Exodus: Departures from Congress give GOP cause to worry

The number of Republican House members mulling either retirement or returns to the private sector continues to grow.

At least four members have stated publicly they will not seek re-election, two are considering retirement and one is hinting at a bid for the Senate.

And while a quick Google search will lead you to the who, and national media coverage will at best -- or at worst, depending on your view of the current state of journalism -- hint at the why, the implication is abundantly clear.

Some establishment Republicans are willing to walk away from their offices rather than to abide the president's agenda.

It could be his tweets or his inability so far to gain the support he would have needed for repeal and replace or the ban or the wall.

We'll leave all further speculation for the "expert" panels on cable news to debate, but the real concern for conservatives is that this divide inside the Republican party might have ramifications come the mid-terms.

Some of those House seats being abdicated lie in Democratic-contested districts in states shaded more purple than red or blue.

If a tax-reform bill doesn't come out of this fall session, look for the fissure to widen and the crevasse that opens below it to swallow up more faithful conservatives.

If a leader cannot emerge among the party who can unite the establishment and the president's loyalists, the handing over of the keys to the country that will begin in 2018 will carry over. And while the Dems might not have yet been able to identify a potential challenger to a second Trump term, could Republicans bolster another red tie's confidence to stand up in the primaries against the incumbent?

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Published in Editorials on September 11, 2017 10:25 PM