As long-time readers should know by now, while I don't fully align myself with any political party, I definitely tend to be progressive/liberal on a large majority of issues. In saying that, however, I have to say I'm fascinated by the Republican primaries this election season. I've watched each and every one of the ten GOP debates thus far and plan on watching #11 tonight. I regularly tune in to cable news channels on election days to see updated results, hear talking heads from both sides of the political spectrum try to play fortune tellers, and listen to politicians from both sides of the aisle play the spin-game. Yes, while there's a greater chance of me transforming into a hybrid of Bill Gates and Shaquille O'Neal at midnight tonight than there is of me voting for the Republican nominee this coming November, my attention's glued to the race for the party's nomination, and this will continue through the convention in July.
One reason for my high level of curiosity in the Republican race from the outset was the extremely large draw of candidates. When's the last time a party had so many candidates running they had to split the debates into two groups and still have candidates left out of the mix altogether? While the Democratic Party has largely been a 2- to 3-person race (Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley for a short while), the GOP has had as many as 17 candidates running at one point. Yes, there's good reason why many have labeled the GOP debate stage as a "mad circus."
What's grabbed my attention on an even greater level, however, is how this primary season has showcased the drastic changes the Republican Party has undergone over the past few decades, how their party is struggling to find an identity, and how they could be on the verge of imploding if they're not careful.
Let's face it, Donald Trump is not the "traditional" conservative, but the Republican Party has been gradually swaying away from conservatism for quite some time. Over the years, Republicans have loved to refer to Democrats as "taxers and spenders" and believers in "big-government policies," yet recent Republican presidents have been big spenders and have been less likely to successfully counter this with tax increases than Democratic ones, which has led to an increase in deficits. Not only that, but what's bigger government than attempting to strip away women's reproductive rights, not to mention limit the rights of the LGBT community? What's conservative about not wanting to conserve the environment? What's conservative about wanting to go to war first and ask questions later? What's conservative about spending seemingly countless dollars on unnecessary wars and tax breaks for the wealthy? From the Reaganomics economic platform in the '80s to the war-first and false-security-over-liberty mentality during the Bush years, to the increased presence of conservative media outlets, to the increased inclusion of politics in sermons, to the Citizens United ruling, and beyond, the Republican Party today is nothing like the Republican Party of 30 years ago, let alone 160 years ago when Abraham Lincoln was in office. The GOP has transformed from the Grand Old Party to the Greedy Oligarch Party. Donald Trump is quite possibly the end result of this drastic transformation within the party.
I've found it quite comical to hear so many Republican politicians blast Trump for some of his controversial remarks, for those very remarks have often been rather reflective of the party's actions in recent years; Trump's just used more colorful language than we're accustomed to hearing from individuals running for president. Trump has often spoke of building a wall along the Mexican border, generalizing illegal Mexican immigrants as "rapists." Yes, that comes across as quite extreme, but establishment Republicans have long talked about building a similar wall along our country's southern border and framed Latinos as stealing "Americans" jobs. Trump may have called for a temporary Muslim ban, yet establishment Republicans have called for the banning of mosques, and have regularly insinuated (or flat out said), "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims." Trump has uttered a few quotes which have been taken as sexist by anyone with a half-functioning brain, yet establishment Republicans have been fighting tooth and nail to prevent women from receiving equal pay for equal work, condense their reproductive rights, and neglect their health needs via employer-based healthcare plans. Trump was hesitant on disavowing David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan in a recent interview, yet establishment Republicans have fought to make it more difficult for African-Americans to vote, have often refused to propose any kind of prison or drug reform, have typically sided with police officers who kill unarmed black men, and have often painted black Americans as lazy, uneducated, irresponsible moochers dependent on government aid. Trump may have used threatening words to friends and foes alike, even encouraging violence at some of his rallies, yet establishment Republicans have been increasingly more likely to incite fear and paranoia through similar rhetoric, not to mention encourage anyone from a toddler to a blind elder of owning a gun and not hesitating to use it, while fighting against any and every gun-control law, even those which prohibit individuals on the terror watch list from purchasing a firearm. When it comes to science, or lack there of, Trump's outrageous quotes fit right in with the Republican establishment, in denying climate change and the need for mandatory vaccinations (and the safety of them). Trump may lack in specifics and utter more lies in five minutes than Pinocchio told in a lifetime, yet establishment Republicans have often criticized professional fact-checkers and countless studies as being biased. Yes, while many establishment Republican politicians have often decried party frontrunner Donald Trump's controversial comments and laid claim his beliefs aren't representative of the party's, their party is nothing like it once was, and while they WERE once the party of Lincoln, they're NOW the party of Trump.
