Republican Party Mouthpieces Did This To Themselves
What is the Republican Party going to do now?
National Review, the leading publication of conservative thought, has published a full throated rejection of Donald Trump. Unfortunately, they are the people (along with others) that created the mess the Republican Party is currently in.
The Republican Party Did This To Themselves
They fostered the Tea Party, now some of Trump’s biggest supporters, spouting nationalism and racism in the guise of “conservative ideals”. They’re now finding that the anger and ignorance they formented is no longer controllable. You reap what you sow.
Perhaps, instead of being a party in opposition to any and everything Democrats proposed, they could’ve tried to govern. With the first black President, it was too easy and profitable to try to make him a one-term president and do nothing else. Crying socialism, communism, and fascism for every moderately centrist policy proposal they themselves once backed to make things better for the American people would’ve been too much like right. Going party first resulted in historic wins in regional, state and local elections, but virtual impossibility in general elections.
The party knew what it had to do to in order to legitimately contend for the presidency. The prescription was to broaden the tent by presenting the electorate with ideas instead of ideology reaching out to all Americans instead of a constituency resembling the Oscar selection committee. It was a good plan, but they allowed the unhinged to take over the party thwarting it.
It’s tough to expand when the party standard bearer claims:
When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Religious freedom? Tough sell when the leader of the party calls for:
…a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering our country until we can figure out what is going on..
Combatting the “War on Women” is tougher when tough questioning by a female journalist is described as:
“She gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions,” Trump told CNN’s Don Lemon. “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”
I’m not sure how this is defensible, but it somehow has been in the Republican Party primary. Against the first female candidate in the general election for either party, these comments will be heavily broadcasted, analyzed, and scrutinized. It’s laughable not because bigotry is funny, but because it’s just so absurd on it’s face that these kinds of statements and beliefs will fly in 2016 America coming off of eight years of Obama.
If Trump or Cruz are the Republican nominee, they will get trounced by Hillary Clinton and most likely beat by Bernie Sanders. Can you imagine Trump and Palin (I really am glad she’s back) barnstorming around the country saying that things would be better if these idiots in charge would just stop pussyfooting around? That looks like roughly 200 electoral votes.
Sanders gives the GOP a better chance at winning because of the vast fundraising advantage they will have over him as he will not be backed by Wall Street nor Silicon Valley due to his views on immigration and taxation. Dollars will be used to flood the internet, social media, audio and video with cries of “Socialist!”, “90% taxes!” “Castro!”, “Soviet Union!” There is no doubt internal polling shows this which is why Karl Rove and other Republican PACs are supporting his candidacy and running anti-Hillary ads without even mentioning Sanders’ name.
After Republicans lose this general election in 2016, they will retool. I fear they’ll just try to make Hillary or Bernie a one-term President via obstruction which would be a real shame as the country is much better off with two strong political parties. I suppose we could say that both parties are strong though with Republicans having the House, while democrats have the presidency with the Senate volleying back and forth. My best advice for the Republican Party is to heed the words of Mike Jackson.
I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, Take a look at yourself and then make a change.
