R.I.P. The Republican Party

brianlux

Or as R.E.M. once said, "Welcome to the occupation."

The Lincoln Project tweeted, “Tonight, the nation marks the end of the Republican Party. What remains shares the name and branding of the traditional GOP, but is in fact an authoritarian nationalist cult dedicated only to Donald Trump.”

The Juggler

They've hitched their wagon to a con man. 

tempo_n_groove

The Juggler said:

They've hitched their wagon to a con man. 

Remember at first when he was running and NOBODY wanted to be associated w him?  Now they fall all over themselves for him.

I was all for him at first because he wasn't traditional.  How you can still support him though after everything he has done?

Madness.

benjs

I'm not convinced this will be a bad thing for Democrats. If Primaries across the States yield a cabal of Trump-loving nutcases who can't articulate a single cogent argument - my guess is that can be weaponized to draw more Democrat voters to the booths in the general elections.

The Juggler

benjs said:

I'm not convinced this will be a bad thing for Democrats. If Primaries across the States yield a cabal of Trump-loving nutcases who can't articulate a single cogent argument - my guess is that can be weaponized to draw more Democrat voters to the booths in the general elections.

That is why a lot of these maga loons got donations from dem super pacs. They think they will have an easier time beating them in November than a traditional republican.

Halifax2TheMax

The Juggler said:

benjs said:

I'm not convinced this will be a bad thing for Democrats. If Primaries across the States yield a cabal of Trump-loving nutcases who can't articulate a single cogent argument - my guess is that can be weaponized to draw more Democrat voters to the booths in the general elections.

That is why a lot of these maga loons got donations from dem super pacs. They think they will have an easier time beating them in November than a traditional republican.

This strategy may very well blow up in the Dems’ faces. Don’t forget, 7-8M more folks voted for POOTWH the 2nd time around and even the moderate repubs are afraid to disavow him. Coupled with the take over of state legislatures and voting governance apparatuses, storm clouds are brewing.

Halifax2TheMax

From WaPo. The problem is the American repub electorate.

The winners fit a pattern: Across the battleground states that decided the 2020 vote, candidates who deny the legitimacy of that election have claimed nearly two-thirds of GOP nominations for state and federal offices with authority over elections, according to a Washington Post analysis.

In the 41 states that have held nominating contests this year, more than half the GOP winners so far — about 250 candidates in 469 contests — have embraced Trump’s false claims about his defeat two years ago, according to a Post analysis of every race for federal and statewide office with power over elections.

The proportion of election-denying nominees is even higher in the six critical battlegrounds that ultimately decided the 2020 presidential contest, where Trump most fiercely contested the results. In Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, at least 54 winners out of 87 contests — more than 62 percent of nominees — have embraced the former president’s false claims.

The count covers offices with direct supervision over election certification, such as secretaries of state, as well as the U.S. House and Senate, which have the power to finalize — or contest — the electoral college count every four years. Lieutenant governors and attorneys general are also included, with each playing a role in shaping election law, investigating alleged fraud or filing lawsuits to influence electoral outcomes.

Among the six battlegrounds, only Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania have nominated statewide candidates who would have direct power over the certification process and who worked to overturn the 2020 result or have said they would not have certified it.

Candidates identified by The Post as election deniers have questioned President Biden’s victory, opposed the counting of Biden’s electoral college votes, expressed support for a partisan post-election ballot review, signed onto a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 result, or attended or expressed support for the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally on Jan. 6, 2021.

“These people are out there saying they are going to do this,” said Bradley Schrager, a Democratic election lawyer based in Nevada. “Which means, logically, that there’s a constituency out there that yearns for this.”

And if election-denying candidates win in November, having campaigned on the issue, Schrager said they may claim a mandate to address their backers’ grievances by whatever means necessary.

“We’re in the world of, ‘What are you prepared to do?’ ‘How far will you go?’” Schrager said. “We’re focusing on certification and things of that nature. But all the little things that run an election go through these people. So you could not just gum up an election. You could destroy it.”

