Trump and the Failure of the Republican Party

[Sunstone]

"Opinion: How the GOP scammed its voters … and created Trump"

Fascinating read by billionaire venture capitalist and political activist, Nick Hanauer. Please discuss!

 

[Quetzal]

So it should come as no surprise that a candidate like Donald Trump, who appeals to the nativist, racist and nationalist tendencies of some right-leaning voters, despite his flaws, could take the GOP by storm. Who couldn’t? Daffy Duck with a nationalist message would be winning today.

Go ahead and drop the mic right there. Because that encompasses the current GOP platform in a nutshell.

 

[Quetzal]

(In before someone brings up Hillary in a knee jerk reaction to change the topic.)

 

[Revoltingest]

Hillary!

Aw, dang.....Quetzie beat me to it.

 

[Quetzal]

Hillary!

Aw, dang.....Quetzie beat me to it.

 

[Revoltingest]

It occurs to me that Hillary played a role in Trump's success.
I observe that many are impressed by Trump's handling of her.
She's unique as a Democratic candidate in that even Dems tend to dislike her.
But only Trump has been able to cleverly & successfully attack her.
The other Pubs are feckless in this regard.
Had the Dems run a stronger & more likable candidate, Trump would have less advantage over his rivals.
She is Batman to his Joker.

I think it's a small & transient factor, but significant.

 

[LuisDantas]

What I find most interesting (and scary) about the Trump event is how little it has to do with the person proper.

Trump can hardly be blamed for his own political "success". But the GOP has been so set into a destructive path for so long that it is no longer functional enough to avoid his rise.

 

[Quetzal]

Trump can hardly be blamed for his own political "success". But the GOP has been so set into a destructive path for so long that it is no longer functional enough to avoid his rise.

To add to this, is how terrifying it is that such a large majority of the voting population look at him and say "Yeah, he is our guy!"

 

[LuisDantas]

To add to this, is how terrifying it is that such a large majority of the voting population look at him and say "Yeah, he is our guy!"

And yet, it seems that at most half of the actual GOP voters actually feel represented by him.

His rejection levels among street level conservatives is very large. But at this point that does not have too much concrete consequence. Those same voters seem to see no valid way of displacing him as the GOP candidate; no viable third-party alternative; and no chance of settling for Hillary. Despite her being a far better Republican nominee than Trump, IMO.

 

[Quetzal]

His rejection levels among street level conservatives is very large. But at this point that does not have too much concrete consequence. Those same voters seem to see no valid way of displacing him as the GOP candidate; no viable third-party alternative; and no chance of settling for Hillary. Despite her being a far better Republican nominee than Trump, IMO.

That does seem to be a pretty common theme with this election: no viable third party candidates. Or worse, there is one that isn't getting any media attention.

 

[tytlyf]

No surprise, I've known this for plenty of years. IMO, Trump is going to dismantle the government welfare some of these corrupt corporations are getting. I'm not voting republican until the elites stop butting corporate agendas ahead of the middle class. Democrats fight for veterans and the middle class.

 

[sun rise]

It might be a surprise, but I'm actually going to comment on the linked site to the OP. Specifically the following to which I agree:

Our country needs a Republican Party that vigorously and honestly competes with the Democratic Party to actually increase the economic welfare of the typical American family. Not with a scam like trickle-down economics that simply makes the rich richer, but with ideas that might actually improve the life of the typical family.

They need to recognize that temper tantrums of 'no no no' and promoting fear and anger are hurting the country. I'd love to be able someday to say "that's a neat idea" to something Republicans propose.

 

[LuisDantas]

That does seem to be a pretty common theme with this election: no viable third party candidates. Or worse, there is one that isn't getting any media attention.

It has been a very long time since a third party candidate had a real shot, hasn't it?

 

[Onyx]

Trump brilliantly adopted the "Kardashian" strategy of staying in the limelight. Other then that, I have no opinions, but it will be interesting to see how things play out.

 

[Sapiens]

I agree with a lot of Hanauer has to say, there are few things that I fear he missed (or more likely didn't stress, he's to bright a guy to just miss it).

First and foremost is the fact that Nixon's southern strategy based as it was on using the racism of the know-nothing wing of the Democratic Party to successfully get them to realign , massively shifted the Republican center. What had been the party of Lincoln became the party of Strom Thurmond.

The newly minted hillbilly, Bible-thumping Republicans did not care if:

They screwed you by holding down the minimum wage.
They screwed you by almost completely eliminating overtime pay.
They screwed the union that used to defend your interests.
The screwed you out of the pension on which the middle-class once retired.
They screwed you a thousand ways on trade, and exported your job.
They screwed you on tax policy by lowering taxes on the rich.
They screwed you on infrastructure and education investment.
They screwed you by deregulating the banks.
They screwed you out of your home during the housing bubble and subsequent collapse.
They screwed you on health care costs.
They screwed you on the cost of college and on student debt.
They screwed you (and sent your kids to die) in the Iraq war.
And then they also screwed you on abortion, and gay marriage, and the “War on Drugs,” and women’s rights, and minority rights, and Obamacare repeal, and all the other things you culturally care about, by delivering …

no, not absolutely nothing, but rather the hope that, no matter how bad it got, you will never, ever, be forced to live next door to a black family. And let's nor forget that, the Democrats put a BLACK man in the WHITE house.

We need a realignment of parties, but I fear that if we first partition the electorate in those who would support the candidacy of a celebrity proto-fascist and those who would not and then divide those who would not along left/right social and economic belief systems we will be taking our biggest step yet toward the nannyist of nanny states, the Fifth Reich, where the 1% being the real children and the rest of us are red-headed step children.

 

[Neo Deist]

No surprise, I've known this for plenty of years. IMO, Trump is going to dismantle the government welfare some of these corrupt corporations are getting. I'm not voting republican until the elites stop butting corporate agendas ahead of the middle class. Democrats fight for veterans and the middle class.

Actually, democrats tax the crap out of the middle class and subsidize entitlement programs. Republicans are typically more pro-veteran than democrats. I know, I am a veteran.

 

[Sapiens]

Actually, democrats tax the crap out of the middle class and subsidize entitlement programs. Republicans are typically more pro-veteran than democrats. I know, I am a veteran.

I think you're being fooled. Republicans cut the taxes on the wealthy markedly and leave to the Democrats to try to pay the bills:

 

[Sunstone]

Republicans are typically more pro-veteran than democrats. I know, I am a veteran.

So can you name three increases in veteran benefits in the past 20 years that were initiated by Republicans? Genuinely curious, because I'm hearing from friends who are veterans that the Republicans don't care jack about them.

And what do you think of this? "Five Times Republicans in Congress Screwed Veterans"

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Actually, democrats tax the crap out of the middle class and subsidize entitlement programs. Republicans are typically more pro-veteran than democrats. I know, I am a veteran.

From what I've seen, and have heard from Veterans, Republicans are really only pro-veteran while they are active duty and shooting at people while being shot at. Once they come back home, the support seems to plummet, especially from Republican politicians.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

She is Batman to his Joker.

Holy vomit-inducer, Batman!!

Must...not...think of Hillary...in tights...