Don't be fooled into thinking Republicans are split over Trump

[catbyte]

Opinion by Julian Zelizer

Updated 8:16 AM ET, Mon June 15, 2020

(CNN) Breaking news: Republicans might finally be willing to break with President Donald Trump. Following the president's performance with Covid-19 as well as his response to the Black Lives Matters protests there have been a number of stories speculating about whether the GOP will finally come undone.

The drama is greatly exaggerated. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski told reporters that she is "struggling" to figure out how to vote in November ... When Colin Powell announced that he would support Joe Biden and former president George W. Bush revealed he would not support Trump, the New York Times reporters a "growing number" of Republicans were debating how far to go.

snip

It needs to stop. The notion that there is a major fissure between the Republicans and President Trump simply masks the character of the modern party. Republicans nominated and elected Donald Trump to be President four years ago. They have stood by him, and done so even in the toughest of times. Nothing, even his "fine people" remarks after a 2017 white supremacist march in Charlottesville or his recent hardline response to mass marches over George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police, shakes this.

snip

When Trump decries those who want to bring down Confederate monuments and treats the job of governance as if it is a third rate reality show, he represents the party. When he invokes former president Richard Nixon and conservative Democrats George Wallace and Frank Rizzo while screaming about "law and order" as a response to civil rights protests, or tweets out "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," he speaks for the GOP.

snip

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/14/opinions/republican-gop-trump-election-zelizer/index.html

[pwb]

1. Really? I know pukes who voted for him and think he is an asshole and will not

vote for him again. People really know trump now and he is an idiot.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Yep but how many are out there who wanna 'own the libtards' and will support him regardless.

[Demsrule86]

4. Not enough to reelect asshole Trump.

[Demsrule86]

3. Actually, you miss an important point...The Republicans have been bleeding followers during Trump's

time in office. So sure those left support Trump...but the number of Republicans is decreasing everyday. We see this in the gains that we have made in moderate to red states during 18, 19 and this year as well. Even in the first special elections in 17, we won.Trump has lost women and suburban women in particular. His base gets smaller everyday. And with an economy on life support, a mishandled pandemic and civil unrest, he is going to lose in November. The buck stops with Trump no matter how much whining and lying he engages in, he can't change that fact. He is the president.

[sunonmars]

6. This, he may get 93% of GOP, but how many are GOP now compared to 2016......

[I_UndergroundPanther]

5. Republicans

Will never abandon thier true beliefs, which includes: cheap labor,union busting,
Dismantling the government, excuse pollutors,kill more wildlife remove the social safety net, steal social security,steal anything
not nailed down,more for meee, nothing for you,classism,disaster capitalism,
financial abuse, coddling billionaires,Controlling others,cheap labor,NEO-liberalism, trigger happy cops getting away with murder,
Gunz as many as you can hoard,destroying
seperation of church and state,destroying public education,

Destroying the social safety net,
financial abuse, coddling billionaires,sexism,racism,force GBLT people back in the closet,The south will rise again, the market must never be
questioned
Primacy of selfishness, cruelty,propaganda,lies hate radio and of course always fuck over the black brown people, fuck over disabled GBLT and the homeless and poors with no consequences or accountability.

The sociopath party

[StarryNite]

13. In tRump they see themselves.

They will not turn on themselves.

[Bettie]

7. Oh, is it time for the

performances again? Where a few say "I disagree and might not support this...." followed very quickly by voting in favor of whatever stupid fuckery is going on.

There isn't a 'fissure' or any disagreement beyond him being slightly more blatant about it than they are comfortable with.

[wcast]

8. I agree with the article.

The Republicans that are distancing themselves from Trump are doing it mainly because there is no plausible deniability. They long to go back to the days of code words, dog whistles, and pretending not to know what is going on. Trump and his followers straight out say what Republicans have been using for more than 50 years to win votes and power. That makes certain Republican politicians uncomfortable, but if they want to stay in power they have to toe the line. Look what happen to the freshman Representative from Virginia who was primaried and lost because he officiated a gay wedding. Guy was Tea Party but didn't matter because usually only the faithful vote in the primaries. [link:https://wtop.com/virginia/2020/06/virginia-gop-congressman-who-officiated-gay-wedding-loses-primary/

This is the true Republican party.

[sunonmars]

9. That is why an awful lot of them want Trump gone, there is a difference between pandering and

overt lunacy.....

They want the cushy life but know that nice cushy life will not exist under Trump because they are losing what freedom they had to be hypocrits.

[Jirel]

10. Good article.

I have had several arguments with people recently who are reading these articles and thinking any of it is real good news. Until current office holders in the GOP stop enacting his policies, refuse to execute his orders, or jump parties, it’s all stupid words, words, words.

If we want Dolt45 out, we have to:
- assume his 2016 base will all be back,
- understand that all dirty tricks will be used to disenfranchise Dem voters, and
- plan for every GOP official from the local dog catcher to Pence to be working to keep him in office.

[catbyte]

11. Exactly.

[stillcool]

12. They're all in...

elected officials across the country are doing their damndest to keep themselves alive. They stick together like glue, bound by their shared values in the rule of white men in America...and they're so close to having it all.