A few months back, I wrote here about the rock and hard place the Republican Party has crammed itself into with Trump announcing he was a candidate to avoid prosecution – er, sorry, I mean to be president of the United States.
On the one hand, the problem is that there is a growing contingent in the GOP that believes (based on understandable reason) if Trump is the party’s nominee and standard bearer his losing streak will continue and it will crush the GOP in 2024, not only for the White House but also drag down the other races whose candidates will have to loyally support him and his white supremacist, anti-Semitic pathologically lying fascism and continue the Big Lie and support of the Insurrection to overthrow the government and democracy, all of which massively undercut the party in the 2022 Mid-terms. This growing force doesn’t want him to win, happy to see him lose and go away. Further, Rupert Murdoch and his Fox “News” and newspapers have already begun shifting their support to Ron DeSantis. And that’s the other hand. Because if Trump doesn’t get the party’s nomination and does go away in defeat – he will not go away. For starters, being Trump he will already have been doing his best to undermine and weaken DeSantis – or whoever the nominee is. And then, as the loser, and being a malignant narcissist, he will do his best to burn the GOP down. He will likely do all he can to keep shredding the nominee and make clear to his insanely loyal base shouldn’t vote for that person. If only 5% of his acolytes follow his lead – and it seem reasonable to think the number would be much higher – that would be disastrous for Republicans. Except that’s not the worse scenario. The worst scenario that I (and others) have suggested is that Trump could run as a third-party candidate. And if he did that, Republicans would be crushed. Because the only people he would ever attract votes from would be Republicans. I mention this all because yesterday Trump said the quiet part out loud and gave public voice of sorts to that reality. On his Trump Social platform, he personally posted a link to an editorial from a MAGA publication called “America Greatness” written by Dan Galenter. While Galenter notes the obvious that if Trump ran in a third party Democrats would easily win. But he’s okay with that and writes -- "I have no intention of supporting a Republican Party that manifestly contravenes the desires of its voters. The RNC can pretend Trump isn’t loved by the base anymore, that he doesn’t have packed rallies everywhere he goes. But I’m not buying it: Talk to Republican voters anywhere outside the Beltway, and it is obvious that he is admired and even loved by those who consider themselves 'ordinary' Americans." To be clear, the “America Greatness” publication is a blip in the public consciousness, as is Dan Galenter. But the fact that Trump linked to it on his platform is a foghorn with Klieg lights shining attention on it. Now, of course, this could all be a TrumpBluff to scare his party into making sure he wins. But it doesn’t matter. Because if that happens, enough of the GOP is plenty terrified enough already that he might be their nominee. And just as terrified that it isn’t a bluff. And they should be terrified. By both options. Because they’re both horrible. The only good alternative is if Trump drops out on his own, which he won’t do, unless he’s indicted – which itself would be really horrible for the GOP, because they’ve enabled Trump and the Big Lie and fascism and the Insurrection for the past six years. And they brought it on themselves. Because they have enabled him for the past six years. It couldn’t happen to more deserving people.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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