトランプが事実をねじまげてウソを吐き続けているにもかかわらず、そして国民にたいする同情心が皆無であるにもかかわらず、例えばアリゾナでは州民の多数が依然としてトランプを支持しているという世論調査になっている。ここにアメリカ社会の深刻な問題が潜んでいる。どれだけ、ウソをつき、ねつ造されたことを事実として発表しているにもかかわらず、トランプを支持する人が多い（もっとも全米ではトランプの支持率は急落している。それでも共和党支持者の多くはトランプを支持している。そのため、共和党員は下手にトランプ批判に出ると選挙で敗北する可能性があるため、行動に出ることができない。こうした状況が続いているのである）。 国際的にはトランプはアメリカを世界の指導的地位から相当程度、降下させてしまっている。なにせ外交的方策は、ほとんど捨て去っており、サウジ、イスラエルとの異常な靭帯（それも軍事的商談色が強い）が目立つだけである。イラン原子力合意破棄行動やパリ合意からの離脱行動も、孤立色を深めている。 強化しているのは、中東での武力増強 (シリアやイエメン)、そしてアフガンでの武力増強であるが、いずれも何の解決への展望をみせるものにはなっていない。 そして中国の世界的覇者的行動は、こうしたなか拡張を続けている。 アメリカは、国内的にも、トランプが白人優先主義を明確にとっているため、人種的亀裂は深い。さらにはミドル・クラスの衰退にたいして、トランプは何の関心ももっていないから、これらのクラスの窮乏化は進んでいる（学生ローンの問題も深刻な社会問題となっている）。 今後、共和党がどのような動きを見せることになるのかは、重要な問題である。 他方、では民主党はどうか、というもう１つの問題がある。両院とも共和党が多数政党になるという事態を招いた民主党だが、せっかくオバマ政権誕生時に、多くの草の根運動の若者の支持を獲得したにもかかわらず、オバマ政権のもつ意外な保守性により、彼らが民主党支持からはなれてしまうという失態を招くことになった。サンダースが登場してそうした草の根運動が再度大きく盛り上がったのだが、民主党の主流はこうした運動を切ろうとしているという現実がある。従来の民主党基盤をトランプに奪われたという事態が生じたままである。民主党は、大衆に目を向けなくなったために、アメリカの中西部から致命的な後退をよぎなくされたままである。若いカリスマ的な指導者の出現でもないかぎり、民主党が独自に大きな政治基盤を回復するということは、かなり難しいように思われる。 ＊＊＊ Republican Senator Jeff Flake attacks 'reckless, outrageous and undignified' Trump The Arizona senator joined a list of high-profile Republicans, including Bob Corker, who have opted to retire amid the turmoil of Donald Trump’s presidency • Jeff Flake’s speech: ‘Anger and resentment are not a governing philosophy’ • Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington Arizona senator Jeff Flake on Tuesday launched an extraordinary attack against Donald Trump and the “complicity” of the Republican party while announcing his decision to leave the Senate. Jeff Flake: conservatives face a crisis. We must now tell and expect the truth Read more “It is time for our complicity and our accommodation for the unacceptable to end,” Flake said. “There are times when we must risk our careers in favor of our principles. Now is such a time. “We must never allow ourselves to lapse into thinking that that is just the way things are now,” he added. “We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal.” “Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as ‘telling it like it is’ when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified.” He said such behavior Flake joins a list of high-profile Republicans who have jumped ship in recent months amid the turmoil of Trump’s presidency. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, declared his retirement last month and has since been locked in a bitter feud with Trump that reached new heights on Tuesday. Hours before Flake’s announcement, Trump’s war of words with Corker escalated in unprecedented fashion ahead of a meeting between the president and Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill. Prior to the closed-door luncheon, Corker branded Trump as an “utterly untruthful president” on NBC’s Today Show. In a separate interview with CNN, Corker went even further, stating of the president: “I don’t know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard and debases our country in that way but he does.” Coupled with Flake’s scathing remarks on the Senate floor, the growing list of Republicans sounding the alarm over Trump’s presidency marked a potential watershed moment within the party. Several prominent Republicans have spoken out, albeit in veiled terms, against so-called “Trumpism” in recent weeks. McCain, who represents Arizona alongside Flake in the Senate, denounced “half-baked, spurious nationalism” in a speech last week that also decried the abdication of US leadership on the global stage. Days later, George W Bush condemned bigotry while declaring American politics “more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication”. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, played into the intra-party rift by dubbing Flake’s decision as “a good move” while telling reporters his remarks were not “befitting of the Senate floor”. Speaking at the daily White House briefing, Sanders dismissed the criticisms made by Flake and Corker. “Look, I think the voters of these individual senators’ states are speaking in pretty loud volumes,” she said. “I think they were not likely to be re-elected and I think that shows the support is more behind this president than it is those two individuals.” In his Senate floor speech, Flake implored Republicans to do away with the political considerations that have enabled Trump to challenge to “The alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters,” Flake said. “Would we Republicans meekly accept such behavior on display from dominant Democrats? Of course we wouldn’t. And we would be wrong if we did.” “When we remain silent and fail to act Flake’s candor highlighted the discord within the Republican party in the aftermath of Trump’s successful insurgent campaign. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, declared war on the Republican establishment after leaving the White House in August to take down incumbents perceived by the base as insufficient in their support of the president’s agenda. A Bannon ally celebrated the news of Flake’s retirement, texting the Guardian: “Another scalp!” Although Flake had raised millions for his re-election campaign, his criticism of Trump loomed over what was poised to be a tough primary against Amplifying pressure from the right, Trump met with some of Flake’s potential challengers ahead of a rally in Phoenix in August and subsequently attacked the senator on Twitter, writing: “Not a fan of Jeff Flake, weak on crime & border!” Corker and Flake’s decisions to step aside leave room for Republicans to run new candidates who might be less tarnished by the toxicity of Trump’s tenure. “The one political upshot of Sen Flake’s decision today is that Steve Bannon’s hand-picked candidate, conspiracy-theorist Kelli Ward, will not be the Republican nominee for this Senate seat in 2018,” the group’s president and CEO, Steven Law, said in a statement. The move nonetheless removed yet another strong, household name Senior Republican feuds with Trump, saying he's 'debasing our nation' Read more Political operatives in Washington were surprised by Flake’s announcement, which followed a slew of similar decisions from Republicans in swing states. Several Republicans serving in the House of Representatives have announced plans to retire, including David Trott of Michigan, David Reichert of Washington, Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, leaving an opening for Democrats in competitive districts. By contrast, at least one moderate Republican voice, Senator Susan Collins, has said she will seek re-election in Maine. Alex Conant, a partner at Firehouse Strategies who worked on Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, said it was a “troubling trend” for reliable conservatives like Flake to feel as though they no longer had a place in the Republican party. “It’s no secret that there’s a lot of divisions within the Republican Additional reporting by Ben Jacobs and David Smith ＊＊＊ Senior Republican feuds with Trump, saying he's 'debasing our nation' Senator Bob Corker, who is retiring, has become a vocal critic of Donald Trump in interviews and on social media, as the two fight over proposed tax cuts Lauren Gambino and David Smith in Washington and agencies A policy lunch with Republican senators was overshadowed by a bitter feud between Donald Trump and Senator Bob Corker, who escalated his criticism on Tuesday morning, accusing the president of “debasing” the country with “untruths” and “name-calling”. The lunch was meant to be a unifying moment for Republicans to rally around tax reform, but the war of words between Trump and Corker instead revealed the deep fault lines that exist between some elements of the party and the president. “You would think he would aspire to be the president of the United States and act like a president of the United States. But that’s just not going to be the case, apparently,” Corker told reporters ahead of Trump’s arrival on Capitol Hill. Trump arrived on Capitol Hill just after 1pm, where he was greeted by the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, with whom Trump has also quarreled. As the men walked to the policy lunch, a protester tossed a fistful of small Russian flags at the president and shouted “Trump is treason”. Despite the fiery rhetoric between Trump and Corker going into the meeting, several senators said their tussle did not arise during the discussion, which focused on taxes, trade and judicial nominees as members dined on Leaving the meeting, Corker told reporters: “I ate my lunch like I normally do at McConnell declined to weigh in on their ongoing “If there’s But in the hours prior, a war of words with the president played out across Twitter and cable Corker, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, said world leaders were “very aware” that much of what Trump said “is untrue”. The president, he told CNN, was “debasing our nation” and “has great difficulty with the truth on many issues”. 