Trump's plan to take over the Republican Party.

[kentuck]

There is simply no way he will surrender his base and his hold on the Republican Party. He will use them to feather his own nest and further his own agenda. That's who he is.

He will continue to "Tweet". He will tell his supporters who is acceptable and who is not. Republicans will not be able to win without Trump's stamp of approval.

He will hold rallies for those that oppose those Republicans running for re-election, especially if they have said something good about him. Republicans will be running in fear forever.

It is a creation of their own making. For those that may want to return to Reagan conservatism or a more rational Republicanism, there is no place for them.

They have sold their souls to the devil and there is no compromise position. Either they agree to be a slave to the insane policies of Donald Trump or they resign.

Donald Trump will collect most of the contributions from present Republicans after he is out of office. Republican office-holders will be starved for funds unless they support Donald J Trump.

Republicans have forfeited any independence they may have dreamed about. They can forget about running for the Presidency themselves.

Republicans have had several opportunities to free themselves from the Trump Party but instead, they have chosen instant gratification over the obvious pain to come.

[Laelth]

1. That's what I see.

Hard to imagine a very different outcome, even if he goes to prison.

Trump got 73 million votes. He owns the Republican Party now.

-Laelth

[DFW]

67. I still think 70 million of those votes would have gone R, no matter who the nominee

They could have nominated a cork, named it "Trump," and maybe 5% of Republican voters would have known the difference.

[Laelth]

68. You think?

I might give your average Republican 65 million, sure, but I think that Trump had a unique ability to turn out his base. I assume he’s personally responsible for 8-9 million of the votes he got this year.

-Laelth

[Iliyah]

2. shithole can plan all he wants . ..

I don't think they will let it happen.

[kentuck]

3. How do they prevent it?

Really?

[beastie boy]

7. I don't think they can prevent it. But I also don't think Trump is smart enough to take over either.

What is most likely to happen is that Trump's base, which is clearly into personality cult at the present, will splinter the GOP into two competing camps: the ideological right wingers and the unapologetic cult worshipers. Trump is only in control of one of these camps, and he has no clue how to subjugate the other. He will likely encourage this split for two reasons: his base is his best insurance for keeping himself well funded and exercising political leverage, and he has no affinity for any ideology. He couldn't care less for the GOP as a major party. It is more likely than not that the conservative ideologues will become his next enemy and a target for his base. But his base, having no capacity or desire to govern, will not, even if they temporarily take over the reign of the party, be able to sustain it.

[uponit7771]

12. +1, I give them two years for the kGOP to tire of Red Don and put him in jail or something. If kGOP

... wins GA Red Don will be up in Moscow Mitch's business daily

[Thekaspervote]

25. Agree! Not smart enough, no money, no organizational skills

The cult not getting their immediate gratification dose will look elsewhere

[smirkymonkey]

28. +1000

Totally agree.

[kentuck]

44. I agree. I don't see how they keep from splitting?

Good points!

[certainot]

32. the orange samson's hair is talk radio and when limbaugh croaks trump loses big time

limbaugh is the moral and intellectual leader of the republican party - the GOP think tanks used him as point man for their agenda/messaging until putin/kremlin started taking it over - he keeps the blowhard army in line and he is trump's most important ally - his friend, mentor, neighbor, golf partner and go between in the russian collusion - used to get him through the primaries and keep the GOP in line - and when he croaks soon the rest of the blowhard army will scramble to fill his spots and they'll go in different directions

establishment GOP will start to take over rw radio from the kremlin and without that unified support under limbaugh trump is done

[RKP5637]

4. I've felt the same. There is likely no way out of it for them, and many in the herd are so

misinformed and gullible, they will hang on like leaches and the sycophants will hang on to see how they can benefit. Moderate republicans will still be discarded and/or irrelevant to the GOP. And it will be: Send Money Now, akin to religious outfits/shams.

[uponit7771]

10. +1, kGOP made a deal with the devil and they have to live with his bloated stank ass. The best thing

... that can happen to the kGOP is to lose the GA election and be able to sideline Trump on policy issues instead of have him involved with a kGOP senate going forwards.

