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Today's GOP is a coalition party of far right wing Conservatives, religious fundamentalists, more mainstream establishment Republicans (usually referred to as RINOs by the far right) and a few leftover moderates. (The majority of old time moderate Republicans are calling themselves Independents now.)
This coalition worked well as long as the party was in the minority. They held together because they had a common goal--defeat the opposition party in anything they tried to accomplish. At this, the GOP excels.
But now they have the majority in both Houses and the White House and are expected to actually lead, and this is where it all falls apart, because every faction in this coalition wants something different. The healthcare debacle is a perfect example.
The tea party conservatives want maximum pain inflicted on Americans in the form of a complete repeal with no replacement. Yes, it will throw millions and millions of Americans out in the cold, but they don't care. They are political hardliners who will never work with the mainstream Republicans to accomplish anything, period. It's their way or the highway. They shut down the government in 2013 because they refused any kind of compromise whatsoever, and they won't support the current bill because it isn't draconian enough make them happy.
Establishment Republicans are smart enough to know that they have to at least pretend to want to help ordinary Americans, so they put forth garbage bills like the one in the Senate right now. It's crap, and they know it's crap, but it looks like they're doing something at least.
Then you have the moderates, like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who actually care about Americans and want to do the right thing by them.
The problem is that all of these factions are pulling against each other because they all want different things, and in the process, they are pulling the coalition apart.
It's hard to see a way forward for this iteration of the Republican party.
Today's GOP is a coalition party of far right wing Conservatives, religious fundamentalists, more mainstream establishment Republicans (usually referred to as RINOs by the far right) and a few leftover moderates. (The majority of old time moderate Republicans are calling themselves Independents now.)
This coalition worked well as long as the party was in the minority. They held together because they had a common goal--defeat the opposition party in anything they tried to accomplish. At this, the GOP excels.
But now they have the majority in both Houses and the White House and are expected to actually lead, and this is where it all falls apart, because every faction in this coalition wants something different. The healthcare debacle is a perfect example.
The tea party conservatives want maximum pain inflicted on Americans in the form of a complete repeal with no replacement. Yes, it will throw millions and millions of Americans out in the cold, but they don't care. They are political hardliners who will never work with the mainstream Republicans to accomplish anything, period. It's their way or the highway. They shut down the government in 2013 because they refused any kind of compromise whatsoever, and they won't support the current bill because it isn't draconian enough make them happy.
Establishment Republicans are smart enough to know that they have to at least pretend to want to help ordinary Americans, so they put forth garbage bills like the one in the Senate right now. It's crap, and they know it's crap, but it looks like they're doing something at least.
Then you have the moderates, like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who actually care about Americans and want to do the right thing by them.
The problem is that all of these factions are pulling against each other because they all want different things, and in the process, they are pulling the coalition apart.
It's hard to see a way forward for this iteration of the Republican party.
I agree. Both parties are floundering at this point.
They spent the last eight years simply opposing Obama and inciting hate. They never developed an agenda. Even shut down the government. Now their 'leader' is a an empty vessel with no real ideas--just empty slogans and branding, a thin-skinned emotional reactionary.
Really pretty easy to see why the GOP is all off in different directions.
I've heard many of the more astute bipartisan Dems communicate that they learned a big lesson from the GOP's 8 years of obstreperousness and opposition, and are attempting to guide the party in a purposeful direction. On the establishment level, I have great respect for Schumer and Pelosis (if you've ever actually listened to them, they are extremely intelligent), but they both have to go. They are only exacerbating the partisanship and preventing real progress.
The GOP leadership will fail--McConnell is a weak partisan hack, as will the Trump admin, and the Dems need to be organizing (which I think they are doing behind the scenes) to take advantage of it.
It's hard to see a way forward for this iteration of the Republican party.
They sure are screwing-up this health insurance situation and it is pathetic.
If they don't get positive things done with tax reform, business regulations, immigration, etc. then I don't think it's a stretch to say, this country is done.
Because Dems could not have made it any clearer the last 8 to 10 years that they are completely unhinged and corrupt. So, they can't save us (as if!).
All the GOP knows to do is oppose, obstruct and lie to voters. Now that they are in charge of Congress, old habits die hard and the far right is now opposing and obstructing their own party while lying about it to voters. The same old Republican BS I have watched my entire life.
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