Recently, many influential Republicans have made a mockery of themselves and their party by attempting to defend the Republican nominee and his actions on national television. As Erickson puts it, "free-trade advocates have become protectionists. Strategists are treating Drudge Report surveys as scientific endeavors while dismissing legitimate polls as Clintonian propaganda." As Trump's campaign collapses around him and election day looms ever closer, it begs the question: what will happen to the Republican party after Trump? What do you think should be the top priority for the Republican party in terms of reform? How will they win back disgruntled voters and party members who feel repulsed by the party's extremely conservative views?
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/14/opinion/erick-erickson-the-gop-after-donald-trump.html?_r=1
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As more of Trump's supporters change their minds, and the GOP continues to desert their nominee I wonder how the Republican Party will appear consistent to the public. Because Trump is basically a lost cause at this point it is time for the GOP to disassociate itself from him and work on gaining the public's trust again. No, this does not mean fighting to win back seats in Congress so that nothing will get done under Hillary for the next four years, but rather cleaning up the mess they've made. Republican voters feel uneasy about the condition, character, and consistency of their party and the way to rectify this is for the GOP to tell the public what it really stands for. The GOP needs to make it's objectives crystal clear and stop playing games so that its party members will come back and not fear another Donald Trump. I honestly don't care what they decide to stand for and I certainly do not advocate for the GOP to try and support things it thinks the public wants. No, what I think the best move at this point is for the GOP is to stand tall and stand proud for what it believes in and if the public supports what it stands for then so be it. The public should be able to know what they are getting when they vote so individual Rebublican candidates should tell the public what they believe. The games need to stop. This "say what they want to hear and change it later" attitude that our parties have adopted is ridiculous and needs to come to an end.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be melodramatic here, but I think we have, in some ways, witnessed the death of the GOP. Perhaps the Republican Party will persist, but not the party we have known. And though the party has not lived up to its fond nickname "the party of Abraham Lincoln" in a very long time, I certainly didn't expect it to come to this. I was raised in a Catholic household with half the household having conservative viewpoints, and half holding liberal viewpoints. Many Catholics in my experience vote on a single issue: abortion. Well, I think there's probably a fair sprinkling of racism in there too. But it's mostly abortion (or so they say). But here's the issue, politicians suffer from an ego. To be a national leader, you have to believe you're the best person for the job. So, if appealing to the masses (even the anti-intellectual masses) keeps you your job, you're going to do it! Personally, I think Australia has done just about everything we should do in aspects of voting and gun control, and their politicians did exactly what ours would need to do, and so we should follow that model. But I think the harsh reality we face is: we can't answer what the GOP stands for. They might all be anti-abortion. They might all be fiscally conservative. They might all be old racist white guys. But we don't know. If we ask them to stand for what they believe, we might be pretty shocked. And so, in a post-Trump GOP, what do I think will happen? I think the democrats will take a lot. They'll take lots of the house and senate. They'll take the presidency. And I think we'll enter a new age of liberal reform at least until the GOP drops the O and figures something out. That, or, the libertarians take over. (Once they get a candidate with an ounce of foreign policy knowledge).
ReplyDeleteAs we discussed in class, the GOP is going to have a lot of explaining to do in the (very probable) event that Trump is defeated. I never really agree with the republican view point on issues, but at this point, since Trump has strayed so far away from how other candidates have acted, I'm not even sure he represents how republicans actually feel. I think the main priority of the GOP after the election should be, as Abby said, cleaning up what a mess their party has become, and actually listening to the people. So many people are considering voting Trump just because they don't want a Democrat in office...but they don't really want Trump in office either. So what do those republican voters want? That's what the party should try to find out, and they should then take that information, find people who fit what the people really want to represent them, and make their stances on issues clear again.
