Sorry, folks, but the Republican Party is not on its death bed.

[Garrett78]

I see post after post after post suggesting that the Republican Party is done for, or that it will be if it doesn't remove Trump from office. That idea is comforting, but it isn't rooted in reality. Demographic change isn't sufficient given our broken system.

The demise of the Republican Party has been predicted for decades. Without major reform of our tyranny of the minority political system (such reform is virtually impossible for the very reasons why reform is so desperately needed), without public education reform, without media reform and without putting an end to what is essentially election fraud (voter suppression, foreign interference, dark money, gerrymandering), the GOP will live on. It's ethically bankrupt but it will continue to be a major player. The GOP, as batshit crazy as it's become, currently holds more power nationwide (state legislatures, governorships, etc.) than the Democratic Party. As more and more of the population lives in a disproportionately small number of states, the problem will worsen.

2020 may go really well for us, but between all of the aforementioned issues and an incredibly ignorant public with the attention span of a gnat, the Republican Party isn't anywhere close to being laid to rest. And after Trump is gone, the "everything is back to normal" narrative will dominate, unless Democrats are vigilant in pushing back and establish a different narrative (even then, we're dependent on the profit-driven media to speak the truth).

[RKP5637]

1. The GOP is not going to die. Hopefully it can be diminished in 2020, but it's not going to be dead.

[DownriverDem]

59. Sadly

the Electoral College favors trump.

[RKP5637]

62. It's a horrible system. Absolutely ridiculous in the 21st century! n/t

[Butterflylady]

64. Not with the rite nominee!

[Garrett78]

72. The electoral college favors Republicans, regardless of the nominees.

That's not to say we can't win in spite of the electoral college. We obviously can. But the system favors the Republican Party.

But getting rid of the electoral college, a remnant of slavery, is next to impossible. That's one of those aspects of our tyranny of the minority system that is virtually impossible to reform for the very reasons why reform is so badly needed.

[Maraya1969]

92. IF we win enough governorships we can nullify it!

I think more effort needs to be made to turn states into popular vote winner only states.

I can't remember how many votes we already have. California is one.

[TheRealNorth]

2. I agree with you

The problem is that the Deplorables make up a significant portion of the voting population and are well funded by a few extremely Rich people.

[Garrett78]

6. And they are more evenly distributed.

There are more blue people than red people but more red states than blue states. A problem that is only growing.

The days of being able to "reach across the aisle" are gone. One party isn't acting in good faith. It's been completely corrupted. This is an incredibly discomforting reality, so people don't want to talk about it. But that won't make it go away.

[Cartaphelius]

47. They have become

"The Horde" led by the Silent on The Walking Dead.

And I mean that in almost a good way.

[FormerDittoHead]

3. Republicans will continue to be a threat just for the Senate imbalance.

Everything you said plus the basic structure of our government with the Senate.

Wyoming and Alaska get as many Senatorial votes as California and New York State combined.

For those 4 states, that makes like a 40:1 imbalance that Republicans get, disenfranchising tens of millions.

Only a constitutional amendment would change that, and you'd need the cooperation of the small states to do it.

[Garrett78]

9. Exactly. The reasons why reform is needed prevent reform from being feasible.

This is the enormous elephant in the room.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. But they are playing with autoerotic asphyxiation. Things could go wrong. nt

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. I'd settle for a break (or significant) crack in the disinformation cult

Two things desperately needed:
1. facts breaking through the bubble of the disinformation cult
2. apathetic voters learning that elections matter, and then voting

Needed reforms can be accomplished if either of the above take place.

[Garrett78]

19. Getting more people to vote is the best hope we have, but we've been talking about that for decades.

That's where public education and media reform comes into play.

[CMYK]

48. I'd settle for

a self-inflicted break in the Republican party - one of tea-party, hard-core zealots, and another smaller group of reasonable, thinking people that we could have a dialog with....

[wryter2000]

7. People said it was dead after BushII and the landslide of 2008

I even have a book with that title. However, a few states have eliminated all the Republicans' influence, rendering them impotent. California is one such state, so it can be done. If the Republican core base shrinks enough, we might have a chance of becoming the dominant party nation-wide.

