What happens to the Republican Party now? (1 Viewer)

[MT15]

This election nonsense by Trump may end up splitting up the Republican Party. I just don’t see how the one third (?) who are principled conservatives can stay in the same party with Trump sycophants who are willing to sign onto the TX Supreme Court case.

We also saw the alt right types chanting “destroy the GOP” in Washington today because they didn’t keep Trump in power. I think the Q types will also hold the same ill will toward the traditional Republican Party. In fact its quite possible that all the voters who are really in a Trump personality cult will also blame the GOP for his loss. It’s only a matter of time IMO before Trump himself gets around to blaming the GOP.

There is some discussion of this on Twitter. What do you all think?

 

[MT15]

And a link from the GOP to Christian Nationalism, an extreme movement that would put a theocracy in place of our representative democracy:

 

[DaveXA]

And a link from the GOP to Christian Nationalism, an extreme movement that would put a theocracy in place of our representative democracy:

That sheet is downright disturbing. Reading some of her texts makes my skin crawl. Ugh.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Didn't want to start a new thread on this but wanted to get @Farb 's take on who he is supporting for the U.S. Senate in Alabama. Mo Brooks recently learned the heard way that Trump will turn on anyone, even nutty members of Congress who show up for the January 6 riot wearing a tactical vest.

Might have been mentioned earlier in this thread but -- in a nutshell -- Trump withdrew his endorsement of Brooks because Brooks had the audacity of saying we should move on from the 2020 election. Of course, Trump was having none of that as he is still quadrupling down on the 'stolen election' nonsense. Now the other two leading candidates are in a battle to see who can out-crazy Mo Brooks.

 

[MT15]

Didn't want to start a new thread on this but wanted to get @Farb 's take on who he is supporting for the U.S. Senate in Alabama. Mo Brooks recently learned the heard way that Trump will turn on anyone, even nutty members of Congress who show up for the January 6 riot wearing a tactical vest.

Might have been mentioned earlier in this thread but -- in a nutshell -- Trump withdrew his endorsement of Brooks because Brooks had the audacity of saying we should move on from the 2020 election. Of course, Trump was having none of that as he is still quadrupling down on the 'stolen election' nonsense. Now the other two leading candidates are in a battle to see who can out-crazy Mo Brooks.

This is a prime example of the decisions that will need to be made by R voters who aren’t insane. There won’t be a sane R candidate for Senate in AL. They are all unfit for office because of their participation and/or agreement with an attempt to overturn a free and fair presidential election.

 

[zztop]

 

[Optimus Prime]

It going to be a hot button, culture war, red meat election season
==============


“Sue-thy-neighbour” laws that ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in Texas and now Idaho. A “don’t say gay” bill censoring discussion of sexual orientation in schools in Florida. A ban on Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, by a school board in Tennessee.

America’s national government might be under Democratic control but its red states are on the march with sweeping laws targeting abortion, LGBTQ+ people and the teaching of race in schools that threaten to turn back the clock to an era when a citizen’s rights depended on where they lived.

The offensive on cultural hot button issues also appears calculated to ensure that November’s midterm electionswill be contested on a playing field of rightwing outrage. Democrats argue that Republicans resort to such territory in lieu of policy substance……

Tara Setmayer, a senior adviser to the anti-Trump group Lincoln Project, said: “The Scotus [supreme court] nomination hearings this week were a window into the Republican party’s strategy going into midterms and 2024. They have no policy agenda. They are strictly focused on culture war wedge issues because they’ve had success energising their base with them and the people who are leading the charge are fundamentally unserious people.

“Senator Mitch McConnell has already said that he’s not releasing a policy agenda. There’s a reason for that. Culture war politics can work and Democrats run the risk of underestimating how powerful and energising this tactic of politicking can be. They underestimate it at their own peril.”

What links many hot button issues is children. Whether unborn or at school, they are portrayed by Republicans as vulnerable to sinister forces aligned with Democrats and leftwing militants. Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, set up a tip lineso parents could send “reports and observations” about perceived objectionable conduct by teachers and school staff………

Monika McDermott, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, said: “At this point Democrats are in some ways dismissing it as well as though they think people will see through it and I think that’s a big mistake……

Republicans’ midterms pitch: never mind the policy, here’s the culture war

Abortion bans, anti-LGBTQ laws, book bans – the party sees hot button issues as a tried and test path to victory. Democrats ignore it at their peril, experts say

www.theguardian.com

 

[barbar]

It going to be a hot button, culture war, red meat election season
==============


“Sue-thy-neighbour” laws that ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in Texas and now Idaho. A “don’t say gay” bill censoring discussion of sexual orientation in schools in Florida. A ban on Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, by a school board in Tennessee.

America’s national government might be under Democratic control but its red states are on the march with sweeping laws targeting abortion, LGBTQ+ people and the teaching of race in schools that threaten to turn back the clock to an era when a citizen’s rights depended on where they lived.

The offensive on cultural hot button issues also appears calculated to ensure that November’s midterm electionswill be contested on a playing field of rightwing outrage. Democrats argue that Republicans resort to such territory in lieu of policy substance……

Tara Setmayer, a senior adviser to the anti-Trump group Lincoln Project, said: “The Scotus [supreme court] nomination hearings this week were a window into the Republican party’s strategy going into midterms and 2024. They have no policy agenda. They are strictly focused on culture war wedge issues because they’ve had success energising their base with them and the people who are leading the charge are fundamentally unserious people.

“Senator Mitch McConnell has already said that he’s not releasing a policy agenda. There’s a reason for that. Culture war politics can work and Democrats run the risk of underestimating how powerful and energising this tactic of politicking can be. They underestimate it at their own peril.”