OnWis97

The GOP is still party #1, in no small part because they're united. That they're united behind a despotic conman is problematic for the country but not for their party. You don't see American conservatives saying a candidate has to "earn my vote." Another key part of the reason is because the Constitution enabled them to fall ass backwards into an advantageous situation with the extra power given to rural states/areas. They're not a majority but the Senate and electoral college effectively make them the majority.

The Dems are far more likely to be dead the the GOP.

The Juggler

Halifax2TheMax said:

The Juggler said:

benjs said:

I'm not convinced this will be a bad thing for Democrats. If Primaries across the States yield a cabal of Trump-loving nutcases who can't articulate a single cogent argument - my guess is that can be weaponized to draw more Democrat voters to the booths in the general elections.

That is why a lot of these maga loons got donations from dem super pacs. They think they will have an easier time beating them in November than a traditional republican.

This strategy may very well blow up in the Dems’ faces. Don’t forget, 7-8M more folks voted for POOTWH the 2nd time around and even the moderate repubs are afraid to disavow him. Coupled with the take over of state legislatures and voting governance apparatuses, storm clouds are brewing.

...yes, I agree it is risky proposition

Parksy

It died the day Trump was made the GOP nominee.  

It's been a stinking, rotting corpse since. Prove me wrong. 

tempo_n_groove

Parksy said:

It died the day Trump was made the GOP nominee.  

It's been a stinking, rotting corpse since. Prove me wrong. 

People have been saying this since Reagan though.

It has or seems to have gotten worse since Trump by great leaps and bounds.

The Juggler

tempo_n_groove said:

Parksy said:

It died the day Trump was made the GOP nominee.  

It's been a stinking, rotting corpse since. Prove me wrong. 

People have been saying this since Reagan though.

It has or seems to have gotten worse since Trump by great leaps and bounds.

Since Reagan? Nah...

People on the other side have been vehemently disagreeing the Republicans for decades but it is exponentially different now as the Maga people have turned their backs on those very same traditional republicans. Case in point: the quintessential Republican and Republican family Liz Cheney. 

cincybearcat

tempo_n_groove said:

Parksy said:

It died the day Trump was made the GOP nominee.  

It's been a stinking, rotting corpse since. Prove me wrong. 

People have been saying this since Reagan though.

It has or seems to have gotten worse since Trump by great leaps and bounds.

I think the distinction here is people have been saying that the Repub party was "losing it's base" over time. 

The GOP switched this up by bailing on their core beliefs, using populism and religion to shore up a vocal group of people that will be loyal, focusing less on governing and more on culture, developing an amazing local/state level org that is proving to be very valuable.

I agree that it hasn't been the GOP since Trump was the nominee.  It is a totally different party now...and unfortunately could be built to last.  The biggest surprise and concern for me are the latino voters who have been supporting trump and this nonsense.  

Instead of abandoning religious rule and moving towards a true small government party...they decided on a crusade against anyone that disagrees on anything.  And like a terrorist org, if one goes away, someone is there to take their place.  And the lack of truth and the ability to be straight-faced hypocrites has so far, given this new party staying power.

Halifax2TheMax

Go Beavers

It was only a matter of time based on the party’s response to the Civil Rights Act and the embrace of the culture war beginning in the Reagan era (if not before that with Nixon). 

Parksy

The Juggler said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Parksy said:

It died the day Trump was made the GOP nominee.  

It's been a stinking, rotting corpse since. Prove me wrong. 

People have been saying this since Reagan though.

It has or seems to have gotten worse since Trump by great leaps and bounds.

Since Reagan? Nah...

People on the other side have been vehemently disagreeing the Republicans for decades but it is exponentially different now as the Maga people have turned their backs on those very same traditional republicans. Case in point: the quintessential Republican and Republican family Liz Cheney. 

Yep. 

I'm on the outside looking in with limited knowledge of american politics.. but from what I can see... folks 'on the left' have been against Reagan and the Bushes and conservatism.  But traditional conservatism and fiscal conservatism is no longer what the republican party are about. Conspiracy theories and fear are now front and centre. 

gimmesometruth27

good. that party needed to die 40 years ago.

The Juggler

Parksy said:

The Juggler said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Parksy said:

It died the day Trump was made the GOP nominee.  