[tirebiter]

65. A Republican like Schwarzenegger could be right back in the saddle in CA.

The Republicans committed ideological suicide.

[SWBTATTReg]

8. Well, personally I think economic trends will drive migration of more democrats (and thus...

the democratic party) into more 'red' areas, as the cost of living gets more and more unaffordable to more and more people seeking to live in these areas (CA, NY, Florida (there are still some affordable areas in FL from what my friends tell me), etc.). I wouldn't be able to afford to live in some of these areas now.

[Garrett78]

15. My wife and I live in a relatively affordable area of CA with a great climate and Dem. Rep.

We're public employees and not anywhere close to wealthy. Maybe some will move to red states, but we certainly won't.

[SWBTATTReg]

22. Don't blame you. I have lots of friends in FL who have either retired there or moved there,

and they do tell me that there are affordable areas still there. As you say, I suspect that there are affordable areas everywhere...one just needs to look a little deeper I guess. I'm in MO and I've lived here pretty well my whole life, would like the warmer weather but then again, moving is a big thing, away from friends, family, etc.

Take care of yourselves and be safe, with all the fires, hopefully you don't have too much to worry about.

[Garrett78]

28. I was born and raised in St. Louis.

We're on the northern coast of CA and out of fire danger, fortunately. The winters are warmer than in MO, but the summers are a hell of a lot cooler. We like that.

The problem with Florida is that it probably won't exist by century's end, or sooner.

[SWBTATTReg]

33. Ha, small world. STLMO is where I'm at now! It's cold and rainy here, and you ...

certainly aren't missing anything! You're probably right about FL, I look at St. Petersburg, and see it totally surrounded by water/inlets/bays, and the rest of the state isn't really any better (altitude wise). Take care from a newbie in STLMO (I've been here for 40 years)!!

[DBoon]

30. Companies move jobs to red areas

and "blue" employees will follow

International companies tend to hire internationally. Immigrants have been completely written off by Republicans, and even immigrants with conservative social politics tend to vote Democratic.

These factors are why cities like Houston have been tending Democracix

[SWBTATTReg]

36. Makes absolute sense in what you say! STLMO, where I'm at, has lots of immigrants and such,

and the city is heavily democratic, and very progressive. It's too bad the rest of the state of MO isn't but that is changing. Take care!

[Garrett78]

39. MO used to be the bellwether of all bellwethers. Now it's East Kansas.

[shockey80]

10. The Republican party has already died.

What you are seeing is not the Republican party. I don't know what to call it.

[Garrett78]

13. It's the Republican Party that was the inevitable result of...

50+ years of increasingly cruel and unhinged policy and rhetoric, to go along with the out-of-control influence of money in politics. It's the Republican Party that has acted accordingly after recognizing demographic change, social progression and secularization as threats. It's the Republican Party that is taking full advantage of a broken system that is in need of major reform.

[DBoon]

31. We could call it the Falange Party

after a long time hero of the American right, Francisco Franco

[JHB]

49. The Party of Ahab

They follow a different chin-bearded tall-hat Gregory Peck character now.

[Turin_C3PO]

11. It's not dead but

it’s ability to win a national election will decrease with each election cycle. Also, demographics of red states are changing too so it’s entirely possible that many of those red districts and legislatures will flip to blue sometime in the future. I have hope.

[Garrett78]

76. We can hope, but formerly blue/purple states have gone red. It works both ways.

Missouri, for instance, used to be the ultimate bellwether. If you won MO, you won the presidency.

[katmondoo]

12. It may not die but to be associated with the GOP will become a mark of shame.

[empedocles]

20. If the Dems can continue to do this 'process' right, strategic with patience, and not

make too many mistakes

[Garrett78]

77. The shameless don't care.

Tens of millions still openly support Trump, and Trumpism will long outlive Trump.

[Arthur_Frain]

90. Then how come Sean spicer hasn't been voted off DWTS yet?

As much as I’d like to believe what you believe, the truth is that the public has very short memories, and we give these turds way too much leeway to rehab their image.