Having said all that, though, establishment Republicans are trying with all their might to prevent Donald Trump from being the party's nominee in November, even going so far as to suggest the possibility of a brokered convention and finding a way, even if Trump is the frontrunner heading into July's convention, of placing someone else atop the ticket. So it's going to be incredibly interesting going forward. If Trump winds up winning the Republican nomination, it could very well at least partially fracture the party. If he is the delegate-leader heading into the convention and doesn't come away with the nomination, that will likely all but completely fracture the party. Yes, Donald Trump is the current face of the Republican Party, reflective of modern-day conservatism, establishment Republicans are in denial over this, and reality (or the denial of it) could finally catch up to the them.
One reason for my high level of curiosity in the Republican race from the outset was the extremely large draw of candidates. When's the last time a party had so many candidates running they had to split the debates into two groups and still have candidates left out of the mix altogether? While the Democratic Party has largely been a 2- to 3-person race (Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley for a short while), the GOP has had as many as 17 candidates running at one point. Yes, there's good reason why many have labeled the GOP debate stage as a "mad circus."
What's grabbed my attention on an even greater level, however, is how this primary season has showcased the drastic changes the Republican Party has undergone over the past few decades, how their party is struggling to find an identity, and how they could be on the verge of imploding if they're not careful.
Let's face it, Donald Trump is not the "traditional" conservative, but the Republican Party has been gradually swaying away from conservatism for quite some time. Over the years, Republicans have loved to refer to Democrats as "taxers and spenders" and believers in "big-government policies," yet recent Republican presidents have been big spenders and have been less likely to successfully counter this with tax increases than Democratic ones, which has led to an increase in deficits. Not only that, but what's bigger government than attempting to strip away women's reproductive rights, not to mention limit the rights of the LGBT community? What's conservative about not wanting to conserve the environment? What's conservative about wanting to go to war first and ask questions later? What's conservative about spending seemingly countless dollars on unnecessary wars and tax breaks for the wealthy? From the Reaganomics economic platform in the '80s to the war-first and false-security-over-liberty mentality during the Bush years, to the increased presence of conservative media outlets, to the increased inclusion of politics in sermons, to the Citizens United ruling, and beyond, the Republican Party today is nothing like the Republican Party of 30 years ago, let alone 160 years ago when Abraham Lincoln was in office. The GOP has transformed from the Grand Old Party to the Greedy Oligarch Party. Donald Trump is quite possibly the end result of this drastic transformation within the party.
I've found it quite comical to hear so many Republican politicians blast Trump for some of his controversial remarks, for those very remarks have often been rather reflective of the party's actions in recent years; Trump's just used more colorful language than we're accustomed to hearing from individuals running for president. Trump has often spoke of building a wall along the Mexican border, generalizing illegal Mexican immigrants as "rapists." Yes, that comes across as quite extreme, but establishment Republicans have long talked about building a similar wall along our country's southern border and framed Latinos as stealing "Americans" jobs. Trump may have called for a temporary Muslim ban, yet establishment Republicans have called for the banning of mosques, and have regularly insinuated (or flat out said), "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims." Trump has uttered a few quotes which have been taken as sexist by anyone with a half-functioning brain, yet establishment Republicans have been fighting tooth and nail to prevent women from receiving equal pay for equal work, condense their reproductive rights, and neglect their health needs via employer-based healthcare plans. Trump was hesitant on disavowing David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan in a recent interview, yet establishment Republicans have fought to make it more difficult for African-Americans to vote, have often refused to propose any kind of prison or drug reform, have typically sided with police officers who kill unarmed black men, and have often painted black Americans as lazy, uneducated, irresponsible moochers dependent on government aid. Trump may have used threatening words to friends and foes alike, even encouraging violence at some of his rallies, yet establishment Republicans have been increasingly more likely to incite fear and paranoia through similar rhetoric, not to mention encourage anyone from a toddler to a blind elder of owning a gun and not hesitating to use it, while fighting against any and every gun-control law, even those which prohibit individuals on the terror watch list from purchasing a firearm. When it comes to science, or lack there of, Trump's outrageous quotes fit right in with the Republican establishment, in denying climate change and the need for mandatory vaccinations (and the safety of them). Trump may lack in specifics and utter more lies in five minutes than Pinocchio told in a lifetime, yet establishment Republicans have often criticized professional fact-checkers and countless studies as being biased. Yes, while many establishment Republican politicians have often decried party frontrunner Donald Trump's controversial comments and laid claim his beliefs aren't representative of the party's, their party is nothing like it once was, and while they WERE once the party of Lincoln, they're NOW the party of Trump.
Having said all that, though, establishment Republicans are trying with all their might to prevent Donald Trump from being the party's nominee in November, even going so far as to suggest the possibility of a brokered convention and finding a way, even if Trump is the frontrunner heading into July's convention, of placing someone else atop the ticket. So it's going to be incredibly interesting going forward. If Trump winds up winning the Republican nomination, it could very well at least partially fracture the party. If he is the delegate-leader heading into the convention and doesn't come away with the nomination, that will likely all but completely fracture the party. Yes, Donald Trump is the current face of the Republican Party, reflective of modern-day conservatism, establishment Republicans are in denial over this, and reality (or the denial of it) could finally catch up to the them.
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