Thomas ZimmerMar 14

I end my history of the Republican Party with a question: What comes after Trump?

We are most likely looking at a prolonged, chaotic, and dirty struggle between different radical factions and different shades of extremism.

https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/36887968-d0e1-4693-b4c1-4953912c8435

How the Hell Did We End Up Here?

From the failed ethno-nationalist revolt in the early 1990s to the triumph of MAGA extremism - A history of the Republican Party, Part II

Steady
Show threadThomas ZimmerMar 14
Institutionally, today’s GOP is weak. A large chunk of its base is not devoted to the party, but personally loyal to Donald Trump. There is no party apparatus that could realistically police the fringes or steer the selection process of candidates; GOP primaries generate ever more radical people.
Show threadThomas ZimmerMar 14
At the same time, as a vehicle of MAGA power, the Republican Party has been indispensable. The MAGA base makes up about 15 to 20 percent of U.S. adults – those whose political identity is tied up in the movement. That would not have been enough to catapult Trump to power had he run as an independent candidate.
Show threadThomas ZimmerMar 14
However, because Trump took over the GOP from within, he has not been limited to the support of the hard-right base. He has been able to count on the votes of the vast majority of people who identify as “Republican.” Political identities are sticky - and Trump benefits from negative polarization.
Show threadThomas ZimmerMar 14
As a political brand the “Grand Old Party” lends legitimacy to Trump and MAGA, which helps explain why so many people who would never themselves identify as radical have nevertheless given themselves permission to make common cause with the extremists in charge of the GOP.
Show threadThomas ZimmerMar 14
Considering how much the Republican Party has been shaped by a cult of personality around Trump, how much it has functioned as an extreme version of personalist rule, there will inevitably be a power vacuum if and when Trump exits the stage.
Show threadThomas Zimmer
An opening for voices of moderation? Don’t hold your breath. They have long been banished from the party. The most likely scenario is that JD Vance and anyone who desires to lead the GOP will aggressively placate the extreme fringes in their bid to succeed Trump.
Mar 14 at 5:22pmIvory for iOS
Show threadThomas ZimmerMar 14

Donald Trump has significantly exacerbated and accelerated the rightward radicalization of the Republican Party. But he didn’t cause it.

There will not be a return to „Grand Old Normalcy“ – and with this Republican Party, there will not be liberal democracy in America.

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https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/36887968-d0e1-4693-b4c1-4953912c8435

How the Hell Did We End Up Here?

From the failed ethno-nationalist revolt in the early 1990s to the triumph of MAGA extremism - A history of the Republican Party, Part II

Steady
Show threadPG1958WILLNOTCOMPLY 🇺🇸🇷🇴🇺🇦🇵🇸Mar 14
@tzimmer_history IF, and that's a big ask, trump actually leaves after his term I'm confident he will retain control of the GOP much as he did while Biden was president. Remember how trump managed the GOP from MAL after the GOP took control of the House? I expect more of the same, at best.