If what you say is true, Mitch McConnell should never be able to eat in public peacefully again. We both know not only will he get to, but if somebody challenges him, like as not, somebody will stand up to defend him.

This nation doesn’t do real “shame” anymore. At least it doesn’t really cost anyone anything.

[lunatica]

14. I was thinking of writing an opinion on the Republican Party's demise and inevitable

reinvention.

We are wise to look carefully at which players are beginning to quietly sound the death knell of the present party. They are in the process of jockeying themselves as the leaders of the re-emerging GOP. Not yet formed, they will allow the present members who slavishly back Trump to kill the party as it stands today. But some are emerging to mildly criticize Trump publicly, quietly backed by their supporters who stand behind them during hardly noticeable press conferences while they claim Trump goes too far by criticizing military figures he considers his enemies.

One such press conference was Liz Cheney’s recent press conference in which she criticized the Democrats before mildly criticizing Trump for attacking Vindman’s patriotism.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/467897-liz-cheney-condemns-attacks-on-vindmans-patriotism

The really nasty Republicans are already working to re-create the Republican Party. Not to make it more benign, but to replace Trump with someone who knows what they’re doing.

We best keep our eyes open. Trump has outlived his usefulness which has been so immensely beneficial to them. Their next pick will be a lot smarter. He/she may even be received as benevolent.

[Garrett78]

17. I've said before Trump 2.0 will be smarter and more charismatic.

Any notion that we'll go from Trump to a moderate Republican is absurd. The least bad Republicans are still awful. It's all relative.

[lunatica]

24. And we know the Republicans are incredibly patient

when it comes to consolidating power. To them Trump is NOT the end game. He is only the penultimate player who they can discard as the useful idiot he is. I don’t think even Putin gets this because he is a loner like other dictators. The Republicans, on the other hand are a very tightly knit group who plan for future generations.

Another player to keep an eye on is Bill Krystol. He’s been quite successful at infiltrating the media. His public face hides many, many Republicans behind the scenes.

[Garrett78]

38. Absolutely. They're playing the long game. Trump is a symptom and a means to an end.

As I wrote recently:

The Republican Party has been trying for decades, with quite a bit of success, to undermine faith in government. Run up debt so as to cut entitlements, have corporations write legislation, deregulate industry, install heads of departments whose mission it is to erode those very departments, deny the stark reality that past and present injustice is not evenly distributed, etc.

Since the likes of Putin also wish to undermine democratic institutions for the purpose of self-enrichment, Putin and Republicans make for interesting bedfellows.

This is a war of ideologies: we vs. me. "It takes a village" vs. "every person for themselves" (cheating permitted...nay, encouraged). The likes of Barr, Bannon, Pompeo et al. are especially dangerous--they're white nationalists, isolationists and despise secularization.

They've seen the writing on the wall (social progression, increased secularism, changing demographics, etc.), so their tactics have become increasingly extreme in recent years (intense voter suppression and gerrymandering, full-throated attacks on science and public education, persistent attacks on the "liberal media" to help shift the Overton Window, stealing a Supreme Court seat and packing the judiciary with right wing ideologues, aligning with dictators who share the goal of undermining democracy for personal enrichment, replacing the dog whistle with a bullhorn, and so on). They take comfort, though, in a tyranny of the minority system which, paradoxically, makes major structural reform nearly impossible to bring about for the very reasons why such reform is so desperately needed.

If this current cast of characters is still in power after 1/20/21, the damage wrought may be irreparable.

I wonder how many people (not on DU but nationally) view Trump as an anomaly or someone who just happened in a vacuum and how many people recognize that Trump is a symptom of a much larger problem (to which the GOP as a whole is contributing). I certainly come down on the side of the latter, and at the same time recognize how crucial it is that we remove Trump from office as soon as possible, as he's an especially diseased carrier pigeon for the ideologues who are taking advantage of his narcissistic appeal to the tens of millions of racists, sexists and xenophobes. I also wonder if seeing the big picture (or being helped to see it) would dissuade even a fraction of Trump's soft support (the portion that approves of him but not strongly) from continuing to support him. Are 100% of his supporters really okay with the world Republicans are seeking to realize? If so, they'll regret it.

