Thursday, November 19, 2020

Republicans and Trump

Most Republicans are sticking with Donald Trump. That's bad news. But, E.J. Dionne writes, you can see the reason they have made that choice by looking at the election results:

In 2020, Trump voters came out in droves and thus boosted down-ballot Republicans. Trump won over 10 million more votes in 2020 than in 2016 — exit polls suggest that 6.5 million of his ballots came from first-time voters — which means he brought new supporters into the electorate who were important to this year’s House GOP victories.

As one Democratic strategist noted, “2018 was a wave year because our people showed up and theirs didn’t. 2020 was like a reversion to the mean because both sides showed up and right now we’re feeling the whiplash because no public or private data saw it coming.”

And, behind Trump's increased voter turnout, there is a disturbing undercurrent:

Given Trump’s intemperate and often wild ranting in the campaign’s final weeks and the growing public role in GOP politics of QAnon conspiracists, the Proud Boys and other previously marginal extremist groups, these voters may well be more radical than the party as a whole. This means that Republicans looking to the future may be more focused on keeping such Trump loyalists in the electorate than on backing away from his abuses.

If Dionne is right, the United States is in for a lot of trouble:

Trump’s bitterest harvest could thus be a Republican Party with absolutely no interest in a more moderate course and every reason to keep its supporters angry and on edge. Ignoring reality and denying Trump’s defeat are part of that effort.

The Republican Party is now the party of Trump and of Fantasy. And it's beginning to look like it will stay that way.

Image: theorion.com


12 comments:

The Disaffected Lib said...

Glenn Kirshner, retired US assistant district attorney, observes that when John McCain took the microphone from a woman at a campaign rally who said Obama was a Muslim and instead came to Obama's defence it was "the best of American politics." When not a single Republican will take the mic from Trump today, that's "the worst of American politics."

I listened to a BBC report today about the crowds of Trump supporters protesting that the election was stolen. Like Trump they offer no factual basis for the claim. Trump having said it repeatedly is proof enough. The reporter then mentioned the number of Q signs at the demonstration - QAnon. These people were full of praise for this anonymous, "highly educated," insider who has bravely exposed the child-murdering, cannibalistic Democrats.

When people are prepared to accept such fabulous contrivances in the absence of anything remotely factual and for so long how does a nation get past that? How long before they paint Biden as some anti-Christ.

In other developments, Kyle Rittenhouse, the kid who used an assault rifle to shoot three people at a BLM demonstration, tells the Washington Post he used his stimulus cheque to buy the weapon. Making America Great Again, I suppose.

Owen Gray said...

I sincerely hope Biden can put his nation on a better course, Mound. But with so many Trumpist zombies in the population, he's not going to have an easy time of it.

Anonymous said...

All my relatives that still live in the USA were GOP members. They are saying they will never vote republickin [ no thats not a spelling error ] again. They say that not one has balls enough to stand up for them against Trump and his band of ball lickers. They say the party is doomed and will never ever get elected again.

Anonymous said...

The Republican party was consistently and systematicly undermining the American people's trust in each other and the democratic system long before Trump was elected. The party, and the think tanks and media that support it, have been peddling outrageous conspiracy theories and wild, unsubstantiated accusations for years. If nothing else, Trump demonstrated that turning the crazy up to 11 brings out historic levels of supporters. Ten million more people voted GOP than in 2016, ignoring unprecedented corruption and incompetence, and a botched pandemic response that resulted in more American deaths than WW1 and all America's post-WW2 conflicts combined.

The modern GOP has always been the party of fantasy, it's now also the party of fascism. I expect Trump's success in grabbing new voters, and the lack of electoral blowback for senators and members who supported him, will as you say cause the party to stay the course.

Cap

Owen Gray said...

I take that as a hopeful sign, Anon. I wonder how many other former Republicans there are down there.

Please initial future comments.

Owen Gray said...

And if the party stays the course, Cap. the republic is doomed.

the salamander said...

.. just an oblique example of how this works Owen
(FYI.. I an getting requests re Lorne & Mound status
via various social media modes..
Why I am seen as a source of info re those scoundrels is a mystery)
I do see Lorne now via Twitter

I am in touch with a scathing Twitter account
The Federal Building Living Wall or something like that

The nut of it is..
There is a 'Living Wall' in Edmonton's 'Federal' Building
Its now Provincially owned and operated
Jason Kenney will now remove it..
its a 70,000.00 a year NDP travesty to water it.. dontcha know
and partisans (here's where I get on topic)
are in full agreement..
It is integrated into the HVAC system
provides oxygen, stores carbon.. hmm

Andrew Leach (U of A) calmly asks how 'procurement'
of said building.. being completed during Ms Notely's watch
could have occurred prior to the NDP term

Any fool could find the facts.. its design and approval, contracts
and construction preceded the reign of Ms Alison Redford
(remember her ?
and the late Mr Prentice.. (remember him?)
was Mr Stelmach was then in power

But the echo chamber is in full cry.. kill the NDP vine !!!
The Wall must Die die die..
I am not getting death threats via Twitter yet
for backing his play..
but never say never..

It would not bode well to let me grab one's IP address
then a name and address & phone number for a threat
I have 'street cred' & droog associates that cannot tolerate such idiocy
plus a track record of being prompt & highly proactive and imaginative
I failed miserably at 'fair play' as well
I go more with Paul Newman's St Louis 'rules'

Trailblazer said...

David Frum was interviewed on Vancouver radio today.
One of his problems with Trump is that he has made not accepting the results of an election acceptable!
I guess this is where the anarchy starts in the USA.

TB

Owen Gray said...

Our politics have become very ugly, sal. Character -- not bile -- always makes the difference.

Owen Gray said...

Trump has made insanity acceptable, TB.

Northern PoV said...

Well, amid the gloom there is this (new for me)

"The crackpot factor: Why the GOP is worried about turning out the vote after Trump
Future GOP candidates lack Trump's secret sauce for attracting new voters — his appeal with Crank-Americans"
"Trump is a turnout machine for Republicans, who have been desperately casting around for years now for a way to save their party despite demographic changes that make the Democrats more popular among voters. The question of whether there will be Trumpism after Trump now dogs both Republicans who want to replicate their electoral successes under the reality TV president and Democrats who dearly hope this whole disaster was an anomaly. "

https://www.salon.com/2020/11/18/the-crackpot-factor-why-the-gop-is-worried-about-turning-out-the-vote-after-trump/

Owen Gray said...

Thanks for the link, Northern. The crackpot factor is what Trump is all about.