It's been a stinking, rotting corpse since. Prove me wrong. 

People have been saying this since Reagan though.

It has or seems to have gotten worse since Trump by great leaps and bounds.

Since Reagan? Nah...

People on the other side have been vehemently disagreeing the Republicans for decades but it is exponentially different now as the Maga people have turned their backs on those very same traditional republicans. Case in point: the quintessential Republican and Republican family Liz Cheney. 

Yep. 

I'm on the outside looking in with limited knowledge of american politics.. but from what I can see... folks 'on the left' have been against Reagan and the Bushes and conservatism.  But traditional conservatism and fiscal conservatism is no longer what the republican party are about. Conspiracy theories and fear are now front and centre. 

There is nobody more fiscally conservative than a Cheney for christ's sake and they just tossed her aside like last night's leftover taco salad simply because she refuses to join their cult.

brianlux

benjs said:

I'm not convinced this will be a bad thing for Democrats. If Primaries across the States yield a cabal of Trump-loving nutcases who can't articulate a single cogent argument - my guess is that can be weaponized to draw more Democrat voters to the booths in the general elections.

That is a promising thought, for sure, although as others have pointed out, a bit of a risky proposition. 

My wife pointed out something last night that had also crossed my mind, an idea some Dems here may bristle at but under worse case conditions, might have some merit.  The idea is to get a lot of Democrats to join the Republican party and support the much more rational Lincoln Project folks in order to reduce the power of the anti-Democracy, pro-authoritarian far right.  These radical right people are not going to go away.  They are very motivated, "my team or die" people who are joiners, not critical thinkers.  The Republican party has only died in the sense that it has become a cult party- the party of Trump.

At the same time, progressives need to become better organized and more motivated, and stop making assumptions that they will always win.  It's not happening.  A need for much greater energy and strategizing is definitely in need here.

So those are just some thoughts.  Personally, I am very concerned about living to se something I never imagined in my lifetime:  The demise of democracy.  I really hope I don't (and by that, I don't mean I'm in a hurry to die!)  

HughFreakingDillon

the Tea Party died. so will the Trump cult. 

The Juggler

HughFreakingDillon said:

the Tea Party died. so will the Trump cult. 

I think this is far bigger and crazier than that ever was though. 

brianlux

HughFreakingDillon said:

the Tea Party died. so will the Trump cult. 

I sure hope so but...

The Juggler said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

the Tea Party died. so will the Trump cult. 

I think this is far bigger and crazier than that ever was though. 

... I hate to say it but it seems like the Tea Party went to MacDonald's and traded in their tea and brains for "super-size me".

gimmesometruth27

HughFreakingDillon said:

the Tea Party died. so will the Trump cult. 

not entirely. ted cruz and those elected around the same time were all tea partiers. i think they then combined with the freedumb caucus to become the pre maga cult that it is now.

brianlux

gimmesometruth27 said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

the Tea Party died. so will the Trump cult. 

not entirely. ted cruz and those elected around the same time were all tea partiers. i think they then combined with the freedumb caucus to become the pre maga cult that it is now.

Weren't a lot of the Tea Party folks from 2009 and a few years following often also Libertarians, some of whom, although I didn't always agree with them, could at least formulate a decent argument? I wonder what those people think about- at least by association- having to be mixed in with the freedumb caucus?  One would think more of them would be willing to speak out against the idiocy.

MayDay10

This all started back in the 90s with Newt as the speaker of the house.  He weaponized bipartisanship and put into motion the state of things today.  There are other factors too, such as the availability of information and misinformation, blown to epic proportions by the internet/social media.

GW Bush really played into the born-again Christian thing and courted evangelicals.  Also at the same time became 'the guy you would like to have a beer with" as opposed to the boring policy expert who would be more likely to continue the good times we saw under Clinton.

For re-election, GW Bush and Republican SPACs really put the pedal to the metal with the Swift Boat ads.  Accusing an actual veteran of being a coward, while Bush was all about courage and troops.  I recall seeing the Republican convention that year (and also the McCain year), and so many old people dressed in fake military fatigues and american flags.  To criticize those awful wars, you 'hated the troops'.  It was concerning that they were beginning to steal Patriotism and convert it into their own, twisted, Nationalistic existence.

