The GOP's asymmetrical political warfare

The 2020 election won't just be a contest between two candidates. It will be a contest between two sharply contrasting styles of electoral politics.

President Trump, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Scott Olson/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, ArnaPhoto/iStock, Pazhyna/iStock)

The 2020 election is going to pit Republican Donald Trump against one of the 20 (and counting) Democrats vying to replace him. But it's also going to be a contest between two sharply contrasting styles of electoral politics.

When it comes to this question of style or approach to politics, the Democrats are the traditionalists. Electoral politics in its classical form is a contest between parties for political power, with voters choosing between competing positive visions of the common good. Each side in the contest makes a different pitch, and the winner is whichever party persuades the greater number of voters to sign on. The result is a mandate to enact policies that help to realize this ideal view of the country and its future.

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Damon Linker

Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.