What links many hot button issues is children. Whether unborn or at school, they are portrayed by Republicans as vulnerable to sinister forces aligned with Democrats and leftwing militants. Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, set up a tip lineso parents could send “reports and observations” about perceived objectionable conduct by teachers and school staff………

Monika McDermott, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, said: “At this point Democrats are in some ways dismissing it as well as though they think people will see through it and I think that’s a big mistake……

Republicans’ midterms pitch: never mind the policy, here’s the culture war

Abortion bans, anti-LGBTQ laws, book bans – the party sees hot button issues as a tried and test path to victory. Democrats ignore it at their peril, experts say

www.theguardian.com

Yeah unfortunately this crap isn't going away any time soon. They only have outrage....no actual policies.

 

[Taurus]

Yeah unfortunately this crap isn't going away any time soon. They only have outrage....no actual policies.

The Dems have to find a way to counter without mentioning race or guns. Bernie ginned up a ton of enthusiasm with a mainly economic message along with some "Don't let government into your email or your bedroom" cultural themes.
Ignoring it or worse, promoting gun control, minority issues and LGBTQ rights is a great way to lose.

 

[DaveXA]

The Dems have to find a way to counter without mentioning race or guns. Bernie ginned up a ton of enthusiasm with a mainly economic message along with some "Don't let government into your email or your bedroom" cultural themes.
Ignoring it or worse, promoting gun control, minority issues and LGBTQ rights is a great way to lose.

Yeah, sometimes you have to sell independents on things that might make you feel a bit dirty from the left point of view, but the point is to get to that position of influence before you can really address some of the less popular agenda items.

It's what Republicans do really well, they hammer away at things single issues voters care about, abortion, guns and God/religion. People who are single issue voters are notoriously stubborn on those. So the messaging from Democrats have to avoid emphasizing them. Focus on things like foreign policy, domestic security, economy, and even stating that you'll protect the 2nd amendment.

And being an independent really isn't the dirty word it used to be. A lot of people don't really care about the parties, but do care about the country and national policies.

 

[SteveSBrickNJ]

Glenn Youngkin is a rising star who is NOT Trump-like.
Here a a 1 minute and 30 second video that is very recent.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

Glenn Youngkin is a rising star who is NOT Trump-like.
Here a a 1 minute and 30 second video that is very recent.

Youngkin supported the Big Lie to pander to voters. He's very much Trump-like.

 

[SteveSBrickNJ]

Youngkin supported the Big Lie to pander to voters. He's very much Trump-like.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I remember that he had the chance to have Trump campaign with him but he declined.

 

[SteveSBrickNJ]

I'm sorry to hear that.
I remember that he had the chance to have Trump campaign with him but he declined.

Here's something to show that Youngkin was interested in Trump voters but not Trump himself.
*

How Glenn Youngkin Kept Trump at Arm’s Length, But on His Side

The Republican won the Virginia governor’s race by keeping backers of former President Donald Trump energized, but without making Trump the focal point of the race.

www.wsj.com

 

[cuddlemonkey]

Here's something to show that Youngkin was interested in Trump voters but not Trump himself.
*

How Glenn Youngkin Kept Trump at Arm’s Length, But on His Side

The Republican won the Virginia governor’s race by keeping backers of former President Donald Trump energized, but without making Trump the focal point of the race.

www.wsj.com

Trump's base largely believes Qanon conspiracy theories and the Big Lie. Pandering to his base is Trumpist, period. Even if he doesn't believe the Big Lie, he's willing to undermine democracy for his own political gain. That's Trumpist.

 

[SteveSBrickNJ]

Well you are the expert on Trump's base...not me. I am on here to say I like Virginia's governor. He is pushing for tax cuts...especially Virginia's gasoline tax.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Youngkin is not overt but the dog-whistles are deafening. I don't take any candidate seriously that makes a culture-war issue the focal point of their campaign as Youngkin did with CRT. But I'm willing to wait and see how he actually performs in office.

There is a very small subset of Republicans I would be comfortable with as President and it currently only includes those who had the courage to openly denounce Trump or, at least, don't campaign on the low-hanging fruit of the culture war.

Edit to add: Do not be surprised if Youngkin fails to win reelection. Virginia still trends Democrat.

 

[zztop]

don't know much about her, but according to

Elise Stefanik, Reinvented in Trump’s Image, Embodies a Changed G.O.P. (Published 2022)

Once a mainstream Republican from a moderate district, Ms. Stefanik, the party’s No. 3 House leader, has embraced Trumpism and the extremists in her ranks.

www.nytimes.com

A once-moderate Republican who worked in President George W. Bush’s White House and was a protégé of former Speaker Paul Ryan, she is the embodiment of the rapid shift in the Republican Party. In just a few short years, she has morphed from the conservative mainstream into an unlikely star of the MAGA universe and a die-hard Trump loyalist.

 

[DaveXA]

don't know much about her, but according to

Elise Stefanik, Reinvented in Trump’s Image, Embodies a Changed G.O.P. (Published 2022)

Once a mainstream Republican from a moderate district, Ms. Stefanik, the party’s No. 3 House leader, has embraced Trumpism and the extremists in her ranks.

www.nytimes.com

A once-moderate Republican who worked in President George W. Bush’s White House and was a protégé of former Speaker Paul Ryan, she is the embodiment of the rapid shift in the Republican Party. In just a few short years, she has morphed from the conservative mainstream into an unlikely star of the MAGA universe and a die-hard Trump loyalist.

Yeah, people like her have no scruples.