ReplyDeleteAlso, sort of unrelated to my main point, why are "leaders of "religious right"" backing the statements Trump has made as "just words". I know that's what he used as his excuse, but religious leaders? I'm Jewish (and even then, I haven't been to synagogue in years), so I'm not very religious, and I'm not super familiar with the inner workings of the churches, but WHAT? How can the people who seem to be about purity and doing good deeds during life back up sexual assault and comments on the matter as "just words"?? I'm so confused.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with the majority of the comments posted saying the post-Trump GOP will need to change the fundamentals of the party. Just as in our summer reading, the Republicans have strayed too far right, and the result of that is Donald Trump. I'm not necessarily saying the possibility of Trump becoming president can be the worst thing to ever happen, but his views are so odd they can't even be defined as right or left-winged, they're... Trump-winged. Paul Ryan has a good plan to attempt to maintain House and Senate majorities (which contradicts my last post a little, but I still say he should support his party's candidate) but what needs to happen is a breakdown of the party's fundamentals. It's like Josh Featherman said, we need more Republicans that aren't as conservative, especially on social issues and climate change, as the current members of the party.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP has become an absolute apocalyptic mess. The party is divided, which could lead to a possible party realignment—not good for the Republicans. After this election, win or lose, Republicans will have some explaining to do. This election has been vastly different from the Republican glory days with Reagan. Although many Republicans deny it, this election has been focused on xenophobia and bigotry. Those ideas have been topics that bring in voters and push voters away. For those that have been pushed away from the GOP, they may want a new party to belong to, whether that may be Democrats or Libertarians, Republicans will likely lose many voters long term. In order to reform their party, the GOP will have to drop the enthusiasm over the xenophobic and sexist ideas, and focus on fiscal issues—ideas that attract many voters, young and old. “Pick yourself up by your boot straps,” a mantra I personally don’t believe in, used to be a major focus in the GOP. I feel as it that has been lost in this election. The GOP will have to find a way to get back to that and entice voters with fiscal themes, as opposed to the ones Trump preaches about. If Trump does lose, then new leadership will have to be put in place as well. I believe it is unlikely that non-Trump supporting Republicans will want to have Trump supporting Representatives because they simply represent and stand for values that 1. lost and 2. are not supported by many GOP members.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP has become an absolute apocalyptic mess. The party is divided, which could lead to a possible party realignment—not good for the Republicans. After this election, win or lose, Republicans will have some explaining to do. This election has been vastly different from the Republican glory days with Reagan. Although many Republicans deny it, this election has been focused on xenophobia and bigotry. Those ideas have been topics that bring in voters and push voters away. For those that have been pushed away from the GOP, they may want a new party to belong to, whether that may be Democrats or Libertarians, Republicans will likely lose many voters long term. In order to reform their party, the GOP will have to drop the enthusiasm over the xenophobic and sexist ideas, and focus on fiscal issues—ideas that attract many voters, young and old. “Pick yourself up by your boot straps,” a mantra I personally don’t believe in, used to be a major focus in the GOP. I feel as it that has been lost in this election. The GOP will have to find a way to get back to that and entice voters with fiscal themes, as opposed to the ones Trump preaches about. If Trump does lose, then new leadership will have to be put in place as well. I believe it is unlikely that non-Trump supporting Republicans will want to have Trump supporting Representatives because they simply represent and stand for values that 1. lost and 2. are not supported by many GOP members.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to say that Donald Trump's policies will stain the GOP, because he doesn't really have policies. I mean yes, he has some typical radically conservative ideas and some weird Trump hybrid ideas, but his viewpoints are so vague and contradictory that nobody really knows what he is talking about, and he probably doesn't either. Trump is "totally flexible on very, very many issues," which basically translates to "I say whatever pops into my head and backtrack on it later if I have to adjust to newly emerging circumstances." All of this is to say that no, although the GOP is looking in shambles right now, Trump's effect on the republican party is going to be not enduring. Sure, those who continue to endorse him until November 8 will have a lot of explaining it do, but they will probably do exactly what Trump is doing and backtrack on their statements. I can't see the republican party, one that has drifted incredibly far right, realigning to the middle post-trump. These are some of the most uncompromising politicians in history.
ReplyDeleteHowever, hopefully I'm wrong. Maybe Trump will, ironically and inadvertently, change the political landscape for the better, forcing Republican political elites to rebrand the GOP. Again, I'm not sure this is possible given their past few decades of political ideological extremism.
When trump loses the election, the Republican Party will probably change. I think Trump is going to bring Republicans back to reality. After he loses, Republicans will realize that Trump was not a good idea. The fact that Trump was the leading Republican candidate will make the party want change more than anything else. I think they'll change their views on social policies, but remain fiscally conservative. This will attract more people towards the Repuvoican party. But maybe, the damage will never be repaired. Trump may have tainted the name of the party to a point where a new party needs to be formed. The increasing independents are a sign that a new party can work, although it's probably less likely. The Republican Party will either modify their social stances or never get over the mistake Trump was.
ReplyDeleteI understand what Anurag is saying, and I really hope he is correct, but I just don't think it's realistic. The best case cenario would be for the Republican Party to come back to reality, but I just don't see that happening, This whole support Trump don't support Trump divide in the Republican Party seems unfixable. I think the second portion of Anurag's reaction seems much more realistic and I don't think the damage is likely to be repaired. On the other hand, I thought that the middle of this article was very interesting. The fact that his family was tormented by Trump supporters and his son was traumatized by it made me very discouraged in the American public. That being said it was heart warming to see the community reach out and help his family. His pro local and state views seemed very appealing after reading the article, and his thought of having a "party of heterogeneity" was quite interesting.
DeleteI agree with Sam. The Republican Party is unlikely to change its social views. If it does, it risks dividing the party between pro-Trump and anti-Trump, but even without any changes, the damage has already made lasting effects. The Republican party (and maybe the Democratic as well) may have to find a solution to deal with "outsiders" running under their name. Because of the lack of power from the party leaders and the low voter turnout, Trump has demonstrated that it is relatively simple to claim the nomination. And this existing process is not the best to capture what the American people truly want.
DeleteWith Donald Trump's defeat most likely looming, the GOP will have to start at square one with many Americans, and even past voters who may have jumped ship. This election has not only divided the Republican Party, but it has let a candidate with many values not in line with Republican Party ideals become the candidate, while also gaining support from Republicans. This is what I believe the GOP will have to explain, as many have blindly followed Trump because of his party label, yet when his loss inevitably occurs, these Republcians will now have to stand for what Trump stood for, even when he is gone.