'He is failing': Trump strikes out solo as friends worry and enemies circle Read more The Tennessee Republican – who is retiring and has said “the most important public service I have to offer our country could well occur over the next 15 months” – said the Trump was “obviously not going to rise to the occasion as president”. His presidential tenure will be remembered, Corker says, for “the debasing of our nation, the constant non-truth-telling, the name-calling. It’s very sad for our nation.” After Corker went on NBC’s Today on Tuesday and said Trump’s White House should let Congress decide how to pay for his tax cuts, Trump fired back with the first of a series of tweets, writing that Corker “couldn’t get elected dog-catcher in Tennessee”. 'Trump is treason': heckler throws Russian flags at US president – video Corker responded That was a reference to a comment he made earlier this month, when he noted: “It’s a shame the White House has become an adult Corker was considered for both vice-president and secretary of state and was a key Trump ally during much of the 2016 campaign. He has since become a vocal critic, claiming Trump could be setting the nation on a path to a third world war. Trump has called Corker “Liddle’ [sic] Bob Corker”. Later on Tuesday, the White House denied that Trump was being blown off course by the sparring. Sarah Sanders, the press secretary, told reporters at the daily briefing: “He’s a fighter. We’ve said it many times before: the people of this country didn’t elect somebody to be weak; they elected somebody to be strong. And when he gets hit, he’s going to hit back, and I think Senator Corker knows that and he’s maybe trying to get a headline or two on his way out the door.” Sanders insisted that the president believes “America’s winning” after his first nine months in office, citing achievements such as deregulation, economic growth and the defeat of Isis. “These are historic things that he’s done without Congress. Imagine how incredible and how many good things we would be doing if people like Senator Bob Corker got on board and started doing their job instead of doing so much grandstanding on TV.” The president’s latest spat with the senator came after Corker said the White House should “step aside” and let Congress’s tax-writing committees figure out how to pay for the $1tn tax cut Trump wants to sign by the end of the year. Corker said the tough, “spinach part” of the process was looming and suggested that recent White House decisions to take proposals off the table were not helping. On Monday, Trump ruled out changes to popular 401 Corker has said he could oppose moves to pass tax reform, a priority for Republicans after the repeated failure of attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Corker has insisted that any changes to the tax code must reduce the deficit. Trump accused him of “fighting tax cuts” and mused: “Isn’t it sad that lightweight Senator Bob Corker, who couldn’t get re-elected in the Great State of Tennessee, will now fight Tax Cuts plus!” Trump bickers with soldier's widow over condolence call Read more Trump claimed again that Corker decided to retire after Trump refused to endorse him “and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record!” In a statement to the Guardian earlier this month, Corker’s chief of staff, Todd Womack, directly contradicted The meal with senators will be Trump’s first appearance as president at the Senate Republicans’ regular Tuesday policy lunch. Trump has also been sparring with GOP senators such as John McCain of Arizona and the majority leader, Mitch McConnell – though McConnell and Trump had a joint press conference last week to try to smooth things over. The Associated Press contributed to this report |
