Sasse's exodus is merely the latest example of how Trump has vanquished an entire generation of

[tblue37]

once-promising young conservative stars from politics.

So that's one good thing that came out of Trump's political career.

How Trump Vanquished One-Time Conservative Contenders
FALLEN STARS
Ben Sasse is just the latest in a long list of one-time promising conservatives who “could’ve been somebody”—if it wasn’t for Donald Trump


News that Ben Sasse would likely be leaving the U.S. Senate to become president of the University of Florida has aroused varied commentary—most of it critical of Sasse. But one take has probably been underrated—Sasse’s exodus is merely the latest example of how Trump has vanquished an entire generation of once-promising young conservative stars from politics.

Think about it. When Donald Trump came down that escalator in 2015, the Republican Party was about to field what was then seen as an impressive and diverse array of future young conservative stars. The names included Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and Sen. Ted Cruz. (There was also Rand Paul and Chris Christie, among others—though they fall just outside the Gen-X category.) While I might not compare them to the quarterback class of 1983 (​​John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino), the field felt pretty stacked at the time.

Take Jindal, for example. He was the first Indian-American governor, he had been a congressman, and he had served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (among other jobs). And he was just 46 years old! Today, he sells aluminum siding in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Okay, I’m kidding. I have no idea what he’s doing—and that’s precisely my point.

Half of them were humiliated and eventually co-opted by Trump (Rubio and Cruz), while the other half were essentially pushed out of electoral politics (Jindal and Walker)—for the time being, at least.

Snip

Much more at link: https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-republican-rising-stars-like-ben-sasse-nikki-haley-could-have-been-contenders-before-donald-trump

[edhopper]

1. Do I have to remind people there

how absolutely awful Jindal and Walker were on there own, with or without Trump. This is not a loss for the country that these two have disappeared.

[tblue37]

2. As I say in my OP, this is one good effect of Trump's political career.

[edhopper]

3. I didn't catch that

[agingdem]

7. What's the color of sky in Matt Lewis's world??

Jindal, Walker, Rubio, Cruz, Christie, Paul..all vile in their own right...as for Sasse, Senator Kumbaya and his 'why can't we all get along" schtick, he voted Trump's agenda over 86%..impeachment #1 was a no...impeachment #2 was a yes..I suspect he assumed once Trump vacated the Oval Office he would disappear from the public discourse...Sasse was wrong..

I'm thinking Matt Lewis should stop with his missives on the demise of his Republican Party...Trump is the end-product of his party's long road to hell not the beginning...

[Timewas]

4. Once Promising??

By rethug standards maybe but not any other

[RockRaven]

5. Trump didn't vanquish them... Dumb asshole Republican voters did.

Trump is just a guy. He doesn't donate money to campaigns and he only has one vote.

It's the brain dead and sociopathic masses who change their votes and other political behaviors because of his word salad who have derailed the careers of Sasse and others.

[SWBTATTReg]

6. It also, most importantly, shows just how feeble, how incapable, how incompetent the republican

party is, in that it can't even police itself against excesses committed by its own party members.

No wonder this party is doomed and is going down the tubes.