Member-only story
Does the GOP have a future?
As a postscript to my last post, if you’re still absolutely certain of Biden’s victory, then read this Peter Hamby column to the bitter end — it turns out most voters believe Trump will do a better job on the economy than Biden. Let that sink in. The damage that NBC’s The Apprentice has done to the country is incalculable. It convinced almost every American that Donald J. Trump is an incredible businessman despite all evidence to the contrary. I’m not joking.
But forget Trump (as if that’s possible) and let’s think about the rest of the Republican Party. This morning the following caught my attention:
“When President Trump took office in January 2017, there were 241 Republicans in the House. Since then, 115 (48%) have either retired, resigned, been defeated or are retiring in 2020.” [source]
“Is the Republican Party Destroying Itself?” is a new book by the legendary Harvard professor Tom Patterson. And although I consider Tom a friend, colleague, and mentor, I completely disagree with him. That’s why I highly recommend you purchase the book — so that we can argue about it. The Republican Party’s potential for long-term rule is stronger than it may look to all you sushi-eating, latte-drinking, Volvo-driving, New-York-Times-reading coastal elites.
Why will the GOP survive — and thrive — as Trump’s party, long after Trump is gone? Three reasons:
- Structural advantages: We’ve got a system that is designed to structurally favor the minority in both the Senate and the…