[crickets]

52. Excellent points.

"to replace Trump with someone who knows what they’re doing"

This is the greatest danger, if and when they can get away with it. If you have more thoughts to add to your post and are still considering writing that opinion piece, please do. I look forward to reading it.

[Andy823]

16. They sure smell like it

Sure they will continue to lie, cheat and find new ways to steal offices, but it will also take a long time to get the smell of trump out!

They now are the "trump" party and the longer they let him get away with his illegal activities, the hard it will be for them to disown him.

[Act_of_Reparation]

50. George W. Bush

These people have no memory and no conscience. It will be much easier for them than you think.

[Andy823]

54. I agree Bush was bad

But trump makes Bush look like an amateur when it comes to destroying the country. I will agree that many of the braindead base will stick with them, but I think there will be problems for republicans for years.

[bluestarone]

68. My thinking is

Only reason tRUMP is worse that Bush is RUSSIA! I believe Russia is the Key to this whole fricken mess. THIS is putin! He's out to destroy the U.S.A. and trump and the whole fucking rethuglicon congress are putins puppets! Big mess for the Democrats to UNDO! When we win in 2020 we will have lots of work to do.

[Andy823]

74. I agree

trump is Putins not so secret weapon and he is doing a great job of destroy everything he can to help Putin. Yes there will be a huge mess for the Democrats to fix, and it will take some time, but I think they will be prepared to start on this come day one. It won't be easy but I think it can be done.

[Garrett78]

70. Even if they disown Trump, they won't disown Trumpism. Because they don't need to.

For the reasons I mentioned in the OP. Without major across the board structural reform, not a whole hell of a lot is going to change in regard to our politics.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

18. It ain't happening. In a sane world, they would've shrunken to be

small enough to "down it in the bathtub"....

[XRubicon]

21. If drump is removed or resigns the gop will split

He will blame gop and create a new scam party ready to collect money from mouth breathers.

[Grasswire2]

23. Last night I watched Bill Kristol's demeanor go shocked and frightened...

...when the conversation went to Pence also being forced from office. No, no, no he sputtered. It's important to keep continuity of government. Blahblahblahblah yadda yada yada. Never Trumpers like Kristol have no intention of ceding power to Dems when getting rid of Trump.

[Garrett78]

40. I've written many times about how, while I appreciate the anti-Trump rhetoric, Never Trumpers are...

...in complete denial. They don't see Trump as a symptom. They worship at the alter of Saint Ronnie, who dog whistled like crazy. They don't see or wish to acknowledge that 50+ years of increasingly cruel and unhinged policy and rhetoric created a monster. That monster isn't Trump. It's the entire GOP, including the electorate and its public officials. Trump is just a diseased carrier pigeon of a rotten ideology.

[Cosmocat]

55. YEP - most of them for sure

Nicole Wallace, David Jolley seem to have been mostly awakened to how crazy the whole party is, but people like Scarborough, Kristol, Rick Wilson ... Yeah.

[Thunderbeast]

25. I have otherwise intelligent friends and relatives

that buy the whole Trump Dogma. They parrot the Fox News lies. They buy all the conspiracy crap..and above all THEY HAVE A VISCERAL HATE for every Democratic leader. Their cohort of Facebook friends confirms their belief system.

I got a meme post this week declaring that "Obama gave BinLaden a funeral while Trump called AlBaghdadi a whimpering dog".

This was a cause for outrage and celebration of Trump's inate wisdom.

[Garrett78]

34. Right wing media and an unregulated social media is so incredibly problematic.

[Initech]

26. It's not going anywhere. The bubble is getting so big that it will burst.

And it's not going to be pretty when that happens.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. It's locked up in the psych ward.

[MerryBlooms]

29. I agree. trump is the dream come true for the darkest of the republican party...

he's given them a voice and the power to come out into the sunlight... they're not going anywhere. they're emboldened and will be even worse under our Democratic controlled branches.