Sarah Palin was the next, necessary step.  She normalized the idea that you can have a total moron and a loon actually run for major office, and people can get away with supporting it using phrases like 'she is a fresh breath of air'.  They even degraded John McCain for this folly.  There was also the undercurrent of the xenophobic views of Obama that he was from Kenya and a Muslim.

Through the Obama terms, we had smartphones and social media explode.  There were so many memes and the spreading of false information... as well as the Tea Party.  As far as I recall, the Tea Party started in opposition of Healthcare reform, and people were rushing in and disrupting town hall meetings.  We had stupid shit start to show up, like congressional candidate rallies for George Zimmerman held at a Chick Fil A.

The Romney nomination was almost a last gasp.  A fairly good effort by him and Ryan.  They were vilified by the hidden camera and binders full of women, which was also silly.  It would have been impossible to beat Obama at that point.  At this time, it was clear that Republicans could not win national office the way things were.  Evangelicals and old people were dying off, while younger, enlightened people were populating the country.  City centers were beginning to skew voting and polls even in Texas, Georgia, Nevada, etc.  Republicans would need to adjust their policy stances in order to win, or so we thought.

Enter Trump.  He was the bounceback/revenge for all the misguided hand-wringing and shit slinging we saw having the first black president in the first full terms of smartphones and facebook.  In a country that had a vast racist underbelly that most didnt give any credit too
Everyone just played into him, expecting it to lose steam and go away.  They still do that.  The alternative now is their party splits which would cost Republicans dearly in the near-term.  
It has turned into a reality show, and Trump is the messiah to so many people... and now these people are getting elected to office as well.

HughFreakingDillon

excellent summation. come to think of it, the Newt era was the first time I ever knew any of their names. 

brianlux

MayDay10 said:

This all started back in the 90s with Newt as the speaker of the house.  He weaponized bipartisanship and put into motion the state of things today.  There are other factors too, such as the availability of information and misinformation, blown to epic proportions by the internet/social media.

GW Bush really played into the born-again Christian thing and courted evangelicals.  Also at the same time became 'the guy you would like to have a beer with" as opposed to the boring policy expert who would be more likely to continue the good times we saw under Clinton.

For re-election, GW Bush and Republican SPACs really put the pedal to the metal with the Swift Boat ads.  Accusing an actual veteran of being a coward, while Bush was all about courage and troops.  I recall seeing the Republican convention that year (and also the McCain year), and so many old people dressed in fake military fatigues and american flags.  To criticize those awful wars, you 'hated the troops'.  It was concerning that they were beginning to steal Patriotism and convert it into their own, twisted, Nationalistic existence.

Sarah Palin was the next, necessary step.  She normalized the idea that you can have a total moron and a loon actually run for major office, and people can get away with supporting it using phrases like 'she is a fresh breath of air'.  They even degraded John McCain for this folly.  There was also the undercurrent of the xenophobic views of Obama that he was from Kenya and a Muslim.

Through the Obama terms, we had smartphones and social media explode.  There were so many memes and the spreading of false information... as well as the Tea Party.  As far as I recall, the Tea Party started in opposition of Healthcare reform, and people were rushing in and disrupting town hall meetings.  We had stupid shit start to show up, like congressional candidate rallies for George Zimmerman held at a Chick Fil A.

The Romney nomination was almost a last gasp.  A fairly good effort by him and Ryan.  They were vilified by the hidden camera and binders full of women, which was also silly.  It would have been impossible to beat Obama at that point.  At this time, it was clear that Republicans could not win national office the way things were.  Evangelicals and old people were dying off, while younger, enlightened people were populating the country.  City centers were beginning to skew voting and polls even in Texas, Georgia, Nevada, etc.  Republicans would need to adjust their policy stances in order to win, or so we thought.