[vlyons]

5. I don't give a damn. I hope he runs the GOP right into the ground

Over the next 4 years, there will be fewer and fewer of my generation. I'm 73, 74 next Spring. There will be more and more young Hispanics, Blacks, etc eligible to vote. We will have a comprehensive immigration plan with a pathway to citizenship. Something beneficial will be done about crippling student loans. There will be lots of good-paying green jobs & infrastructure jobs. We might even raise the minimum wage to $15/hr.

And what would a Trump leadership do? Fear and hate-monger. Label us socialists and communists. So let Trump do his worst.

[calimary]

65. You're FAR from alone in that thinking.

You’re most definitely speaking for me!

[Shermann]

6. Trump is now the Ernst Rohm of the Republican Party

He got demoted from Hitler.

He maintains control of the MAGA Storm Troopers right now. However, he will be viewed nostalgically as a leader of the Republican "Old Guard" eventually. The up-and-coming leaders of the Republican "New Guard" will look for ways to take that toy away from him, while seeming to respect him.

So this is a self-rectifying problem as I see it, although there's no telling if the New Guard will be better or worse than the Old Guard.

[patricia92243]

8. Excellent post.

[uponit7771]

9. K&R, anyone expecting a TEXT BOOK cult leader to go away because of a political loss don't under ...

... stand TEXT BOOK cults.

[RKP5637]

13. Very good point. It's the cult and the cult's 1000% allegiance to the master. n/t

[ooky]

11. Not sure how they could have avoided it. Republican voters went for his lies

and authoritarian shit. They are fine with a coup and dictatorship. They have turned their backs on democracy that doesn't give them all the power. They no longer act American.

If we want to get rid of Trump and thus his unyielding support base of stupid people we have to prosecute and imprison him for his crimes and seize his ill gotten assets/wealth. That makes his path of continued corruption more difficult. Our law enforcement needs to literally chase his ass from our country or throw it in prison if he tries to stay here and keep causing trouble.

[KS Toronado]

18. Yes, he would have trouble running trumpfers from prison, LOCK HIM UP.

trumpfers are always yelling about locking up some Democrat, well Karma has come to you idiots.

[Duppers]

47. YES! +1000

[Martin Eden]

14. There needs to be a vaccine against the deadly virus of Trumpism

Last edited Fri Nov 27, 2020, 01:07 PM - Edit history (1)

The viral strain of authoritarian demagoguery has long existed in American politics, but it mutated with the injection of Donald Trump into the body politic -- and will likely continue after he dies or fades from the scene.

Other "populist" leaders will follow, very likely more intelligent and less handicapped by the mental pathologies of its current manifestation.

A vaccine is unlikely to come from the Republican Party, given how their voting base rallied behind rather than rejected the sleazy con man who seized control. Even in defeat and out of office, this grotesque troll will have tens of millions of devoted cult members and the power to blackball by tweet any GOP politicians who blasphemes against Dear Leader.

The only way to kill this virus is with a stronger agent of change. While Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won an essential victory, we need a sustainable and broad coalition including the left, center, and former Republicans like those of the Lincoln Project who put our country ahead of ideological differences which are minor compared to the very real threat of death to our representative democracy.

This is only the beginning of a long, hard, noble, and necessary fight against the evils of which Trumpism is both a symptom and the disease.

[wnylib]

21. Well said and on the mark.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. Education, including civics, logic, and critical thinking

People becoming 18 years old need to be equipped with the skills to recognize and discount propaganda.

[Martin Eden]

42. An informed and engaged citizenry is essential to a functional democracy

Especially difficult to achieve in this age of internet misinformation and confirmation bias.

Therefore, you're absolutely correct -- the necessary skills must be acquired in our educational system.

[Hortensis]

36. +1000. A long, hard, noble and necessary fight.

[bucolic_frolic]

15. There are Republican voters who voted for Biden-Harris, thank you TLP

Don't know if it was 3-4%, or 7-8%. But they did vote, and padded GOP down ballot totals.

