Thorn in the Side
Thomas Massie has made clear that among pundits and politicians who claim to be "conservative", actually being conservative is a big problem.
Atlanta, GA
May 19, 2026
For months, foreign forces have attacked a rural district in northern Kentucky. Mariam Adelson, John Paulson, Paul Singer, and other out-of-state interests have heaved $25M over the wall, the most artillery ever unloaded on a congressional primary. The unprecedented barrage doesn’t reflect who the outsiders want in; it’s about who they need out.
The Trump Administration is manning the catapults. Yesterday the Secretary of Defense flew into Kentucky join the assault. Last night Donald Trump posted a plea from the Oval Office for the people of northern Kentucky to rid him of this turbulent incumbent.
What’s going on? Who’s this thorn in the side the president wants pulled?
Crossing the Line
The object of ire is Thomas Massie, a constitutionalist, sound money advocate, principled libertarian, and often the lone “no” vote when Congress decides to do something stupid. He’s also the man Donald Trump endorsed in 2022.
Unlike almost every other politician, Massie has always respected his oath of office, and he actually reads and publicly critiques bills on which he votes. No wonder he’s compiled a long list of enviable enemies.
He opposed lockdowns and other bipartisan “emergency” power grabs, renounces money printing, resisted Russiagate, demanded an in-person vote on the CARES Act, decried medical mandates, tried to thwart “kill-switches” in cars, combatted the climate hysteria, denounced every boondoggle budget since he’s been in office, and insisted on Congressional declarations before launching wars.
In other words, Thomas Massie is what used to be known as a “conservative”.
Yet Massie’s detractors call him a “contrarian”, as if being a “conformist” is supposed to be a compliment. After Massie insisted Congress actually vote in person on the $2.2T CARES Act, Donald Trump (of all people) had the gall to call Massie a “grandstander”.
Despite Massie voting with Republicans more often than any Republican, some Trump sycophants label him a “liberal” or a “Democrat”, as if those words are synonymous with anything their president doesn’t like.
The animosity has only increased since Trump returned to office. But why? What changed since Trump endorsed Massie in 2022?
Thomas Massie hasn’t.
After campaigning to cut spending and reduce the deficit, Trump resented Massie opposing the profligate “Big Beautiful Bill”, which prompted the president to post that Massie “SHOULD BE PRIMARIED”.
The president and his donors were furious when Massie opposed their wars, criticized Israel, and demanded the Epstein documents be released. Massie’s revelation that every member of Congress has an “AIPAC babysitter” didn’t ease their anger.
Massie has made clear that among pundits and politicians who claim to be “conservative”, actually being conservative is a big problem. It’s fine to utter platitudes about the Constitution and to say conservative things, but walking the walk is crossing the line.
Warm Body
So the party guardians decided to oust the most conservative member of Congress. Lindsey Graham (who once said “enough is enough” regarding Trump) is endorsed by the president. But Thomas Massie (who defended Trump thru two impeachments) has to go.
All Massie’s antagonists needed, as Trump put it, was a “warm body”. They found an oatmeal in skin called “Ed Gallrein”, another interchangeable part in the corrupt gears of the political machine. As loyal as Graham, Gallrein quit the Republican party when Trump was first elected.
During this campaign he’s refused to debate Thomas Massie, and has avoided appearing with his opponent. He doesn’t answer standard questionnaires. At carefully managed campaign events, he rarely addresses constituents’ concerns.
But to give his “campaign” credit, it’s probably smart to avoid a smarter, more well-read, informed competitor who would quickly expose the candidate as an empty shell.
And it might work. We’ll find out in a few hours.
“Ed Gallrein” is the warm body Trump wanted. So warm that he may as well be room temperature. At this point, that might be all he needs. If so, the rest of us will get what we deserve.
If we didn’t, we’d have more than one Thomas Massie in office already.
JD
AIPAC babysitter for each member of Congress is, sadly, apt
I will forever recall maybe ten years ago overhearing a conversation while waiting to board an elevator in the Rayburn House Office Building
There were three waiting for it. Me, an older man and what looked to me to be an intern.
The older man was loudly boasting to his young colleague that they'll have no trouble securing their commitment to fund what "we'll" request for Israel.
He said, "They'll (meaning Congressmen) will do whatever we ask."
What took me aback was his loud assertion and haughty confidence. He wanted me and his young colleague to know how easily he could extract money for Israel from America's Congress.
What I find deplorable is AIPAC's mission to use US citizens to put the interests of Israel ahead of America's.
Today as then, many politically sensitive individuals are loath to criticize Israel for fear of being tarred as an anti-Semite, an AIPAC objective that it has long since achieved.
From what You have written, this man is not a lap dog. Good on him from My point of view.