The Real Winner,,,
by tristero
... is Jeff Flake. As a result of his recent cynical stunts, he's positioned himself perfectly as thoughtful, compassionate, caring, and reasonnable.
He is, of course, none of these things. But he manipulated and marketed this awful tragedy with ruthless cunning. He will now be perceived by the media and Very Serious People as the desperately-needed measured voice who might bring the country together and vanquish Trump.
He's not that either. Flake's a far-right ideologue that votes Trump over 83% of the time. You hate Trump but like Trumpism? Flake's your boy especially now that he has the perfect cover, as a fake Independent Thinker.
I think Flake's been running for president since the moment he announced his Senate resignation. He may not win in 2020 against Trump, but I'll bet dollars to donuts he'll try. And there's always 2024.
That's the thing about major catastrophes, be they tsunamis or the collapse of democracy. The dangers and damage multiplies in horrible ways.