There are times I forget the Republican Party won the 2016 election. The reason is simple: because most of the establishment GOP continues the loveable loser act. The Republicans appear to be appealing to some invisible referee who will wade into the great debate between those on the American Right and those on the Satanic Left and adjudicate the arguments fairly.
Sorry, there is no referee. There never was. Besides, if one were to be appointed, then that referee most assuredly would be a leftist (most “experts” are these days). President Trump was not wrong when he cautioned his supporters in 2016 about the rigged nature of the present political system in the United States. It was by sheer force of Trump’s persuasive personality, and the need for a human wrecking ball like Trump among the electorate, that such a rigged political system did not elevate the unworthy Hillary Clinton to the presidency.
What the Republicans face today is more of a free-for-all WWE style wrestling match for power between themselves and the Democrats—one in which hair-pulling, lying, and a handful of other uncouth actions are not only necessary, but encouraged. Thus, the rules of reality TV are more apt than those of the old Oxford Debating Society. But, the Republicans have not sent their best fighters to the field. Instead, they have deployed the pampered princes of the decadent Emerald City. These “leaders” neither understand their supporters’ desire to win nor do they grasp the nature of the match. This lack of understanding has created friction within the ranks of the GOP, as it faces off against a united—and radicalized—Leftist foe.
Just look at this absurd tweet from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee now overseeing the confirmation battle for Judge Brett Kavanaugh:
With all the extensions we give Dr Ford to decide if she still wants to testify to the Senate I feel like I’m playing 2nd trombone in the judiciary orchestra and Schumer is the conductor
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 22, 2018
Not only is this tweet the embodiment of everything wrong with the GOP today, it also shows why, if not for Trump, the Right would be consigned to permanent minority status (which is how most Washington Republicans seem to prefer it).
If elected Republicans stood together the way the Democrats somehow manage, there is no policy that the GOP could not push through. Yet the Republicans struggle because their leadership is weak and malleable.
Former colleagues of mine from Capitol Hill argue that the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are only as strong as its weakest member (in this case, Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who has made it his mission to stymie Trump’s agenda at every turn). Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are also concerned about how women voters will view their handling of sexual assault charges made by a former high school classmate of Brett Kavanaugh. In fact, most elected Republicans (especially in the leadership) are petrified of being castigated as anti-women in the age of #MeToo.
In their fear, they are willing to be led around by the nose by the minority party on Capitol Hill. Too many seem like they don’t want to win—at least they don’t want to win if it means winning the way that Donald Trump wins. The Democrats don’t care how they win.
Have you ever wondered how all but two items on President Trump’s legislative agenda have failed to pass, despite the GOP allegedly holding the dominant place in Washington? This failure is not the fault of the Left. It’s entirely the fault of weak-kneed Republicans.
Are you expecting the elected GOP to pass a repeal bill of Obamacare? No can do, Republican voters! Despite campaigning on that promise, the GOP now tells us that the American people would revolt because healthcare is now an entitlement, just like Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, and we’ll be labeled by the Left as being extremists (as if there is anything they might plausibly do to prevent that labeling). Want the GOP to pass a spending bill that actually reduces federal spending? Not going to happen. Have to keep those handouts flowing in the vain hope that the Democrats won’t be mean to us!
Now, the RNC is reluctant to give vital campaign funds to any overtly pro-Trump candidate in “purple” congressional districts. Better to push forward Paul Ryan clones who are destined to lose. Until the Republican voters band together and support only those candidates who are committed to winning on the issues that propelled Trump’s historic victory, the GOP will be the conduit rather than the blockade for Democratic Party victories.
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