It isn’t that the Republicans lack spine, it’s that they have very flexible principles and an extreme resistance to recognizing the limits of what they can get done. Mitch (and probably Pence as well) really probably believed they could control Trump, but failed to recognize that Trump only responds to his inner alt-right circle and family, some of whom seem to be as much dark tetrad personalities as Trump himself.
It isn’t that the Republicans lack spine, it’s that they have very flexible principles and an extreme resistance to recognizing the limits of what they can get done. Mitch (and probably Pence as well) really probably believed they could control Trump, but failed to recognize that Trump only responds to his inner alt-right circle and family, some of whom seem to be as much dark tetrad personalities as Trump himself.