I invented the term “PBS Republican” when I was a young lawyer in the 1980s. The archetype was a prominent local politician who could occasionally be seen asking for money for the local PBS station during begging weeks. He was highly educated and highbrow, so he supported government funding for public television and for environmental programs for both selfish and selfless reasons. He was a man with whom the left could do business.
As last night’s rescissions vote proves, the PBS Republican is a dying breed, or at least has gone deep underground. He hasn’t been seen since Mitt Romney lost the election in 2012. Will he ever return? Not unless Trump is viewed as an utter failure and is therefore repudiated by his party, like George W. Bush.