The Republican Party is doomed. What isn't clear yet is whether the United States is doomed. Paul Krugman writes:
On Tuesday Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, who has said that Donald Trump’s role in fomenting the insurrection was impeachable, voted for a measure that would have declared a Trump trial unconstitutional because he’s no longer in office. (Most constitutional scholars disagree.
On Thursday Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader — who still hasn’t conceded that Joe Biden legitimately won the presidency, but did declare that Trump “bears responsibility” for the attack on Congress — visited Mar-a-Lago, presumably to make amends.
In other words, the G.O.P.’s national leadership, after briefly flirting with sense, has surrendered to the fantasies of the fringe. Cowardice rules.
That's the story in Washington. The same thing is happening at the state level:
The Arizona state party censured the Republican governor for the sin of belatedly trying to contain the coronavirus. The Texas G.O.P. has adopted the slogan “We are the storm,” which is associated with QAnon, although the party denies it intended any link. Oregon Republicans have endorsed the completely baseless claim, contradicted by the rioters themselves, that the attack on the Capitol was a left-wing false flag operation.
What's going on?
Political scientists argue that traditional forces of moderation have been weakened by factors like the nationalization of politics and the rise of partisan media, notably Fox News.
This opens the door to a process of self-reinforcing extremism (something, by the way, that I’ve seen happen in a minor fashion within some academic subfields). As hard-liners gain power within a group, they drive out moderates; what remains of the group is even more extreme, which drives out even more moderates; and so on. A party starts out complaining that taxes are too high; after a while it begins claiming that climate change is a giant hoax; it ends up believing that all Democrats are Satanist pedophiles.
Donald Trump didn't begin the process. It started decades ago:
It goes back at least to Newt Gingrich’s takeover of Congress in 1994. But Trump’s reign of corruption and lies, followed by his refusal to concede and his attempt to overturn the election results, brought it to a head. And the cowardice of the Republican establishment has sealed the deal. One of America’s two major political parties has parted ways with facts, logic and democracy, and it’s not coming back.
The only hope for the country is to destroy the Republican Party. And it looks like that will not happen.
Image: Kobo Rakuten
6 comments:
Krugman is being too kind by putting things down to the "cowardice of the Republican establishment." Since the success of Nixon's Southern Strategy, the Republican establishment has engaged in voter suppression, gerrymandering and the violation of political norms in order to maintain white, Christian political dominance. The establishment didn't go along with Trump's fascism out of cowardice, they went along because they AGREE with him, and still do.
The GOP came very close to pulling off a coup. There's no telling what the mob would have done had they spotted Pence, Pelosi, Schumer or "the Squad." That party isn't coming back to sanity without the wholesale destruction of the right-wing ecosystem, including hate radio and TV, Facebook and other social media enablers, and the network of plutocrat-supported think-tanks that provide cover and jobs to out-of-office Republicans.
Cap
I agree, Cap. Trump didn't do what he did on his own. He has a vast network of collaborators.
What must the kids be thinking?
Has Steve figured out a way that Trump can make money out of this?
Which way is it trending on the over-under on dates for the first political assassination?
As loathsome a figure as Trump is, he is a dream come true for the handlers of the Newt-Reagan legacy. While stupidity, laziness, corruption, severe mental health and addictions issues are his main traits, he was still able to attract a wide enough base to hold sway over the party. Time they all faced the fact that trump is their Frankenstein and if they cross him, they too will face revenge, as Rick Wilson says everything trump touches dies. Without significant cheating and the ridiculousness of the electoral college, they would never elect a president again. BC Waterboy
Trump and the Republican Party are the perfect match, John. For them, it's all about the money.
The Republicans have known for a long time that they are a minority party, waterboy. They know that they'll never win an election fairly. And they chose a leader who never has done anything fairly.
Post a Comment