The Republican Party as a whole has a headache that just will not go away. At least just not yet. Maybe that might change after Donald Trump shows up at a Fulton County jail to be fingerprinted and have his mug shot done by the time these words are read. The spectacle of a former president’s face on a suspected criminal mug shot will go down in history as one of this nation’s most embarrassing moments. Presidents, former or otherwise are not supposed to have a photo of their mug shot next to their biography when talked about in the history class. The headache that Trump presents to the Republican Party will only get worse when campaigning in earnest starts next year with the frontrunner having a mug shot of him plastered all over the news and social media. Oh, if the spectacle of 2024 would only go away before it starts. However, it won’t and Donald Trump is willing to take the ship down with him. Perhaps that is why Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy is sounding the alarms on what could be one of the worst political moments for a political party that let itself be hijacked by an individual who doesn’t care about politics, except only when it serves him. Cassidy in a CNN interview recently said that the case against Donald Trump “is almost a slam dunk”, indicating that Trump should drop out of the presidential race. It’s interesting that the senator was so “final” in his assessment of Trump’s legal predicament by using the phrase “slam dunk”, suggesting that it is “game over” for Mr. Trump and for the party, not the nation to move on. Republicans like to talk about patriotism, but their loyalty is to the party first, money second and then the little man. Cassidy in his remarks, is ready to move beyond Trump, as he has been critical of Trump for getting into the race for a return trip to the White House. Cassidy is also aware without mentioning the fact, that Trump’s only hope to avoid jail is to win the presidency and then pardon himself if he’s convicted in federal court. If Trump were to be convicted in state court, A Republican governor would be under immense pressure to issue a pardon to Mr. Trump. Think about how that would look in American history books.

Cassidy, like his Republican colleagues wants to retake the White House and the Senate while hoping to increase their numbers in the House. He sees Trump as a hindrance, not a speed bump because the voting bloc of voters that Cassidy is speaking to doesn’t seem to be listening. Cassidy wants to see President Joe Biden gone but doesn’t believe that Trump would win in the general election. If he did, he would be joining the company of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, and yes, even his state colleague in the Senate, John Kennedy. But we all know that as long as Trump is leading the other candidates in the polls and the base is willing to go down with the ship, Cassidy might as well be one of a few voices speaking in the wilderness. As mentioned earlier, Trump is a headache for party leaders, not the base, because the leaders have to listen to the base or find themselves another line of work.

Cassidy was somewhat candid in his remarks, saying that it’s possible that the GOP may have a candidate “who has been convicted of a crime”, and that he believes that Americans “wouldn’t vote for someone who’s been convicted”. Clearly, Cassidy isn’t talking to Democratic and Independent voters, while at the same time is hoping that someone, anyone who is running against Trump “gives Trump a run for his money”. It hasn’t happened yet because all of the candidates except Chris Christie are being “nice” in their comments regarding Trump’s legal woes and his electability. When given the moment to be the “stand-up guy” to show that he is for the nation and not the party, Cassidy was asked if he would vote for Trump if he was the nominee. Cassidy simply said, “I’m going to vote for a Republican”. That is music to Trump’s supporters’ ears. The headache for the GOP continues. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.