Justin Amash is not a Republican; he's a libertarian Paulbot fraud

Often it's John McCain who provides the media with what they love the most. OK. Second most behind race riots. I'm talking about a Republican who will validate the media's storylines by willingly attacking other Republicans, especially if the target of the attack is President Trump. And the media are not choosy about the legitimacy of the Republican they quote. An R after the name is more than sufficient, even if the person in question isn't a real Republican and doesn't believe what Republicans believe. So today, they're quite excited to tell you that, for the first time, a Republican is talking about the possibility of impeaching Trump over the Comey memos.

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The only problem is that the person they're citing is not actually a Republican at all. He is libertarian Ron Paul disciple Justin Amash, and he used to be my congressman. Sadly, Amash didn't stop being my congressman because he stopped being a congressman entirely. That would have been best for everyone. He stopped being my congressman because I moved out of his district. Now my congressman is horrendously awful UAW stooge Sander Levin, which is repulsive, but at least Levin doesn't pretend to be anything other than what he is. Amash does. He pretended to be a Republican and got elected to the Michigan Legislature while in his 20s, and took advantage of a divided field to win the 3rd Congressional District primary when Vern Ehlers retired and created an open seat. And now, because he's not really a Republican, he's preening for the media's jubilant eyes and talking up his willingness to impeach the president:

Republicans are beginning to talk of the possibility that President Trump could face impeachment after reports that he pressed ousted FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

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While Republicans are choosing their words carefully, the fact that impeachment is even being mentioned is notable in Washington's polarized political environment. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on Wednesday said if the reports about Trump's pressure on Comey are true, it would merit impeachment. Amash spoke a day after The New York Times on Tuesday reported that Trump tried to pressure Comey to stop investigating Flynn. According to a memo written by Comey after the February meeting, the president told Comey "I hope you can let this go." Asked by The Hill if the details in the memo would merit impeachment if they're true, Amash replied: "Yes." "But everybody gets a fair trial in this country," Amash added as he left a House GOP conference meeting. Asked by another reporter whether he trusted Comey's word or Trump's, Amash said: "I think it's pretty clear I have more confidence in Director Comey."

So Amash gave the Hill an opportunity to say "Republicans" are now open to Trump's impeachment. But that's not true, because one of the so-called Republicans in the story is Amash, who isn't a Republican. The only actual Republican who has signed on to this is Walter Jones of South Carolina, and that's only one. Amash is not well liked by community leaders in Grand Rapids, which is the largest city in his district and where I lived for 20 years. They would love to get rid of him because his loyalty is the libertarian Borg and not to his district or its needs. A lot of people like Amash because uses social media to explain his votes, which is a perfectly fine thing to do. But just because you explain your priorities doesn't excuse them if they're wrong.

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Conservatives want limited government. Libertarians want no government at all. So conservatives make the mistake of thinking libertarians are their pals, since libertarians will usually vote against spending and programs we don't like. But they also vote against things government needs to do, like looking after national security or enforcing the law. So why does Amash run as a Republican? Because if he ran as what he really is, he would never win. I know a lot of conservatives consider themselves "libertarian-curious," and think it's admirable that libertarians are "consistent" in their opposition to government. But all that consistency really means is that they don't use their brains. If it's government, they're against it. They don't give any serious thought to whether something is beneficial or useful. They just oppose everything that has to do with the public sector, regardless of its merits. Because that's what you do when you're part of a cult. Like Justin Amash. Conservatives should favor limited government, which doesn't try to do too many things, but does the important things very well. That is more or less the philosophy of the Republican Party. It is not the philosophy of Justin Amash. And he is not a Republican who wants to impeach Donald Trump. Because he's not a Republican, his dishonest party identification notwithstanding.

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