The navigator-in-chief of the Republican Party sure seems to be Donald J. Trump. Let’s see how he has prompted the growth of the GOP since his elevation into that position.
- The GOP has gotten tied ever more closely to Evangelical Christianity.
• The GOP has become more anti-science based.
• The GOP has become tied to alternative facts that they just make up
• The GOP has become tied to news media that are estranged from decent journalism
• The GOP has sought out voter suppression instead of expanding their base
• etc.
There are some consequences to this. Here are just a few:
• Since 2006, white evangelical Protestants have experienced the most precipitous drop in affiliation, shrinking from 23% of Americans in 2006 to 14% in 2020. That proportion has generally held steady since 2017 (15% in 2017, 2018, and 2019). There are some that argue that the politicization of churches has accelerated this drop in evangelicalism.
• But supporting anti-vaccination and anti-mask fringe groups, the GOP has put more of its members at risk, especially since currently the GOP constituency is quite old. These policies are disproportionally resulting in Republicans getting sick and/or dying. The GOP is killing off its own members.
• By refusing to expand their bases and focusing on voter suppression more, the GOP is undermining their future. As their membership gets older, whiter, and less connected with reality, joining the GOP seems more and more like joining a cult, so they are losing traction with young people.
• By undermining trust in societies institutions, the GOP is undermining their own ideology. And is members are trusting their doctors, teachers, local officials, etc. less and less, creating more and more disharmony.
As I watched this unfold, I thought Mr. Trump was driving the GOP into a ditch. Now it looks as if, by doubling down, he is driving the GOP into an early grave,
R.I.P. GOP.
Uncommon Sense 
I hope you’re right!
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Comment by Nan — November 24, 2021 @ 11:13 am |
Yeah, I would like to see *two *new parties. The ones we have have been co-opted by the rich.
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Comment by Steve Ruis — November 24, 2021 @ 11:25 am |
What I see is a group of people who are utterly desperate to try to retain power despite the fact that their voter base is shrinking. We’re seeing large parts of the country where people who were once minorities are now becoming more prevalent and even becoming majorities. People who have different ideas and different priorities from them are becoming a majority. Polling, at least the small amount of honest polling still being done, is indicating that the prejudices and phony outrages of these extremists are held by fewer and fewer people.
So out of desperation they are latching onto anyone and anything that they believe might give them a chance to at least temporarily retain power. So they’ve adopted bizarre conspiracy theories, blatant intimidation tactics and out right lies to try to dredge up enough outrage and fear to retain power long enough so they can “legally” rig the system to continue their political advantages in perpetuity.
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Comment by grouchyfarmer — November 24, 2021 @ 12:49 pm |
I would agree wholeheartedly . . . if I thought there were anyone or anything in charge of their ship of state. Currently I think that ship is rudderless and they just keep stoking the boilers. (Then look over their shoulders for a signal from The Donald to see if they “done right” or not.)
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Comment by Steve Ruis — November 26, 2021 @ 1:29 pm |
A rudderless ship is exactly what we have. The GOP basically accomplished none of their stated major policy goals (with the exception of loading the courts with extremists). Obamacare was neither replaced nor revoked. They were going to make China toe the line on trade. Didn’t happen. They re-wrote NAFTA, true, but the new NAFTA is basically the old NAFTA with some provisions that are actually worse than the original. They got into a trade war with our partners in Europe that accomplished absolutely nothing. The list goes on and on. I think that’s why they’ve settled on this policy of anger, fear, outrage and conspiracy theories. It’s because they don’t have anything else. No ideas, no plans, nothing.
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Comment by grouchyfarmer — November 26, 2021 @ 10:52 pm |
Plus voters who do not care.
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Comment by Steve Ruis — November 27, 2021 @ 11:01 am |
Steve, like Nan I really hope you’re right. This “funeral service” would begin sooner than later if Moderate America—the intelligent, compassionate, collaborative America—would get hyper-active in inspiring, DRIVING dead-beat Voters to the polls… en masse!!! That right there, i.e. voter turnout rates for the last 3-4 decades has (greatly?) contributed to this ‘Fall from Democracy’s Hall of Fame’ status in the world. IMHO, there’s no one else to blame but ourselves for being lethargic. After all, in theory or practice isn’t a Constitutional Democracy/Republic appointed and run by its citizens!? 🤔🧐
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Comment by Professor Taboo — November 25, 2021 @ 7:47 am |
Yep!
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Comment by Steve Ruis — November 25, 2021 @ 7:52 am |
Can’t happen soon enough…
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Comment by shelldigger — November 26, 2021 @ 7:29 am |