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.
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!