Trump was exactly what the GOP had wanted all along.

[paulkienitz]

You think they voted for Dubya because of his groundbreaking embrace of a new ideal of "compassionate conservatism"? No, they voted for him because he was like Trump.

You think they voted for Dick Nixon because of his bold and innovative forging of a new relationship with China, or because he started the Environmental Protection Agency? No. They voted for him because he was like Trump.

You think they liked Ronald Reagan because he wore a cowboy hat, or because he's been in a movie with a chimp, or because he invaded a tiny island like that somehow made America look badass? No, they liked him because he was like Trump.

Why do you think Trump beat sixteen other candidates to be the nominee? Because Trump was the most Trump-like of the bunch. Why was Ted Cruz the last one left standing against him? Because he was the second most Trump-like.

We can now see that in the history of the Republican party, Dwight Eisenhower was an aberration. If he hadn't been there they would have picked someone Trumpish. They picked Nixon in 1960 because he was Trumpier than Rockefeller, and Goldwater over Rockefeller and Lodge and Scranton because he out-Trumped them. The impulse to push Goldwater the conspiracy-theory believer in 1964 was exactly the same impulse that pushed the conspiracy-theory seller Trump to the forefront 52 years later.

Gerald Ford got weak support because he lacked Trumpishness. George H.W. also didn't show enough for their liking, and so got lackluster support.

Trump gave the GOP base what they wanted. It's the same thing they've wanted my whole life. All that's changed is the amount of pretense that they've managed to cover it up with. It's like the evolution of professional wrestling -- in my youth, kayfabe was never broken and the audience had no idea that "kayfabe" was even a word, now fans of new stars like Roman Reigns know all about the fictionality and are still into it anyway. The fakery is now revealed for all to see, but people still want exactly what they wanted in the beginning.

The reactionary right wing is America's biggest unified voting bloc, and they didn't just turn fascist when Trump came along. They had always been like that.

[WarGamer]

1. I disagree... slightly.

The Republicans NEVER liked the gruel they were served... not McCain, Romney, Dole or Shrub.

They pulled the lever because they were NOT Democrats.

THIS was the principle that the neo-cons relied upon.

Trump came along and burst the neo-con bubble, playing directly to the knuckle dragging base.

This is also WHY the Shrub family, Cheneys and the "never trumpers" hate Trump...

He destroyed the neo-con "Reich"

They wanted 100% undiluted hate and venom and Trump served it up. The first candidate EVER to do so.

The GOP will NEVER go back to being a Party of Romney, Paul Ryan, McCain, Sasse or Flake.

[Novara]

2. Reagan really got the ball rolling on hate

His dog whistle racist tropes were more like megaphones, if you were paying attention.

And it makes sense that what we ended up with was the backlash from Obama's presidency. The goddamn country lost its mind when we elected a black man as president.

Throughout history there have always been backlashes when white patriarchal traditions fall. Reagan's tenure saw an immense resurgence of sexism after the expansion of women's rights in the 70s. That was a clear backlash.

What the orange motherfucker represents is the pinnacle of the hate that's always been there, but was more or less tucked under the surface with occasional flare-ups. He gave them permission to hate others loudly and proudly, and the entire party has become all about manufactured grievance and revenge. Most of the elected republicans are smart enough to try and use dog whistles, but many of them are too stupid (Greene).

Palin promoted the stupid and failing up. The orange motherfucker made it perfectly acceptable to be stupid. And racist.

And all along, Hillary was right. About everything.

[paulkienitz]

4. Exactly.

Reagan was the smooth version of Trump. He did most of the same stuff Trump did but made it sound pretty.

[Baked Potato]

3. T***P was their answer to President Obama...

President Obama steered the country towards working together to become a better country.

Nope, couldn’t have that because the middle class could become strong again.

Rove failed to stop Obama and Republicans went full on Roger Stone.

T***P gave them entertainment while Republicans raided the country.

[usonian]

5. As it was in the beginning ....

R
A
C
I
S
M

Just comes under different names, like M.S.G.

[paulkienitz]

6. a lil addendum

George H.W. lost mainly because people were confused by Ross Perot, because some parts of his campaign were Trumpy. They couldn't tell whether he or Bush was the Trumpier one. The Trumpy parts were the only reason his third party candidacy got any traction at all, which was also the case with George Wallace.

Dole, Romney, McCain... all insufficiently Trumpy.