According to a source, Donald Trump will be “talking about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement” at this week’s CPAC conference in Orlando, Florida. It seems the former-occupant-of-the-White-House will be taking time off from his usual weekend of golf to address what some have called “the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world.”
It should be a neat trick, considering how the Republican Party is, well, … dead!
The Republican Party, as we knew it, entered its death throes five years ago when it decided to hitch its fortunes to a narcissistic, two-bit con man. It ceased being a major political party when it passed up the chance (twice!) to rid itself of an incompetent, criminal buffoon through impeachment.
What we have today is the Party of Trump or, as Prince might have put it, “the party formerly known as the GOP.” If there is any doubt, just look at some recent surveys showing Trump’s strength among Republicans. In a Suffolk University/ USA TODAY poll, by a whopping margin of 46%-27%, Republican voters say they would abandon the GOP and join the Trump party if he decided to create one. Their loyalty is obviously to the man, not to a 167-year-old political organization.
Cindy McCain said the other day that the Republican Party is still up for grabs, predicting that her moderate wing of the GOP could mount a comeback.
“Our side, it’s swung way to the right. It’ll come back. It’ll come back” said McCain.
Sorry, Cindy, but I don’t think so. If there ever was a civil war among Republicans, that war is over.
Moderates like McCain, along with others such as Romney, Collins and Murkowski might want to remain blind to the fact that their beloved party is now the Party of Trump but, when you have an establishment group like CPAC rolling out the red carpet for a man who fomented a violent uprising against the Capitol, who still insists the 2020 election was stolen from him … and CPAC will no doubt cater to Trump’s fantasies … you know the GOP of old is kaput.
If anything, today’s Republican Party, if you still want to call it that, is the party of Green, Boebert, Jordon, Gaetz and the like.
Unlike McCain, I predict old-time conservatives will eventually face the facts (and their consciences), see their party has been irretrievably hijacked by Trump and his band of “wacko birds”, leave the party to declare as independents, or perhaps start a third party.
The Party of Trump seems to be here to stay for the foreseeable future (too late, Mitch … it’s a long way down from that tightrope!).
Photo | cnn.com
The GOP as we USE to know it, is DEAD. The new GOP is the Party of Trump, spineless, feckless and cowards willing to let a malignant sociopathic narcissist lead them by their noses, only to then shit upon them when it pleases him. So sad that the Party of Lincoln has become nothing more that a shitbox of sycophants and spineless cowards.
Can’t wait for Trump’s CPAC speech. It should help push moderate Republicans further out the door!
As I wrote “50 Years and Donald Trump” which appears here (sorry for the shameless self-promotion), I certainly agree with how the Republican Party has slid far, far away from its roots. I believe the current movement began as a slow slide a little bit less than 50 years ago, which five years ago became a landslide.
But I very strongly disagree with any assessment that classifies a huge group of people as “spineless cowards.” That’s the same mistake the United States of America made with Japan after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. America lost its battles until it finally stopped underestimating Japan.
Some of the people who attacked the White House might have been deceived, deluded, even demented. But they were not “spineless cowards.” And neither are a number of the elected representatives in Congress.
As Gamemaster Loveshade said, “Never underestimate your enemy.”
It is bizarre knowing that the Republican Party was originally the anti-slavery party (when the Democrats were pretty mixed on the issue, and generally were not opposed to it.) What could be seen as America’s first major Civil Rights party is now largely supported by white supremacists.
I believe the racial fears that hit people after the slaves were free, and after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, etc., are hitting now. Non-Hispanic Whites may soon become a minority, and many are afraid. Add to that the fact the Middle Class has gotten a lot poorer and the Rich a lot richer, many people are desperately looking for a Non-Hispanic White Outsider who promises them what they want to hear. They want someone who will “Make America Great Again,” i.e., Donald Trump.
What puzzles me is that they still believe he’ll deliver even though he had four years to do so and didn’t. And they believe the election was stolen even though Democratic, Independent, and Republican leaders who examined the evidence say it wasn’t. That goes well beyond normal politics and into a realm known as this: fanaticism.
I agree with your analysis of how we got here. I think Trump’s draw is the same as any other cult leader. His followers will believe anything he says. For them, he just is incapable of lying. What comes out of his mouth is the truth! Trump creates his own reality.