[PCIntern]

32. I heard that in 1964 after Goldwater.

In 1968 Nixon was elected. Then ejected six years later. Still not the death of the Party.

[Garrett78]

35. Yeah, as I said, the demise of the GOP has been predicted for decades.

People gravitate to comforting ideas, but it's best we face reality.

[pecosbob]

37. The GOP isn't dead. It just smells funny

[kimbutgar]

41. I agree

In 2008, I remember Chris Matthews saying the repuke party was dead with the election of President Obama. They came back in 2010 stronger with citizens united and has controlled at least two branches ever since. Their right wing media industrial complex has ensured that generations of repukes will be like vampires coming back from the dead. Unless we get some type of fairness doctrine and regulations on social media back the US is doomed to morass of idiocy and corruption.

[jcmaine72]

42. Sadly, hate is part of the human condition.

As long as that fact holds true there will always be a Republican Party, and they will always be a threat.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

43. If 2020 goes well, then must push through Electoral Reforms First, then education reforms. . . . nt

[Ferrets are Cool]

44. Unfortunately, you are correct. nt

[BlueTsunami2018]

45. They were supposed to be dead in 2009.

Bush had ruined them, we had a filibuster proof majority, we were about to enter into a new golden age once Legitimate President Obama and the Democrats fixed the mess the Republicans created, again.

But 2010 came and the Teabaggers crushed us. People seemed to forget how bad Republicans had made the country even though we were still in the middle of their depression.The Dems hadn’t fixed the problems fast enough for idiot America and the D base was “disenchanted” because Obama wasn’t “liberal enough”.

Those of us who understand how this all works were mystified and horrified by this. Americans of all stripes seem to be masochistic in their approach to politics.

Even if Тяцмр somehow gets removed or loses the next election,a couple years will pass, and the same idiots will vote in the same criminal 1% assholes again.

[Cosmocat]

58. THIS!

I mildly pushed back on all of the "they dead" talk then, this country has a LONG track record of indulging their fuck wittery, and it takes them fucking up royal to get some pain at the ballot box, but even as a skeptic I was blown away how this country gave them the biggest mid term win in our lives after only giving them a four year timeout in congress and two years with all three branches, all because they lost their minds over dems passing THEIR version of health care reform.

People want to think we are a half and half country, but it really is three thirds:

Our reality based 1/3

Their complete brainwashed 1/3

And, the "middle" one third they have infected with the do all "they are all the same" mindset, and the next time you hear someone say that who votes D will be the first

This country just cannot stop from buying they they are selling, pure bullshit.

[Garrett78]

63. The last 3rd is also filled with people who are simply unaware.

As staggering as it is, there are people who don't know the name of the VP or that there's a presidential election next year.

[Garrett78]

69. Yep. Memories, like attention spans, are short.

And there seems to be this baseless, nonsensical penchant for having power swing back and forth just for the sake of having power swing back and forth.

[Tiggeroshii]

46. You're right. They're way past that.

In zombie mode.

[Thomas Hurt]

51. political parties evolve, they don't end or die.

[Cicada]

53. It is not just demographic change which dooms Republicans

The young are not just darker. They also are liberal inside. Millennials favor Dems over Repubs 57 to 32. Gen z is the same. That tilt is enormous.

[FiveGoodMen]

61. I remember the 60's

The young were going to save us then, too.

[Cicada]

80. There are way more millennials than there were hippies

The liberal segment today among the younger is a huge number. It will take decades to replace them. And demographics will make that impossible anyway.As a card carrying former hippie who genuinely could not understand why Ronald Reagan got even one vote I see your point. But it’s different this time. My wife and I registered as Republicans so we could vote twice against Reagan. At UCLA grad school, married student housing, we walked past the long line waiting to vote in the Democratic primary, to vote immediately on the Republican side and someone said Here come the Republicans. As a poll observer as a Republican another time they just assumed I was peace and freedom party. I did not look like a typical Republican.But it’s different this time. Have faith.

