Caffeinated Politics

I predict that Senator John Cornyn will be defeated on Tuesday in the Texas Republican Senate primary, as Ken Paxton will send the incumbent senator packing after four terms. That is not a win for the state or the GOP, as the troubling (and troubled) attorney general is the weaker candidate for the general election. Voters in the Lone Star State know Paxton as having so many character flaws that it is reported his shadow even keeps a respectful distance.

But let us not delude ourselves that Coryn is the ethical and moral candidate in the race. What has me posting about the Texas primary is a comment he made recently at a campaign gathering. “I’m here to tell you I believe that character still matters”.

Really? Honestly?

Senator Cornyn has long emphasized that character matters in public life. He has said it in speeches, interviews, and statements over the years, often framing moral leadership as essential to the health of American democracy. Yet his record of repeatedly supporting Donald Trump has raised a persistent and unavoidable question: What does it mean to say character matters while backing a person whose conduct has been the subject of extensive, well‑documented evidence that proves there is a severe lack of character?

The public record on Trump’s low character is well known. Across multiple election cycles and news cycles, Trump has faced a long list of allegations and documented behavior that we can legitimately point to as evidence of serious character flaws.

There have been numerous accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault, some of which have resulted in civil judgments. The latest reports question whether he was sexually active with a 13-year-old girl in the Epstein files. Repeated derogatory statements about women, comments, and actions that many observers have described as racist, including remarks about immigrants, judges, and members of Congress. Add on the misogynistic rhetoric, which has been documented over the decades.

Efforts to undermine the constitutional process following the 2020 election culminated in the treasonous events of January 6, 2021. Attacks on judges, prosecutors, and institutions when they ruled or acted against his interests.

For frosting, let us add multiple criminal indictments and civil findings related to business practices, not paying his bills, and reneging on contracts.

That list does not consist of frivolous claims. They are part of the mainstream public record, covered by major national news outlets and, in several cases, affirmed in court proceedings.

Yet, Cornyn has shown himself to be a most loyal sycophant to Trump. Despite a dismal record of low-life behavior, the senator has supported Trump in election after election. He has endorsed him, defended him, and aligned with him on key political battles. If there were a real belief that “character still matters,” the senator would not doggedly have worked to keep backing Trump as the leader of the Republican Party.

I only have one question for the Texas Senator.

If character is a non‑negotiable value, how can it be set aside so consistently? If moral leadership is essential, how can it be reconciled with a figure whose conduct has been so widely criticized and legally challenged?

The tension between Cornyn’s stated principles and his political choices reflects a broader shift in the Republican Party. I am old enough to have watched American politics with the 12-years of power being held by President Ronald Reagan and followed by President George Bush. It is not hard to distinguish the move by the GOP from character‑based leadership to power‑based calculations. Support for Trump has become, for many feckless elected officials, less about personal conviction and more about political survival within the party.

At a time when the Republican Party needed mature leadership and institutional guidance, Cornyn acted like a man scared of his shadow too many times. In so doing, at this desk at least, his actions invited questions about his sincerity, his consistency, and the larger meaning of leadership itself. The bottom line of this column is if character truly matters, when does it matter enough to act on it?

(For the record, I predict that Jasmine Crockett will win the Democratic Senate Primary based on voters’ desire to push back against the absurdity we see daily from the Trump regime. I think, however, that the better statewide candidate in November would have been James Talarico.)