Why do I make this bold prediction?
1. The GOP has made the unprecedented decision to cling to a Presidential loser, rather than discarding and scorning him/her which is typical (Democratic scorn for HRC was never-ending after ‘16, as was Republican scorn for Romney after ‘12 and McCain after ‘08). They are clinging SO hard to Trump that criticizing him openly is a new unspoken rule, a career-ender as demonstrated by Cheney’s defenestration.
2. The GOP has become a party of culture wars and reeing rather than rolling up their sleeves and solving problems or advancing new ideas. The GOP is far too indulgent and accommodating toward white supremacists and tinfoil-hat conspiracists.
3. And they consistently pick the wrong side in every new culture battle. They went hard against BLM right as their support with the broader American public skyrocketed last summer. They backed Derek Chauvin to the hilt in the George Floyd incident when the law found him to be a murderer. They’ve made the curious decision to start boycotting and attacking major American brands (Goodyear, Nike, Delta, Coca-Cola, even professional sports leagues), which has severed the GOP’s historical relationship with big business.
The only way the GOP can hope to retain power at a national level is by tripling-down on the inherent electoral handicaps our system gives them. And that’s a real danger. Gerrymandering will increase, the voting rights crackdown in many states continues. But all that anti-democratic activity creates a backlash as well and energizes the Democratic Party’s donors and activists.
Unless the GOP can pull out of this tailspin, it’s headed for regional party status and perhaps eventual death.
