I keep reading that the US is “fucked”. I wonder how much history those who claim this to be true have read. And by that I especially mean military history as well as global (not US) socio-political history.
The GOP is doing what cornered rats do — fighting any way they can to stay alive. They are taking radical anti-democratic approaches in TN by expelling members for nothing more than standing with anti-gun protestors, passing insane and likely unconstitutional laws in ID regarding out of state travel for abortions, defending not just a criminal but an arch-criminal Presidential candidate and dozens of other J6 criminals despite a “law and order” platform (hint: it isn’t), lying in outrageous ways over and over and over, attempting to disenfranchise voters who traditionally support the other side (especially the young). NONE of this wins broader elections because to win elections, you need moderates. It ensures hardcore radicals who support you in your narrowing world keep doing so rather than turning to an even more radical candidate, yes. It only works locally and increasingly narrowly because the base is changing. It’s nothing more than pulling out any and all stops to anger anyone not a crystallized member of the hard right. In part they’re doing this because they’re fucking stupid and fucking amoral because those types are attracted to extremist perspectives that rely on hurt and damage of the other side, not compromise. In part they are emboldened by gerrymandering that has allowed these types to flourish. But the GOP is dying. And the biggest demographic wave in America is entering their voting years and turning out in droves. And they ain’t voting GOP.
This isn’t a new direction — it’s a last and desperate stand. It’s taking it all down with you. It’s burning the village before you retreat and concede the territory to the opposition. In many ways such incredibly extremist tactics are precisely what we should expect and have seen over and over agin from despots who are losing a war, not winning one. Because it’s all they have to cause fear and harm. Because they’re losing their grip on the power that caused it before.
There’s no doubt this is going to get uglier. But that’s because the GOP is LOSING, not because they’re winning. That makes me both incredibly frightened and also quite hopeful.