[Stuart G]

95. We've seeb this before..In 72, they said the same after McGovern's loss. In 76 we

elected Jimmy Carter. I wasn't around with FDR winning a lot of times. After his VP won, then we had Eisenhower for a couple of terms. etc. etc.

[Polybius]

81. For now, but then they turn 30 and many will vote Republican

It's a sad fact of life, they'll start making money and get greedy.

[Cicada]

83. Pew finds Millenials do not get conservative with age

There has been zero erosion in the liberal views of Millenials as they age. George Will and Tucker Carlson have conceded the Republican Party is doomed. This time it’s different.

[Polybius]

84. Time will tell

We'll know by 2030 I guess.

[rockfordfile]

56. That's because some democrats toss the GOP life-lines

[Garrett78]

67. I do think Democrats could afford to be more blunt about the opposition. And...

...it's not enough to debate the substance of Republican propaganda. In fact, that can give it credence. It can give the impression that there are actually 2 legitimate sides to a particular issue.

Instead of just addressing the *what*, I'd like to see Democrats (on TV programs, on the floor of Congress, on the debate stage, etc.) address the *why* behind GOP nonsense. Because as obvious as it is to some of us, I guarantee you that many people don't understand that Republicans are engaged in what's known as "projection," for example. Or that when Trump is open about criminality, that's him trying to normalize it and trying to suggest that "if I'm open about committing a crime, then it can't be a crime."

With enough repetition about the tactic being employed (and why), it might just sink into the public consciousness enough that people will recognize the propaganda for what it is.

Repetition is key. That's how "liberal media" became a household term. One thing Republicans understand is how to control the narrative.

[bucolic_frolic]

57. Agree. Democracy/populism vs. Concentrated wealth has played for 165 years

and it's not going away. Every time we let our guard down they concoct a new set of ideology/lies/systems/corporations to hoodwink us and steal it again. No one wants to hear it, but Abe Lincoln, first Republican president, was one of them who sold out to northern manufacturers and railroads in the first round of cutthroat capitalism. Freedom for workers, freedom to exploit and lay track coast to coast.

[Hulk]

60. The GOP will never die... they will always have their 40% plus

To predict anything less is a huge mistake. We need to remember that this is the party of crooks, liars, snake oil salesman and fear-mongers. They are very far from dead. In fact they are alive and well in many parts of the country.

This is the time for Democrats to step up and provide a vision for the future... for Middle America and those striving to become part of Middle America. Serious job promotion, serious medical coverage for everyone, a serious future that will offer financial assistance and help to those parts of the country that are struggling to even stay alive.

All the GOP can offer is fear, lies, and pro birth judiciary. That's it. This should be an easy contest, but it won't be. These low-life bastards know how to cheat and scare the living hell out of their constituents. Be prepared for one long ugly battle from here until eternity. The GOP is alive and poisonous.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

66. Let's remember the GOP is the party of the ultra-wealthy and....

so long as there are billionaires and we continue to allow corporate and high-wealth money to go into politics, the GOP will live in one form or another. I call it the Grand Oligarchy Party.

High-wealth individuals and large corporations around the globe funnel enormous sums of money into the GOP, it's think tanks, and other right-wing politicians world-wide. They also own or control much of the press around the globe.

Just look at the mass revolts going on in Chili and Iraq and mass unrest in many other areas where dictators and far-right oligarchs have screwed the public out of national resources and privatized everything for profit.

International wealth inequality is the root cause of this misery........

[moondust]

71. Yup.

The party of unbridled personal greed and corruption will exist as long as significant numbers of voters continue to be hooked on unbridled personal greed and corruption.

[Garrett78]

73. And hooked on racism. And sexism. Without those things, the GOP wouldn't be viable.

Racism is the single most important tool in their tool belt. From Nixon's Southern Strategy to the dog whistling of Reagan/Bush/etc. to the bullhorn of Trump, racism has been vital to Republican success.

[moondust]

75. Absolutely.

I imagine the "economic royalists" of FDR's time or before figured out there weren't enough of them to win elections so they had to do something to attract lots of voters. They settled on racism, sexism, "God," guns, and gays to divide and conquer Americans along tribal lines. It worked.

