McKay Coppins – The Atlantic:
Nick Everhart, a GOP media consultant who has worked for dozens of Tea Party-aligned campaigns over the years, said there’s little use in trying to explain the unpredictable behavior of the conservative base with issues or ideology. “The idea that these movements are driven by any kind of intellectual, structured thing is ridiculous. They’re always a backlash to the moment”
The backlash in 2016 was against eight years of a black president, and progressive politics in general.
Only Mr. Trump’s most rabid supporters were sanguine about him fulfilling his campaign promises. Signs reading “Keep government hands off my Medicare,” and a late awakening to the Affordable Care Act and “Obamacare” being one and the same were common last campaign season. Many shouting the loudest, angriest support wanted no such thing after he gained office.
What do they want? Who knows? Maybe they just liked the red hats.
Populist backlashes crumble when unthinking anger comes up against its own ignorance. Accordingly, this administration has very little to show for its time in office and its Congressional majority. The critical first one-hundred days is lost.
“Since 2010, the GOP has [run] in every election promising to repeal and replace Obamacare, secure the border, provide tax reform and relief, end taxpayer funding of abortion, appoint constitutionalist judges, and grow the economy again,” Mueller said. “Other than confirming Justice [Neil] Gorsuch, the GOP so far has nothing to show for earning the majority.” The lack of progress on these campaign promises, he said, has left voters “feeling they’ve been had.”
Cry me a river. GOP politicians control the White House, both Houses of Congress, most governor’s offices and most statehouses. The party has controlled almost all of these for nearly nine years with, as stated, not much to show for it. This is the result of pandering to both their base supporters and anyone with an axe to grind and a TV tuned to Fox “News.”
The simplest explanations are usually correct. In order to succeed, a party must be for something. A politician must inspire. The GOP has been playing the angry white guy game for a long time, and it’s become evident that their vaunted “big tent” is home only to these self-same angry white guys with no cohesive agenda. They’re for nothing and against everything. They’ve systematically eliminated their moderate elect. Who’s left to reason with the opposition, and accomplish legislation? No-one.
#GOP #fraud #Trump
A Random Stroll 