December 16, 2019--Let's Play Jeopardy

Category: United States Senators

For $2,000 the answer is-- 

This 79-year-old Republican senior senator  from Tennessee who was George H.W. Bush's Secretary of Education before being elected to the Senate and seeking the GOP nomination for the presidency is not running for reelection in 2020. He is best known for campaigning in lumber jack shirts.

Question?

Who is Lamar Alexander?

Alex Trebek--"Good"

I set this up Jeopardy style to make the point that Alexander is not a household name. How many of you got this right?

Now, here's my question--

Alexander is a lifelong political moderate, has plenty of money (about $25.0 million), is not susceptible to being primaried by a hand-picked Trump political flunky, and by all measures should not be concerned about what Trump thinks about him or what nickname he might come up with to smear him.

And yet he is on a trajectory to vote not to remove Trump from office. He is not on the Democratic party's wish list of Republican senators worried about their upcoming reelection chances who might, might consider voting to convict Trump in the Senate--Susan Collins (Maine), Martha McSally (Arizona), Thom Tillis (NC), Cory Gardner (Colorado), Joni Ernst (Iowa), and the ever-ambitious Mitt Romney (Utah).

In spite of holding these senators in contempt if they vote to exonerate Trump, I get the craven ones seeking reelection who are trying to figure out not how to defend the Constitution (as their oath requires) while at the same time not enraging Trump,

But Lamar Alexander?

What secret power does Trump have over him?

I understand a lot about what is going on politically, including why Trump in 2016 received 54 percent of white women's votes. But this one I don't get.

I'd very much welcome your thoughts.