Maybe the columns about this are yet to come, but I am surprised at how few words are being written on the risk that Trump will cause a serious, quite long term, split in the Right between his dumb, conspiracy addled "base" who are leaving Fox News and going into the even more intensely partisan propaganda echo chambers of OAN and Parler, and those "establishment" Republican politicians and their supporters who have always known Trump is a useful idiot but have not been able to say so for 4 years.
Because, it seems to me, the only way those on the "establishment" side can hope to win back the cultists is if they start spilling the beans on how hopeless they found Trump to deal with after his departure. But given the nature of cultist logic, that runs the risk of intensifying their belief in the Deep State and the righteous cause of their glorious leader who always warned them that Washington was corrupt.
Look, I could be completely wrong and somehow the fine line that the likes of Carlson and Fox News is trying to tread will work. But it seems a real problem, way outweighing the intensity of the internecine arguments within the Democrats.
3 comments:
There is no substantial GOP base, it is all Trumpism now. The GOP made a choice and if the remnants try to break free from the Trump factor they will be a minor party. This is going to very interesting because most in Trump camp despise the GOP. Trump might start his own party but he'll be fighting so many legal battles over the coming years that will sink with him locked up.
Yeah, I don't know, John. I know polling suggests that the great majority of GOP voters believe every bit of nonsense that comes out of Trump's mouth - but it is in the context that many of the GOP politicians who have had the closest knowledge of what Trump says and does in private have kept silent about any misgivings they have for fear of losing his base. (Or, more disgracefully, actually spent a lot of tie praising Trump despite his personal attacks on them.)
I just strongly suspect that a lot of the GOP politicians would be much happier never having to work with Trump again, and will not be prepared to go along forever with the his narrative that the Biden presidency is completely illegitimate.
I could well be giving far too much credit to GOP politicians (apart from the likes of Romney and a handful of others.)
But if there is a serious split between Trump loyalists and Never Again Trumpers, I would guess that at the "establishment" level it would be more like 50/50, even if initially at the grass roots level more like 70/30 in favour of Trump. This would mean that the Never-Again side will have every incentive to dump on Trump's private behaviour as President.
Which means a very divided and interesting period coming up for the Party overall.
(And no, I don't think Trump is at all serious enough about working in order to want to be the head of a new party.)
Steve,
I'm not sure what the situation is but some USA FBFs seem to think that the Right is now basically Trump. I know what you are getting at, that hopefully there will be a resurgence of a more balanced Right. When I suggested to some FBFs that a reconciliation with the Biden presidency by the "sensible Right" is possible someone replied there no longer is a "sensible Right".
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