[Yeehah]

78. Tens of millions of stupid, gullible people in the USA

And they're having kids.

Nope, the traitorous republican party isn't going anywhere.

[Garrett78]

79. It's an epidemic and should be thought of that way.

Media reform and public education reform (including making media literacy classes mandatory) is so desperately needed. We're all put in danger when tens of millions of people subscribe to some of the most absurd beliefs imaginable.

[GulfCoast66]

82. They are not close to dead. But they are getting older.

And they know it.

After 2012 they had a choice. Join the modern world or stick in the 50s.

The Bush wing pushed them to moderate their social views but the religious nuts had already taken hold of the party thanks to the tea party nuts.

That is why historically tradition bound republicans like McTurtle have become so all in on getting their judges appointed. It will be their last bastion.

Since the republicans have decided reaching out to minorities and the young is not in their DNA, eventually demographic and generational change will come. Not as soon as many Democrats want. But sooner than republicans expected.

If we in Florida did not have hundreds of thousands of old, white Midwesterners moving here each year we would already be blueish Purple. And we did vote for Obama twice.

If we can get our voters out to the polls we will not lose.

I remain optimistic.

But republicans are not going away.

[Garrett78]

89. I'm cautiously optimistic that the GOP will eventually have to become at least somewhat sane.

But I think that's still a long ways off.

I think public education and media reform are both necessary if we hope to ever get turnout at a respectable level. More civics, more critical thinking, media literacy classes (how to research and verify sources, understanding tactics such as 'projection' and the Gish gallop, etc.).

[I_UndergroundPanther]

85. I wish the republican party was dead and gone.

Because of what they believe and who they are and what they do.

In a sane world no one would vote for the lying monsters.

[Garrett78]

87. I think most all of us do. I'm all for a multi-party system, but the GOP...

...represents a clear and present danger. As I wrote in another thread, the residents of an alternate reality endanger us all. It's time to get over this notion that Democrats can "reach across the aisle" without getting their hand bit. Some cling to this idea that the gap can be bridged, that most Republicans are simply people with a different take on the role of government or on tax rates or what have you. How quaint. Alas, the vast majority of Republicans in the US House and US Senate are horrible, horrible people who have no intention to act in good faith. They lie and they cheat every chance they get. They support legislation that is so horrifyingly inhumane and destructive that writers of horror and satire can't compete. The Republican caucus is a cesspool.

[NCLefty]

86. All his voters will still be with us. And they'll be freshly outraged that we tried holding their

criminal somewhat accountable for his repeated foreign-collusion/election-meddling.

Taking the Senate will be a long-shot. Republicans getting smacked down hard enough to learn a lesson seems less likely still...

Which is why we can't get lazy. Make sure you vote every time!

[Garrett78]

88. Yep. We have to prioritize turning out the base in large numbers and...

...mount a massive, long-term strategic campaign to engage the nonvoting public. I think that's where public education reform can play a major role.

[live love laugh]

91. They're like cockroaches (or MAGAts) nt

[CrispyQ]

93. Not challenging hate radio was the stupidest thing the dems/left did & we still do.

And now we have Fox, social media, right wing websites. The dems/left are so far behind the 8-ball in terms of framing the debate & capturing the narrative. It's like they don't believe in marketing. I don't get it. ??? Half the country believes that the GOP is the party of fiscal conservatism, God, family values, small government, & personal responsibility, when they are none of those things.

Tom Steyer & some of his friends should buy up a few radio stations out in the heartland, hire some top notch writing talent, & challenge the right wing lies that are broadcast over rural America for hours every day. They prey on fear to spread lies & hate. Let's use humor to shine the light on all that darkness. It will take time. They have four decades on us. It will probably have to be at a loss, but the cost of hate radio has been incalculable.

[Garrett78]

94. "Liberal media" became a household term thanks to constant repetition and insufficient pushback.

For as long as I can remember, the biggest problem with the Democratic Party has had to do with messaging.