Trump pwns the GOP
The GOP is Trump's party now. Deal with it.
The GOP is President Trump's party now. Republicans are just living in it.
As if we needed more evidence of this clear truth, witness the case of Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), who managed to survive his own very public and humiliating adultery scandal — revealed during his tenure as South Carolina's governor, when Sanford tried to cover up an Argentinian affair with a now legendary excuse of hiking the Appalachian trail — to rebound with a second act as a respected congressman. In the House, Sanford became known for his principled opposition to Trump and his adherence to limited-government orthodoxy. This put him on the wrong side of the president.
Ask and you shall receive. Sanford lost his primary Tuesday night.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is Trump's party. Republican lawmakers simply cannot cross the president and expect to hold onto their jobs.
I have felt for years that the modern GOP, largely because of its near single-minded fixation on serving the interests of the rich, was intellectually bankrupt, and saved from permanent defeat only by the Democrats' parallel lurch left and American moderates' reluctance to hand progressives a blank check on government. Trump's rise has brought the GOP's intellectual bankruptcy into even sharper relief. It turns out the GOP's old Reagan-era shibboleths don't actually matter to any Republicans outside the Beltway. Rank-and-file voters will do whatever the president wants, principles be damned.
Of course, the problem with this cult of personality is the person at its center. Between his rambling, his lying, and his racial appeals, Trump seems to have completely shut down the brains of every thinking person in the GOP establishment. Most slavishly lick his boots because of how popular he is with the base, without any sort of broader reflection about where the party or its agenda should be headed. A few sputter indignantly at Trump's various excesses, without, it seems, spending one second wondering whether they might have had any role in getting us here by spending their careers promoting failed ideas.
Sanford was one of those Republicans who consistently attacked the GOP from the right for spending too much money. As admirable as that is in the abstract, Sanford did not seem to realize that that plank of the Republican agenda was one of the most unpopular, even in a deep-red state like South Carolina.
So, where do we go from here? (By "we," I mean conservatives who want a better future for the GOP and America, and by "better" I mean both in terms of "winning elections" and "implementing good policies.")
The best answer I can come up with is to urge all of my fellow conservatives to come up with some sort of synthesis between the best parts of Trumpism and of Reaganism. Imagine a brand of economic populism that is less eager to court favor with America's elites, but still holds true to conservative principles.
I know that sounds very abstract. It will take a lot of smart people to think through the specifics. The problem is that there's almost nobody in today's GOP who thinks this way. They're too busy cowering in Trump's shadow to let any fresh ideas see the light of day.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.
-
Baltimore bridge disaster: Who is going to pay and how?
Today's Big Question Politicians, legal experts, and the insurance industry are all grappling with the financial fallout of America's worst infrastructure tragedy in years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Melting polar ice is messing with global timekeeping
Speed Read Ice loss caused by climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Stick guitar
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published