Opinion - What happens when Republican senators have nothing left to lose? Not much.

A small group of GOP "Wounded Bear"/YOLO senators (McConnell, Cassidy, Cornyn, Tillis) loudly criticize Trump at times but rarely vote to block him — the Todd Blanche attorney‑general fight showed plenty of complaints but not enough no votes, with Cassidy supplying the decisive yes.
In a narrowly divided Senate these few hold real leverage to stop controversial nominees or actions (immunity funds, removals of inspectors general), yet they mostly fold instead of using it.
That pattern — risk avoidance and party loyalty over asserting checks and balances — prompts a worrying question for democracy: if senators with little to lose won’t push back, who will?