Please Somebody Explain to me

[itcfish]

Why are all the republican senators and congresspeople so afraid of Trump? Are they afraid he will call them names on Twitter? Don't they know if they stick together, he can't hurt them? What does he have on them? I just don't understand their great fear of him.

[Rider3]

1. They are concerned about their own re-election...

...or they're concerned that they will lose the Senate to Trump's base, which (as we know) is a crazy lot. They don't want to be humiliated and nick-named from Trump. Bad names! What they're afraid to do today when it comes to Trump's atrocities will haunt them later in life. Their bio./obit. won't be a proud one.

[Zoonart]

2. I have read that in the Senate Moscow Mitch controls the money tap.

If one is seen as disloyal or challenging to 45 or his agenda the tap is shut off and no GOP money for you. Simple as that. Their vaunted jobs are are more important to them than their country.

BT have a heart.

[ok_cpu]

3. I think it's one (or a combo) of two things

His base supporters are the rabid primary voters and major donors. They are afraid of being primaried or cut off from the trust fund.

Or, depending on how deep the hacking and coordination go, he may know where a lot of bodies are buried. We know that the 'pubs aren't exactly rule followers.

It is crazy just how much they have laid down for him, though.

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

4. Eight years of a democratic president

They fear trump may be a one term fluke and possibly eight more years of Democrat control.

I don't think any of them are so stupid to think trump will do them favors once out of office.

[Siwsan]

5. I am totally convinced trump* has damaging dossiers on some of them

Likely supplied by his Russian overlord.

[Joinfortmill]

6. All the answers below plus...

They want to stack the courts with right wing judges and in the end control all branches of government. They're making some headway, which is why we need to throw the suckers out of office.

[Whiskeytide]

7. It's mostly the math. They are not ...

... afraid of Тяцмр himself. They are afraid of what his base will do. Removing him from office would not cancel his twitter account or prevent him from doing interviews or even rallies. He would stoke the base to primary them. The base has numbers sufficient in most red districts to make that happen.

But many of the republican base spawned asshats that win the primaries would likely lose in the GE, and suddenly republicans are dramatically out of power and democrats have a majority in the house and senate.

So it’s partly self preservation of their own seats, and partly acting to try and save the party’s influence in general. There is no way they can really oppose him, and they could NEVER have voted to remove him. It would have essentially turned all of the power of government over to democrats.

[ok_cpu]

8. That's a great explanation for their willingness to cover him at all costs

they've done the same math as you and believe they are the saviors of the party. Country be damned, apparently.

[Whiskeytide]

9. Yep. I believe it is short sighted ...

... on their part, but politically they really have no other choice presently. It’s a little ironic that the rabid base THEY created is causing them to now shed their decency. It’s the classic unchained monster creation scenario.

[malaise]

10. He's got all the dirt on every one of them

That is what they fear most

[pwb]

11. They are all the same. Trump brought it out in the open.

Congress should not be a career.

[Talitha]

12. Russia has tons of crap on Repugs, probably from hacking.

And shit-for-brains is weaponizing the info against them.

He possibly has his goons threatening them and their families.

Some of the Repugs went willingly from the get-go.

Others were 'converted' during a round of golf at Mar-a-Lardo.

IMO, they're absolutely terrified.

And that can do very bad things to your soul.

[NewJeffCT]

13. If they come out against Trump

they also risk future income as a lobbyist and/or guest analyst on Fox News and losing cushy jobs in RW "think" tanks. Trump is small and petty enough to go all out to destroy them.