It's not much for TLP to go on. They must extinguish the insanity that True Believers eat up.

[kentuck]

45. 8% of 150 million voters would be about 12 million new voters.

Sounds about right.

[roamer65]

16. Everything Dump touches dies.

[IsItJustMe]

62. Very true.

I hope he takes the Proud Boys and QAnon with him as he is sinking.

[pandr32]

17. I agree

You've pretty much nailed it, them, and him.

[TygrBright]

19. He already HAS taken over the GOP. That's why TLP is talking about forming a new party. n/t

[Fiendish Thingy]

20. The Lincoln Project should launch their own Conservative party soon

If they can take enough republicans to deny Mitch a majority (Romney, Murkowski, Sasse, Toomey) and a few reps and state officials, along with a few major donors, it could cripple the GOP and make Trump’s takeover a Pyrrhic victory.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. They will have to form their own party. They burned their bridges to Greed Over People. . . . nt

[wnylib]

23. I think the party might split up

over Trump. But there are many Republicans who are not part of the cult base who are still content to accept his party influence as long as it furthers the party's main conservative agenda points.

[Hortensis]

43. This. Or be part of a group of launchers.

It's not all about Trump for many. But right now conservatives caught up in a movement so committed to winning its culture war issues that it'd give up democracy for dictatorship have nowhere else to go.

Most important, they need more competent, rational, and moral leaders to speak to them and lead them away from the abyss.

WE won't love those, but that's okay. America desperately needs a conservative party committed to continued government of, by and for the people.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

26. I hope he runs again...

That would hamstring any other republican candidates thinking about running.

[Escurumbele]

27. Stop it please...HE IS GOING TO JAIL!

He can tweet as much as he wants from there, but it will be from JAIL.

Why are people breaking their heads of what the buffoon will do next? He is going to spend the bulk of his time in court, and then he is going to jail.

All this talk about him running in 2024, a TV show, a Radio Station, blah, blah, blah...He is broke, he owes money, and he is not useful to Putin anymore, he has run his usefulness, so lets change the subject and talk about what he will be doing in jail. For example:
Will trump finally start reading while in jail?
Will he take up painting while in jail?
Will he become another "born again" religious nut while in jail?
Will his kids be in the same jail house close to him while in jail?
Will Ivanka get visiting rights from her jail to her dad's jail?
Will he have a cell close to the other republicans?
Will Graham ask to share cell with the con?

I mean, so many variants of what he will be doing after this stunt as president...Why talk about things he won't be doing?

[Traildogbob]

34. I agree

I keep my strength through this belief. If “reasonable” (???????) GOP want to end his grip, join Dems and the rule of law warriors to hold him accountable, and prosecute his fat ass to jail. One problem, so many GOP in power are just as bought and paid for by Putin types. They do not want investigations pulling the curtain back into their treasonous exploits for power.
Many need to be imprisoned, do we have the will to do it. Jailing “one” black woman voting, not realizing she was not allowed, does not a democracy make.

[TxVietVet]

39. I hope the Biden DoJ starts investigating

tRump on Day 1 of their term. If not, Rule of Law will be a joke in this country.

I’m 71 and I want to live to see tRump tried, convicted and sentenced.

[Duppers]

48. Certainly hope so!

He must be prosecuted.

[mtnsnake]

52. THIS

[kairos12]

29. In other words,

Putin continues to own the Reich Wing.

[Nitram]

30. Couldn't happen to a more deserving party.

[IronLionZion]

31. He should keep telling his supporters to boycott the Georgia senate elections

And then form a deplorable third party for the conservatives who have been abandoned by the modern GOP.

[D23MIURG23]

33. He's currently in charge of it, but IMO that's likely to change as time goes on.

He's still the president for a few more weeks, but after that, he becomes a has been - the newest member of the Herbert Hoover club. I'm sure some of his fan club will stay loyal to him, and the media will still follow him for the clicks, but his brand will be damaged by this demotion. Especially when the lawsuits and prosecutors start showing up on his doorstep.

