Michigan Rep. Justin Amash was a relatively insignificant and unknown member of Congress until earlier this week, when he became an instant sensation with the mainstream media and “resistance” celebrities.
As soon as he declared the words that nearly all pundits want to hear — that he believes President Trump can and should be impeached — he rocketed into political superstardom.
“I respect him,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said. “I think it’s a courageous statement.”
There was nothing courageous about it.
As someone who runs a public-relations company for a living, I see how beneficial it is for an individual’s career to come out against the president. The amount of air time one can earn for their “courage” is invaluable for someone in the public eye.
As soon as any Republican takes a swing at the president, they are immediately exalted, and any past actions they may have taken that have gone against Democratic Party orthodoxy are promptly deep-sixed, cleansed away. It is almost like a baptism; the ultimate path to redemption. If you come out as an anti-Trump Republican, you can be sure that there is a book deal in your future, all the air time you could possibly want on the mainstream networks, and a gaggle of celebrities waiting to sing your praises.
We’ve seen this story play out a million times now.
Ana Navarro claims to be a Republican, but is a CNN contributor and beloved by Democrats for constantly trashing Trump. Former GOP strategist Steve Schmidt went from persona non grata to MSNBC contributor in much the same way.
Omarosa Manigault Newman went from being the butt of every joke during her time in the administration to securing a book deal and enjoying constant attention on television.
Bill Kristol, co-architect of the Iraq War and renowned cartoon villain, went from being held in contempt by the media to being on CNN seemingly every day — completely pardoned in the court of public opinion because he loathes the president.
The late Arizona Sen. John McCain was ruthlessly mocked by the media in 2008 when he ran against Barack Obama. He was deemed a racist, grouchy old kook. The media didn’t hold back with their attacks.
Some favorites from the 2008 campaign: Ezra Klein said McCain’s campaign was “running crypto-racist ads.” Bill Press called McCain’s campaign “deliberately and deceptively racist.” John Marshall argued that the McCain campaign was “pushing the caricature of Obama as an uppity young black man whose presumptuousness is displayed not only in taking on airs above his station but also in a taste for young white women.” Don Lemon accused the campaign of “creating a political environment that is inciting hate and hate speech.” The smears were unrelenting, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, entirely similar to what the media currently says about President Trump.
All was forgotten though, when Senator McCain became one of Trump’s biggest adversaries. He was praised, glorified, and celebrated. Anyone who dared to criticize him was branded a monster who doesn’t support war heroes.
Former President George W. Bush has received the same treatment. Once considered the embodiment of evil for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the 2008 financial crash, he is now portrayed in a glowing light by the liberal media every time he does something as simple as handing Michelle Obama a cough drop. So what changed? He trashed “Trumpism,” of course.
Bush was widely considered one of the most hated presidents of all time. He left office with one of the lowest approval ratings in history; but that all changed when he started speaking out against Trump. He has now gained the approval of every talking head and journalist, and, by extension, 53% of the public.
These are just a few of the examples of the redemption arcs that immediately await those on the right who repeat what the media wants to hear about the president. There is no misdeed in your past that won’t be forgiven.
It isn’t “brave” or “courageous” to come out against Trump. It’s a smart, self-serving career move.
Adam Weiss (@AdamMatthew) is the CEO of AMW PR, a New York political strategy and communications firm. His firm has represented Kimberly Guilfoyle, Judge Jeanine Pirro, Corey Lewandowski, David Bossie, Anthony Scaramucci and more.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.