Dem
51
GOP
49
When it became clear that RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel's days were numbered, and that Donald Trump was going to force a change, we presumed it was one or both of the usual Trumpy dynamics: (1) He lost interest in a longtime loyal lackey, or (2) He was looking for a scapegoat for problems that he himself caused.
Those things may also be a part of it, but RNC insiders are not so subtly sharing what appears to be the main point of contention: Trump wants to raid the RNC's coffers to help pay his legal bills, and McDaniel—gasp!—wants to use that money to, you know, help win elections. She somehow has the strange idea that is in her job description.
The RNC members who are talking about this particular subject are in agreement with McDaniel, and are trying to gently signal to Trump that this is not something they are on board with, and that he should drop his piggy-bank-robbing plans if he wants to seat the RNC chair of his choosing. This sort of pushback is adorable, but it also doesn't amount to much. Trump is going to get the chair he wants. And if he wants to help himself to the RNC's money—not that there's much of it—he's going to get that, too. Sorry, RNC members!
Also, since we are on the subject, it would appear that the Michigan GOP's long national nightmare is over, as the RNC has formally recognized Pete Hoekstra as the state chair, meaning that Kristina Karamo is officially out. Karamo is claiming that this is fake news and fraud and yadda, yadda, yadda, but she's pretty much just shouting into the void at this point, especially since even Trump has said Hoekstra's the guy. Thus ends a soap opera that was quite a show while it lasted. (Z)