ReplyDeleteImmediately after Trump loses the election (I would bet $10,000 this will happen), the Republican Party is going to be a trainwreck. Trump is probably going to go on and on about how everything is "rigged", "they stole it from us" madness. The Republican leadership is going to have to find a way to stop public outrage or there might be rioting. The Senate will be under Democratic control, possibly the House.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, if the GOP is going to be a competitive party, they need to completely transform themselves. No more mention of things like "conversion therapy" (this was actually discussed in the platform committee) or extreme positions on social issues. No more Trump-style candidates. No more very large tax-reductions or trying to completely gut the government. They need to actually accept that climate change is happening. They should take a more reasonable stance on gun policy. In short, they need to become a much more moderate conservative party. If they become more moderate overall, they will gain back the Republican voters repulsed by the current mess. They may even find support from Democrats who do not feel comfortable with the influence of very liberal candidates like Bernie Sanders on the party. The bottom line is that the current GOP is just getting more extreme every year. The government barely functions because they refuse to compromise. It would be easier to find common ground in Congress if the parties were more similar. Moderating the party is crucial for the political stability of the United States.
10K, huh?... :(
DeleteTrump has been quite the wake up call for the Republican Party, and after the election, the Party will have to seriously re-evaluate their principles and policies. Trump and his "policies" have brought the Republican Party to a dangerous point, and as a result, have lost a lot of support. The Republican Party needs to redefine and solidify their beliefs and policies in order to restore faith in Republicans, particularly those who are voting in the upcoming local and state elections.
ReplyDeleteAs we've said in class, the Republican Party is in danger of losing an entire generation of voters. Millennials are proving to be overwhelmingly liberal (especially socially) right now, and the antics of Trump and even Right-Wing candidates like Cruz won't be attractive to these voters when the become older and more active if this trend stays true. Obviously there will be some drop off as people demographically tend to be more liberal when they're younger, but this is still a significant issue for the party. Of the moderate, libertarian, establishment, tea party, and Christian conservative demographics, some are willing to lean more socially liberal when not forced to to back a candidate like Trump. With this more moderate trend within some of the party and the damage Trump's done, the Republican Party will likely have to reform and become more moderate to adapt for the future. Groups like the tea party and evangelical Christians might not follow, but as time goes on it'll have to be determined if they're still the primary demographic the party should cater to.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost the Republicans will need to keep the loonies out or at least keep them concealed. They very much need to take a few steps down and relax and attempt to create a more enticing environment for alienated Republicans. They also have to stop with their exhaustive tax tirades and repaint the picutre they've created around the deficit and all of that nonsense. They can totally keep the position they've chosen but they can't approach the issue with an unwillingness to compromise and a determination to cut down anyone that dares to disagree with them or to propose a slightly less extreme idea.
ReplyDeleteTrump has certainly split the party, if absolutely nothing else. The fact that he managed to get so far should send a wake up call to the Republican Party that something is incredibly wrong with the way things are going right now. I sincerely hope that Trump's success in the party will cause reforms. I do not believe that radical right wing candidates with crazy "policies" such as Trump should be able to get so far in a party that was once respected for its beliefs, even if not everyone shared them. Nowadays, the Republican Party has become something of a joke to young voters especially. It has become a haven for the ultra-conservative voters, and it has started to lose some of its most loyal supporters simply because those supporters are moderates. The party therefore will likely need to become more moderate to prevent extreme radicals (like Trump) from properly rising to power and to keep the support from their moderate voters (who as we have learned make up most of the general population). In addition to becoming more moderate, I agree with Analiese that the party needs to learn to compromise. While I understand that sometimes the party ideas and stances are just fundamentally different from the Democrats, the Democrats do a much better job of reaching compromises with these different beliefs than Republicans do. Republicans have a tendency to take the stance of "my way or no way" and that just will not work anymore. They need to become open to the idea of compromising in order to actually get things done in Congress and therefore likely gain more support back.
ReplyDeleteI think that if Trump loses this election, the GOP will be set for either a collapse or a major reform. This is going to be due to the fact that while I think a majority of Republicans will be disgusted by Trump or finally realize the consequences of where the party would go with him, another, smaller group of more extreme left or anti-establishment conservatives may stay with Trump, creating a fissure in party lines. In order to attract voters again, I think that the GOP would be forced to declare more of their ideals and polices more clearly in order to reestablish a system of trust and have any appeal to other voters. Unfortunately, I don't think that this would realistically happen, as honesty and politics generally tend to mix, so the best we could hope for would be a more reasonable party and voter base out of this year's disaster.
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ReplyDeleteI think, despite the Trump victory I have witnessed, that the Republican party is in for a shift. If they choose to adopt Trump supporters as their new ideological base, then they have moved to a far more radical and, frankly, more racist base. They will tie themselves to the white nationalist movements and they will fundamentally shift their party to the party of racism. On the other hand, they cannot ignore this now-prominent base. They have a fine line to tread, in order to not isolate traditional republicans while also containing the rural fury they have ignited. Therefore, there would be a shift regardless of whether or not Trump won.
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