Enter Trump.  He was the bounceback/revenge for all the misguided hand-wringing and shit slinging we saw having the first black president in the first full terms of smartphones and facebook.  In a country that had a vast racist underbelly that most didnt give any credit too
Everyone just played into him, expecting it to lose steam and go away.  They still do that.  The alternative now is their party splits which would cost Republicans dearly in the near-term.  
It has turned into a reality show, and Trump is the messiah to so many people... and now these people are getting elected to office as well.

HughFreakingDillon said:

excellent summation. come to think of it, the Newt era was the first time I ever knew any of their names. 

Agreed!  Nicely done, MayDay!

mickeyrat

agree with all but one point. Reagan tapped into evangelicals with the "silent majority" shit 

OnWis97

mickeyrat said:

agree with all but one point. Reagan tapped into evangelicals with the "silent majority" shit 

St. Ronald also opened his campaign in Philadelphia Mississippi and talked about states' rights and Bush the First was successful with the Willie Horton ads.

That said, it does kinda feel like Newt was a big turning point...maybe even Newt along with Rush. Rush was a true visionary in losing his mind about everything the liberals/Dems did and scarring the crap out of his followers. Cable news and social media brought him and those like him right into everyone's face. In the 1990s, most people just didn't listen to AM radio? Now, almost everyone is confronted with the same exact thing that Rush was doing and has to rely on their own critical thinking to not get caught in those webs.

I think Newt can be "credited" with helping the GOP take a step toward being the GQP. But if there's one person who deserves credit/blame for planting the early seeds of today's divisiveness, I think it's Rush.

josevolution

MayDay10 said:

This all started back in the 90s with Newt as the speaker of the house.  He weaponized bipartisanship and put into motion the state of things today.  There are other factors too, such as the availability of information and misinformation, blown to epic proportions by the internet/social media.

GW Bush really played into the born-again Christian thing and courted evangelicals.  Also at the same time became 'the guy you would like to have a beer with" as opposed to the boring policy expert who would be more likely to continue the good times we saw under Clinton.

For re-election, GW Bush and Republican SPACs really put the pedal to the metal with the Swift Boat ads.  Accusing an actual veteran of being a coward, while Bush was all about courage and troops.  I recall seeing the Republican convention that year (and also the McCain year), and so many old people dressed in fake military fatigues and american flags.  To criticize those awful wars, you 'hated the troops'.  It was concerning that they were beginning to steal Patriotism and convert it into their own, twisted, Nationalistic existence.

Sarah Palin was the next, necessary step.  She normalized the idea that you can have a total moron and a loon actually run for major office, and people can get away with supporting it using phrases like 'she is a fresh breath of air'.  They even degraded John McCain for this folly.  There was also the undercurrent of the xenophobic views of Obama that he was from Kenya and a Muslim.

Through the Obama terms, we had smartphones and social media explode.  There were so many memes and the spreading of false information... as well as the Tea Party.  As far as I recall, the Tea Party started in opposition of Healthcare reform, and people were rushing in and disrupting town hall meetings.  We had stupid shit start to show up, like congressional candidate rallies for George Zimmerman held at a Chick Fil A.

The Romney nomination was almost a last gasp.  A fairly good effort by him and Ryan.  They were vilified by the hidden camera and binders full of women, which was also silly.  It would have been impossible to beat Obama at that point.  At this time, it was clear that Republicans could not win national office the way things were.  Evangelicals and old people were dying off, while younger, enlightened people were populating the country.  City centers were beginning to skew voting and polls even in Texas, Georgia, Nevada, etc.  Republicans would need to adjust their policy stances in order to win, or so we thought.

Enter Trump.  He was the bounceback/revenge for all the misguided hand-wringing and shit slinging we saw having the first black president in the first full terms of smartphones and facebook.  In a country that had a vast racist underbelly that most didnt give any credit too
Everyone just played into him, expecting it to lose steam and go away.  They still do that.  The alternative now is their party splits which would cost Republicans dearly in the near-term.  
It has turned into a reality show, and Trump is the messiah to so many people... and now these people are getting elected to office as well.

Damn I had forgotten so much of this ^^^ it’s incredible! Your assessment is spot on..

Go Beavers

Newt was significant because he was able to turn being a huge asshole into a political asset rather than a liability.