If the republicans want to fight him off, its going to take work, because he's not going to concede any ground. OTOH he's vulnerable, beaten, and he's probably about to enter a world of legal humiliation.

[RainCaster]

35. So... He's the Codfather of the GOP?

Really, that's what you have described. The crime boss in control of the Republican Party.

[Larissa]

37. Trump is no political strategist

What was Trump thinking when he constantly drilled the idea into his base that the mail-in ballot voting was crooked? As usual he had no facts to back up that idea and it cost him dearly. Yes, his base obeyed their master's order not to use mail-in voting, but they also did not come out to the polls in the numbers he needed to win the nomination. He needed a good ground organization for that to happen, but Trump blew his campaign cash wad on heaven knows what. Candidates welcome votes where or how they can legitimately get them.

Trump monkey-wrenched it even further for himself by placing his stooge as postmaster general. That reinforced even more distrust about mail-in ballots. Trump cannot accept the idea that the courts will not hand the election to him without proof that there were major illegalities in the process. He's done nothing but bitch, moan and whine like a loser brat with a loaded nappy. All this while Americans are suffering horribly through a pandemic for which he's done absolutely nothing to mitigate.

[cannabis_flower]

38. Am I evil for saying this....

I hope he dies!

[TxVietVet]

41. Amen. We all got to go.

Karma will be an extreme bitch for him.

[Duppers]

49. ...in prison.

👍

[I_UndergroundPanther]

60. I hope he dies too. The sooner the better

[patphil]

40. I'm certain Trump will do this.

It will work for a while, but the whole Trump thing is morally depraved, and spiritually bankrupt so it will eventually wear a lot of Republicans down.
I expect there will be an exodus from the Republican Party over the next couple of years as people look for real governing solutions that aren't tied to a cult of personality that is only in it for the money that power can bestow on him and his family.

There is simply no way the nation can move forward with this huge turd blocking the path.
Eventually they will realize that the rallies are just ways to keep the flow of contributions coming in.
Eventually his callous disregard for people will become more and more evident.
His demand for loyalty and need to have his ego constantly stroked will eventually be his biggest weakness.

I say eventually; it will take time for the luster of Trumpism to dull. Hopefully that will begin to happen prior to the mid-term election. If not, it could be a rocky ride up to the next Presidential election in 2024. This could made even worse if the Republicans win in Georgia in January and keep control of the Senate.
The real question is how crazy does it have to get before the American Public decides they've had enough of Trump?
I haven't lost faith in the American Public yet. A lot is riding on effective leadership by the Democrats under Biden/Harris. They will have to lead by example.
Honest, competent leadership vs. the corruption and incompetence of the Trump Presidency.
Is the American Public able to see the difference? And which style do they really want to have in their leadership?

[kentuck]

46. I cannot imagine the Party remaining the same as in the last election.

Without Trump on the ballot, I cannot see the same enthusiasm for this cowardly bunch of Republicans?

[patphil]

50. Trump would have to stump for them if he wanted them to pay attention to his demands.

Without that, he has no leverage.
And, without his constant rallies his base would loose interest.

It's all up to him. Does he want to invest the energy needed to maintain control of the party in preparation for a 2024 bid, or not?
If he does, his base will be the hammer he needs to keep the cowardly Republicans in line.

If not, well then his base has no focal point...nothing to rally around.
The cowardly Republicans would be free to be the floating turds they always have been.

[kentuck]

53. Well said!

Democrats may take those seats in Georgia if he is not able to rally his base?

[Brother Mythos]

51. Loser and his crime family are going to be pretty busy ...

with court cases after President-elect Biden's Inauguration. On top of that, his businesses are failing, and his creditors are already looking for ways to cut their losses.

I'm sure Loser will tweet, phone in to sympathetic radio and TV show hosts, mug for every camera in sight, and hold as many press conferences as will have him in his free time. But, his free time is going to become more and more limited due to the courts, his business losses, and his outstanding loans.

