The civil war within the GOP has been instigated by rank-and-file primary voters who turned out en masse to support a candidate with zero experience in elected office and a checkered business career knitted together by astonishing claims unsupported by evidence.
The problem for the GOP elite: its claims are also unsupported by evidence. Trickle down economics. The Moral Majority. Compassionate Conservatism.
The anger of middle class voters is palpable, on both sides of the political divide. Globalization, it turns out, has been a bait-and-switch game on American jobs. Instead of coming clean, the GOP presidential candidates resorted to bland talking points and rote recitations that elicited a perfect storm of fury.
With Trump, one is tempted to say that end times are here as prophetically announced by H.L. Mencken: "As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
Funny, but not true.
The claims by religious conservatives in service of American progress have fallen flat as the arches of the world's oldest living man. The federal sentencing of Dennis Hastert as a child molester demolished the Religious Right.
Donald Trump is presiding over a Big Tent alright: it's filled with voters who rejected the party's standard bearers for the presidential nomination. It is a big tent filled with voters who are rejecting the GOP status quo no matter what hue or shade.
They voted for a Disrupter-In-Chief. A narcissist sociopath, perhaps, but not a moron.
So what are the GOP's oligarchs to do? For one, they ought to join hands with the enemy -- Democrats -- and pass real, meaningful campaign finance reform. The notion that the American oligarchs are protected by the current system of pay-to-play politics has been proven dead and gone in this presidential election cycle.
True, the hundreds of millions already spent on cratered presidential campaigns (Jeb Bush/ Marco Rubio/ Ted Cruz) is a drop in the net worth bucket. The problem for big donors is that the money doesn't match the outcome. Most believe the economists are right: a Trump victory in November would be catastrophic for the U.S. economy.
So if the GOP elite wants to heal the civil war in its ranks, begin with Congress overturning Citizens United. To GOP wise men, the two may appear unrelated, but the idea that Donald Trump is related to anything familiar to the GOP elite is fantastical. The Republican Big Tent will not be a revival; it will be something new and will have to come out of campaign finance reform.
The problem for the GOP elite: its claims are also unsupported by evidence. Trickle down economics. The Moral Majority. Compassionate Conservatism.
The anger of middle class voters is palpable, on both sides of the political divide. Globalization, it turns out, has been a bait-and-switch game on American jobs. Instead of coming clean, the GOP presidential candidates resorted to bland talking points and rote recitations that elicited a perfect storm of fury.
With Trump, one is tempted to say that end times are here as prophetically announced by H.L. Mencken: "As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
Funny, but not true.
The claims by religious conservatives in service of American progress have fallen flat as the arches of the world's oldest living man. The federal sentencing of Dennis Hastert as a child molester demolished the Religious Right.
Donald Trump is presiding over a Big Tent alright: it's filled with voters who rejected the party's standard bearers for the presidential nomination. It is a big tent filled with voters who are rejecting the GOP status quo no matter what hue or shade.
They voted for a Disrupter-In-Chief. A narcissist sociopath, perhaps, but not a moron.
So what are the GOP's oligarchs to do? For one, they ought to join hands with the enemy -- Democrats -- and pass real, meaningful campaign finance reform. The notion that the American oligarchs are protected by the current system of pay-to-play politics has been proven dead and gone in this presidential election cycle.
True, the hundreds of millions already spent on cratered presidential campaigns (Jeb Bush/ Marco Rubio/ Ted Cruz) is a drop in the net worth bucket. The problem for big donors is that the money doesn't match the outcome. Most believe the economists are right: a Trump victory in November would be catastrophic for the U.S. economy.
So if the GOP elite wants to heal the civil war in its ranks, begin with Congress overturning Citizens United. To GOP wise men, the two may appear unrelated, but the idea that Donald Trump is related to anything familiar to the GOP elite is fantastical. The Republican Big Tent will not be a revival; it will be something new and will have to come out of campaign finance reform.
9 comments:
The ascension of trump has revealed that any fool can lead the masses. Yes we know Trump is nothing but a glorified carnival barker feeding the following any kind of BS they will swallow. But how does that differ from the Old-school hacks like Debbie Wasserman Schultz parroting any nonsense chicken in every pot talking points the DNC has written for her?
The Soviets are led by an XKGB agent who successfully navigated the intrigue of their flawed system so why can't we put up a blustery businessman who has successfully navigated The American capitalist System.? Would anyone declare either a visionary leader?
Trump is unsuited for the Presidency. First of all he cannot keep a secret. Secondly, he says whatever comes in his head, without any filters for impacts on various interests. Thirdly, he belittles people as a part of his basic MO, many of whom he will ultimately need if elected. Fourthly, he doesn't know that he doesn't know. There are vasts amounts of information that are critical to know as leader of the free world. Not only does he not have any public leadership experience, but he has no reservoir of things he has learned in governing at a lower level that would help him understand the vast amount of information he does not know and must master for effective decision-making. Fifthly, he has demonstrated rather dramatically, that he is a man of low character who will stoop to any level to win. He has no understanding that winning is relative, that there are some cases where winning is actually losing, and the the only way to win, is to lose. Finally, he has made a lot of promises to get this far in the election, promises he cannot fulfill, and he has already begun the backtracking process. The Presidency is a lot more than people think it is. Ultimately, we elect someone based on their character, how they solve problems, how they conduct their campaigns, and most importantly, their judgement. We can't give this kind of power to someone like Trump.
As unpalatable Trump is to me personally, it might actually be good for Merkuns to swallow their own party systemic rhetoric, for a change. Lots of high achieving nations got over their "blustery" BS candidates from a few generations ago, albeit bloody, I concede.
Gimleteye is right, what maters now is how the Nation moves forward. Seven Years ago we expected and hoped for change. This time it's going to be harder to implement necessary change.
As a byproduct of today's US dilemma, I see a real awakening of other nations and leaders in the world. They are busy thinking, how do we protect us from the crazies in the world?
Other nations may move into a healthier relationship with the US. For that we could thank Trump.
Gimleteye
You don't mention H Clinton---B Saunders in any shape or form as to the baggage they carry. Why not? Balance the nominees.
@last anon: it's sanders you oaf
To the above who list trumps 6 faults.
You realize you just described half of Congress and the entire Florida legislature.
Everything here is talking about symptoms, not causes. The causes are excess 'rents' inefficient excess money going to Wall St. and Big Corporations. The 'inmates are running the asylum' and will do so regardless of campaign donations etc.. Instead the causes of rents needs to be removed: perverse tax incentives, subsidies to sugar, non-organic farms, gun and fast food industries (can't sue, a financial boon),Tobacco, petroleum, defense contractors (look how Elon Mush is launching rockets at 1/3 the price of 'The Entitled'...it goes on FOREVERrrrrrrr
We need a Teddy Rosevelt or FDR to totally rewrite the relationship between 'We the People'...and they the 'Oligarchs hiding in Capitalist Clothing'. 'We The People' are mere revenue generating indentured servants.
In America, if you are an indentured servant, you choose to be one. Anytime you collectively want to change anything, all you have to do is band together, put your money and resources together, and you can do it. The banding together and putting your money and resources together is the problem. Not the existing state of affairs.
Trump is in the election for himself. Whether he wins or not, he is looking to further enrich his holdings.
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