Exclusive: Dozens of former Republican officials in talks to form anti-Trump third party

[brooklynite]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Dozens of former Republican officials, who view the party as unwilling to stand up to former President Donald Trump and his attempts to undermine U.S. democracy, are in talks to form a center-right breakaway party, four people involved in the discussions told Reuters.

The early stage discussions include former elected Republicans, former officials in the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Trump, ex-Republican ambassadors and Republican strategists, the people involved say.

More than 120 of them held a Zoom call last Friday to discuss the breakaway group, which would run on a platform of “principled conservatism,” including adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law - ideas those involved say have been trashed by Trump.

The plan would be to run candidates in some races but also to endorse center-right candidates in others, be they Republicans, independents or Democrats, the people say.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-party-exclusive/exclusive-dozens-of-former-republican-officials-in-talks-to-form-anti-trump-third-party-idUSKBN2AB07P

[Zorro]

1. David Jolly was on Stephanie Miller's show this AM

He was talking about his new "Serve America Movement" (SAM) party.

Wonder if that's part of the subject effort.

[mucifer]

2. In the short run it would help us

[Irish_Dem]

3. They want to endorse Democrats?

OK. We need to keep an eye on this.

[Progressive Jones]

21. They want to support "Joe Manchin" style Dems, and probably only in races where there is no choice.

[Irish_Dem]

22. I am hoping the fracturing of the GOP does not adversely impact our party.

And swing it right.

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. It won't work unless they get 10-20 currently serving federal legislators to switch, along

Along with numerous local/state politicians.

Still, I wish them luck.

[Bayard]

5. My first thought is,

We're in trouble if these are all the Lincoln Project people.

[roamer65]

6. Shades of 1912.

There will be Democratic presidents, but only by pluralities. We may gain a few seats in the House and Senate as well.

The Repuke party must break up in order for the republic to last.

[Dawson Leery]

18. Certainly.

The GOP cannot be allowed back into power.

[pbmus]

7. The TRUTH shall set you free...

[cstanleytech]

8. Knowing Republicans their real goal is probably to try and siphon off independent voters that might

otherwise vote for a Democratic candidate.

[DeminPennswoods]

9. Trump cultist voters are a unique subset of R voters

They are only inspired by Trump and vote when he is on the ballot. The problem for the GOP is that they make up just enough voters to swing elections to other Rs because they'll vote for down ballot candidates.

For years the GOP has successfully accomodated the small government, business-friendly, low tax, few regulations, but agnostic/liberal on social issues and the social/religious conservatives while ginning up aggrieved blue collar whites with dog whistles. The heart, soul and financial support mostly come from the first group. The problem for the GOP is that now the business/money interests no longer want anything to do with the evangelical and white supremacist elements of the latter two groups. I believe the latter two groups are actually a smaller minority than people think, but they are also the most vocal. This uneasy GOP coalition can no longer exist, that's why the it will break apart. After the center-right breaks off, the remainder will be a redux of George Wallace in 1968 or Strom Thurmond with the Dixie-crats in 1948.

[cstanleytech]

11. Yes, but they continue to embrace them to win the power they crave so the odds are this is a scam.

Just like how their supposed contract with America and their fraudulent claim that lower taxes on the wealthy would equate to more better paying jobs while refusing to raise the minimum wage to help people.

[DeminPennswoods]

15. No, this is different

GOP has always used social wedge issues to keep the social conservatives voting R and against their own economic self-interest. The business interests were ok with that because it kept them in power.

However, now, the evangelicals have teamed up with the aggrieved blue collar whites/white supremacists to create a really toxic coalition inside the GOP. They scares lots and lots of Americans and threaten the business/free market wing (bad for business as it were) of the the GOP where most of the party's financial resources reside.

The business/free market side has lost control of the monster they helped create. That's why the Republican party is going to splinter. They can no longer co-exist.

[cstanleytech]

17. I doubt they will splinter as the business free market side ones know that it would be difficult

to pass any legislation in the future on their own.
No, I think they will simply bite their tongues as long as they can get what they want passed.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Many of this same group "primed the pump" when Obama was President

by supporting the notion that their party had to do "the opposite" of what Obama proposed - EVEN if it were ideas that the GOP itself had promoted for years.

So for example, when the year-long crafting of the ACA was underway, the initial framework was based on a Heritage Foundation paper that pushed for "individual mandates", and states with GOP governors at the time like Massachusetts (when RMoney was governor) were pilot-testing one of those concepts. But when those types of policy features were included, with their following the idiocy of "opposite-Obama", then even the Heritage Foundation happily threw themselves under the bus and discredited their own document in order to join the mob, and they spent the next, now 12 years, with nearly 80 attempts, to overturn that healthcare law.

In essence, every time something "bipartisan" was undertaken during Obama's administrations, they immediately rejected their own party's platform that the legislation added elements of, all to reject "Obama/libs/maxist/facist/socialist/communist". I.e., they latched onto the rhetoric, giving it more weight, and essentially committed policy suicide, leaving them nothing but the "wedge" issues (abortion, gun rights, promotion of their own racial superiority with minority oppression). It eventually reached the point where during the GOP convention this summer, the GOP declined to even develop and promote a "platform". Meaning they completely hollowed themselves out.

[apnu]

12. Funny how the Libertarians exist but aren't mentioned.

Just as the astro-turf Tea Party moved in and took over the GOP, then morphed into QAnon and open racism, so too could exiled Republicans do the same to the Libertarians.

They have a party, its already known, a good chunk of the work of a 3rd party is done. Many of their policies and goals align with general Libertarian ones. Its weird that option isn't on the table.

Exiled Republicans, with their wealth and clout and numbers could easily crowd out the Libertarians and take it over.

And being free market people, Libertarians (on paper) should be fine with a free-market style takeover of their party.

Even here in the Democratic Party there's a history of that.

At one time, this was the party of slavery, Democratic secessionists started the Civil War, they lost badly, the party was politically toxic for years. The racist conservatives in this party moved over to the Republican party, took that over. Displaced liberals and progressives moved over here and took over and rebuilt the party into what it is today.

[BootinUp]

20. Actual libertarians are a relatively small group, not

Including people who are libertarians in name only.

[Chakaconcarne]

13. Maybe start off by rallying senators to convict?

That would draw a clear line.......

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Republican, Tea, Patriot, Trump, and Break-Away right wing parties

Smashing themselves to bits. Good. They have no ideas that aren't based on greed (for themselves), control (through religion and oppression), power (no matter how they get or retain it), racism (in all its visible and invisible manifestations), hierarchy (with them on top), and fear (by God, guns, corruption to feed their narcissistic sadism). By and large these are pompous, spoiled brats clinging to privilege. They have become an ugly lot.

[Nancy Waterman]

16. Excellent news!

I have been hoping for this. Let the healthy secede from the sick carcass.

[Dorian Gray]

19. I hope so

but I doubt it'll stick.

Too many are still afraid of Trump.

[GentleAlien]

23. Nikki to lead?

Could today's news about her Trump criticism be related to this one?