Did you watch the GOP debate? It was painful. We were treated to old timers with zero chance of winning going off on issues that matter little to voters, using slogans from the W era. In the spectacle that is our political world, the Republican Party has been a prime contributor to the circus. There’s a fascinating dynamic playing out within the GOP itself. On one hand, you have the base, especially the newer MAGA types, but also the stalwart supporters who yearn for political victory and the pursuit of policies they believe in and wish to see enacted that involve existential concerns. On the other hand, there are the operatives and donors, often lurking in the shadows, looking to extract money in any manner possible. The debate showed where the party leadership wants to go.
The Republican Party base is like a group of kids in a candy store, excited to make a purchase. They genuinely want to win elections. They want to vote for politicians that enact policies that curb immigration, bring jobs back and avoid useless wars. This base excitement is the same for the Democrats’ base, only the policies differ. These individuals ardently believe in restricting immigration, lower taxes, limited military adventures, and traditional family values. It’s the old-fashioned American dream painted in red, white, and blue. They sport bumper stickers with pride, wave flags at rallies, and argue passionately on social media about the sanctity of their principles. It’s all about the victory for them; they’re the ultimate team players.
They won’t get it even if the overwhelming majority of the base supports a MAGA or MAGA-lite triumvirate of Trump-DeSantis-Vivek. Why? The Republican Party operatives and donors, gliding in like seagulls at a beach picnic. Trump’s term was pitched as populist reform, but he had no cadre of men to enact it, therefore we saw… tax cuts. Their motives can be summed up in two words: financial gain. They channel funds into campaigns, lobbying efforts, and think tanks, all in the name of advancing their own interests. Can we blame them? Politics is big business, and business, as they say, is booming.
As Trump took office, the paradox continued. While many believed they were witnessing a champion of the working class, policies favored by donors came to the forefront. Tax cuts disproportionately benefiting the wealthy and corporate deregulation saw sunshine. Immigration legislative reform sputtered and efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act to reduce insurance costs were abandoned; by exactly one vote. There is no advocacy group for those populist impulses.
One might wonder why the base tolerated this seemingly duplicitous dance. The answer lies in the machinery of party power and the staffing positions. The Republican Party, despite the Trump phenomenon and victory, is still the old donor network pulling the strings. No new economic power nodes entered the coalition. That network controls the platforms, the talking points, and the candidates themselves. DeSantis has flip-flopped due to donor pressure. As long as this remains the case, the base’s aspirations may continue to be swept under the rug, occasionally tossed a bone in the form of half-hearted social issue policies. The agonizing part is the party infrastructure cannot even fund a candidate to lie and mouth those policy slogans to just not deliver when in office. That is what they did with the Tea Party influx by 2014. Insane, I know, but they are not good at strategy.
Slight detour but more proof the party is idiotic is that they did not clear out the old timer, has-been contingent to make a broad lane for DeSantis to consolidate the non-Trump vote and designate one, smaller candidate as the anti-Trump attack surrogate for DeSantis to stay above the fray. Instead of such a setup, the anti-Trump or confused voter pool has several awful options to choose from. Asa Hutchinson? Contrast this to 2020, when America witnessed the Democrats consolidate almost overnight behind Biden after one primary win and yet, oddly enough, leave Warren in to siphon votes from Bernie. That is discipline and coordination.
In conclusion, the GOP’s internal tug-of-war is worthy of a comedy show but is more a tragedy. The hopes of the base stand in stark contrast to the financial desires of operatives and the appetites of donors. It is easy to envision a demoralized base abandoning the GOP and creating 1964 style wipeouts, leaving the donor network controlling a rump party unable to extract the rents it wants. It will remain a jobs program for hacks though. Say what you will about Democrats, but they do reward their base. And while the Republican Party’s antics may resemble a political pie fight, there’s a sobering truth: the party’s grip on power and staffing positions is its ultimate ace in the hole. As the circus continues, remember that in the grand theater of politics he who cuts the check, he who staffs personnel and he who writes the policy memo wins.
-By Fred Watson Jr
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No. Never would have and never will! How’s that for an answer to your question? You’re not the barker in this circus, you’re just one of the crowd entertained by it, “painful” as it may be. Stop being a dupe and get on with life. Seriously! Write about something that matters, for goodness sakes!
Agreed! I’m still wondering why our Padraig Martin (whom I respect) would go to the trouble to grade all the two-faced traitor/contestants in such a farce. Time would be better spent going to see the Barbie movie.
My understanding is that he (Mr. Martin) is a big DeSantis supporter, and that that, in itself, accounts for his otherwise indifference towards the 2024 elections. I reckon that DeSantis can only be corrupted by the process, and therefore double-down on his support for Israel and Jewish intrigue in our elections, but perhaps I reckon wrong. We shall see, I guess.
Exactly, you both are spot on. For the life of me, I just cannot understand how anyone can actually think that this Kabuki Theater is in any way, shape or form real. What does it take to wake people up? I’m convinced that they could scroll a disclaimer across the screen stating that this is all a show and not real and people would STILL believe it was, and still waste time talking about it, writing about it, donating their hard earned money to their “party” or “candidate,” and standing in line to “vote” as if it counted towards something.