We’re in a strange place.
The True Cons are a declining force in American politics. These people ruled the roost in the Republican Party in my youth. They worked with their liberal counterparts to purge dissenters and police the “mainstream.” But now? Does the “mainstream” even exist anymore?
“Ok, here’s the easy part: The Republican Party is what it is, it’s the Trump/Trumpy party, it’s the party of nationalism, protectionism, authoritarianism, wall-building, intolerance, fear, resentments, grievances, middle fingers to the rest of the world, lying, and utter disdain for democracy and the rule of law. In other words, it’s Donald Trump’s party. All this talk about a GOP “civil war” is just wrong. There is no war. There is no great divide. The party is pretty darn unified. Republican voters, by really solid majorities, want Trumpism.
Here’s the hard part: What about all the rest of us? What about all the conservatives, former Republicans, moderate Republicans, independents, and even moderate Democrats who want absolutely nothing to do with this new Trumpy Republican Party? What do we do? …
It’s time to plant our flag, take ownership of where many American voters are, and begin down the difficult road of building a new political party. A “radically centrist, common sense, let’s get shit done party.” A party that is populist in tone and centrist in policy outcomes. …”
Now, these people are so disliked that CPAC doesn’t want to be associated with them. They have gigs on CNN, MSNBC and The Washington Post where they get pats on the head for opposing Trump.
Mitch McConnell is still theoretically alive but look at his approval rating:
Thomas Edsall has noticed the collapse in support:
How should we interpret this?
I’ve compared it to the death of the Bourbon Democrats. We appear to be entering a new Populist vs. Progressive era. The first was both “racist” but also less divided on economics.
Note: The country turned the corner in the 1900s. Assuming the Boomers don’t drag us into Civil War II, we might start bouncing back as they depart from the political stage.
The Republicans would rather be populists and apologists than realists. The right plays by the rules and loses while the left pays to win.
They are the same corporation.
It’s only the “intolerance, fear, resentments & grievances” of working-class Whites that money-worshiping, (((virtue-signaling))) race traitor scum like him find insufferable; the baseless ones of the burning-looting-raping-killing niggers & commies are totally just and must be appeased.
“Get shit done” ? This is one of the reasons why nobody likes these people. “Get shit done was exactly what they never did. Unless it was tax cuts for billionaires, cheap imported labor, etc. Man, how delusional can you get…..