First, it’s impossible to overstate how much the Iran hostage crisis hurt Carter. It’s also important to remember that Reagan was a traitor who made a deal with Iran.
Second, it’s important to remember that after Watergate, people really wanted a ‘functional’ government. There were no riots in the streets after Ford pardoned Nixon.
Finally, Trump is, first and foremost, a backstabber. He’s got a long history of throwing people under the bus, no matter how loyal. If he’ll sign Medicare For All in return for keeping his ballroom, that’s a deal I’m willing to take. I can wait two years for him to leave office and face the state courts.
edit = One thing I forgot. Nixon left office after a bunch of GOP leaders told him that it was time to go. The Senate committee investigating Nixon was lead by a Republican who worked hard to get the truth out.
I don’t think the point is to say “we live in the same circumstances”. I think it’s more to emphasize, in the words of never-trumpers of the Lincoln Project: “Don’t Fuck it Up”.
The problem is we have no idea what the perfect path forward is.
If I were a GOP strategist I’d get some safe seat Congress member to push for impeachment now. It would put a smarter stooge in the White House, and give the Party cover in 2028. Primary out Trump’s biggest defenders and replace them with fresh new faces.