Loser will maintain his hold on the Republican Party for a while, but everything comes to an eventual end. It's just a matter of time before he becomes irrelevant to the majority of Republican voters. My guess is that Loser's hold on the party will begin to fail bigly right after the 2022 midterm elections.

[kentuck]

55. Interesting.

Or right after we get some sort of control over the virus?

His entire presidency has been like a virus, in my humble opinion.

[Brother Mythos]

57. I don't believe getting control of the pandemic ...

will be much of a factor, as Loser's base doesn't seem to care much about it.

I do agree, however, that Loser's presidency has been very much like a virus.

I didn't mention it in my original post, but I believe Fox Corporation, and the majority of the plutocrats who make up the Republican Party donor class, are quickly growing more and more weary of having Loser around. Without Fox's media support, and the plutocrats' monetary support, I see Loser's hold over the overall party slowly slipping away. Loser will never lose his entire base, but without major media exposure, and massive amount of other peoples' money, I believe Loser's personal base will gradually shrink in size and importance. I also don't believe Loser is capable of starting up his own propaganda empire, given his dire financial circumstances, or that Newmax and OANN will usurp Fox Corporation in the long run.

[mtnsnake]

54. It will never happen. You are giving him way too much credit

For one thing, if he isn't in jail, he will be spending every spare minute trying to avoid jail.

For another thing, it doesn't matter if he will never want to surrender his base because his base will jump ship as soon as the next asshole, one with a bigger brain than Trump, comes along to brainwash them. Donald Who?

Lastly, as soon as the GA elections are over, the Republican Party might not have any further use for Civilian Trump for obvious reasons that they know everything he touches eventually turns to shit.

[yellowcanine]

56. Not what history would suggest about deposed despots.

And Trump is no Mussolini by a long shot. But his fall will be just about as rapid I believe. People loved Mussolini until they didn't.

[JHB]

58. It'll depend on the RW media spectrum and how useful Trump is to them

They've been loyal to Trump because 1) they get eyeballs, ears and data they can monetize, and 2) Trump pushed through a lot of their policy wish-list. If Trump continues to be useful, they'll keep backing him and that will form the infobubble the Trumpies steep in.

If his usefulness comes to an end (like, say, lashing out at Georgia Republicans to the extent that they lose both runoff seats), that backing will expire a lot faster.

[Progressive Jones]

59. I mostly agree with the OP, but it will be a flash in the pan.

I understand the "Power of Trump" with certain types of people,
but he'll become tiresome to all but the hardest core Trump nuts.
They'll soon be looking for the next Weirdo Messiah. Some kind of Q-Flake, no doubt.

[DonCoquixote]

61. I do not fear that Trump himself is clever enough to make this lasting, but

The truth is, the people whop are the bigoted, ruthless types, both the knuckle dragged and the barbarians in suits, have been round since 1776, and they do not want to be told to play nice for 4 years so they can get Marco or Nikki through the net. The truth is, we will see the Tucker Carlsons, Jordan Petersons, and people who have much more wits and discipline than Trump EVER had, and they will do their best to repair and drive the machine. Pence can be such a person, but there are many many more who could happily fill the role of a smarter Trump, and keep all the digwhistles that make the base energized,

[myohmy2]

63. he would have a hard time...

...tweeting and controlling his base from a jail cell...

...'lock him up'

...real Republicans might even help out...

[DFW]

64. Republicans are loyal only to money and power, not to any one individual

Less than 15 years ago, they worshiped their deity in heaven (Reagan), their fearless leader (W) and their guiding light (Cheney).

These days, Reagan still is looking down malevolenty from above, but W has been replaced with someone whose grammar is even worse, and whose ignorance matches his own. Cheney has been replaced by Mitch McConnell, with Miller and Bannon subbing frequently in the background.

Republicans' loyalties remain the same. Whoever they believe can deliver money and power is who they will idolize and support. The second they think Trump is no longer this person, he will revert to being a comic book figure from the past the way W is now.

Trump might do well to look into finding someone who gives painting lessons.

[sellitman]

66. Trumpenstein

The monster of their own making.