With McConnell’s endorsement of Trump, it gives the green light to other remaining skeptical Republicans — and the deep-pocketed donors who fuel campaigns — to fall in line despite any reservations they may have about a return to the Trump era.
After the Jan. 6 attack of the Capitol, McConnell issued a grave rebuke of Trump’s behavior, blaming the defeated president for spreading “wild” claims of a stolen election.
While McConnell refused to convict Trump in the Senate trial on House impeachment charges of inciting the insurrection at the Capitol, which could have left him ineligible to serve again as president, he warned that Trump was not immune from civil or criminal prosecution once he left the White House.
This is the correct answer. Republicans are scared shitless of their deranged constituents and get daily reminders that include death threats if they don’t tow the line.
Thanks for using “tow” correctly here.
PSA: “tow” like you’re a truck towing something.
Edit: well TIL
My prior belief was that “toeing the line” meant you are figuratively tiptoeing past a boundary line, testing permissible actions. Downvote me through the floor, guys, I earned it.
PSA: it’s actually supposed to be “toe the line”, aka stand with your toes on the line like a good drone. Earlier versions of the phrase included “toe the mark” or “toe the scratch”. They are adhering to the party line, not pulling it along behind them.
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/toe-the-line.html
Yeah, you got that completely backwards. There are a lot of different takes on the origin, but they generally all involve people on one side of something putting their toe right up to a line, so toeing the party line means to line up with the rest of the party.
Does Lemmy have its own r/confidentlyincorrect equivalent yet?
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I guess
Like so many idiomatic expressions, “toe the line” has nautical origins. It meant to put your toes on a plank or line drawn on the deck, usually for disciplinary purposes. In other words, “toe the line” means to show willing conformity with the requirements of an authority.
Also, there are many lines on a boat, but only a few ropes, and the tow rope is one of them. No well-drilled sailor would ever call a tow rope a “tow line”, unless he wanted to meet the captain’s daughter!