The GQP, Nationally, Is in Worse Shape Than You Might Think

[MineralMan]

In the thread at the link below, I described how the Minnesota GOP Executive Director was forced out due to a scandal involving a major GOP donor. The E.D., who is also the wife of a Republican House member from his district, is an example of what I'm talking about in this thread, but on a wider scale:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215765389

Here's the thing: The GOP is being dominated these days by the extra-vocal and aggressive far right element of the party. As anyone who has been involved in local and state party organizations knows, it is the most vocal and determined people who end up in party leadership. In recent times, that has been the far right element, which has moved into control of most state and local GQP organizations. They're loud. They're stupid. They're really, really bad for that party, in the end. Here's why:

In the first place, the right wing represents a minority of Republicans. The more they spout anti-vaccination nonsense, Qanon bullshit, and anti-Semitic, racist points of view, the more people they alienate. While they appeal to the uneducated, bigoted party members, they piss off others, who hold more moderate viewpoints. What effect does that have?

Well, the right-wing rank and file tends either not to have much money or is reluctant to donate its money to the party organization. They're not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. The big money donors tend to be more affluent individuals or corporate entities, who are less willing to support right-wing nonsense. In Minnesota, that has led to the GQP, at the state level, to be near bankruptcy. Truly. While the Democratic state party organizations has millions in its war chest, the GQP has just thousands. That's not conducive to big spending on campaigns at all.

In addition, scandals often rock extremist party leadership. News stories about Republican leaders doing ugly things get reported locally and that damages the GQP's reputation, even among Republicans. Bad reputations don't attract money. Not at all.

The right wing of the GQP is a minority of Republicans. It does not represent all Republicans, but its misbehaviors certainly get noticed. It gets covered by local news and even national news, and is an embarrassment. That's not a good thing when fundraising time comes around.

While I'm using Minnesota as an example, similar situations can be found in many states. The GQP is in disarray. It is being poisoned by its own toxic extremist, racist, and white supremacist wing.

That is a good thing for Democratic candidates. Yes, it is.

[live love laugh]

1. "... right wing represents a minority of Republicans"

The right wing I have observed since the 90s is very much far right wing. These recent people who are coming out of the woodwork were nowhere around when people like Tom delay were walking the floor of Congress handing out money.

Also if other Republicans are not like these then why are they not speaking out?

[MineralMan]

5. Why are they not speaking out?

Good question. In reality, most people do not think about politics much, except in election years. That's how the overactive right wingers have maneuvered themselves into power. Most people are simply not that political most of the time, so those who are get to run things.

That's the bottom line, and it works in the Democratic Party, as well. The progressive wing of the that party is gaining control over local party organizations, as well. Those who care the most tend to lead the way. That's not always the best thing in the end, really.

[Elessar Zappa]

2. Agree.

Here in New Mexico, the GQP has gone so far off the rails that they’ve made themselves totally irrelevant in state politics.

[PortTack]

3. Currently the DNC is out raising the rnc. I don't think the midterms are the slam dunk the gqp

Think they are!

[Elessar Zappa]

8. I think once the infrastructure bills pass that

Dems will have a good chance of retaining the House.

[KentuckyWoman]

10. A neice works with an Act Blue vendor

Act Blue is sending them record breaking business. They had to hire 2 more people to handle the volume.

That seems a promising sign to me.

[SharonClark]

4. They are NOT in disarray in Iowa

They control state government, the legislature, and the board of regents. They piss on cities and public schools and the majority of voters continue to support them. Why? right-wing talk radio, evangelical churches, and rural mentality.

[Bettie]

12. I think a lot of people underestimate the power of

AM talk radio which is dominated 24/7 by religious nut jobs and right wing nutjobs.

If our side would put a message out there it would reach a lot more people than they think, but it would take money and patience.

[Elessar Zappa]

13. The problem is

that reasoned rhetoric can’t compete with the loudmouths on radio who throw the rubes constant red meat. Air America never approached right wing radio popularity.

[Bettie]

15. Right wing radio wasn't that popular when it started either

but now it is the background noise everyone in rural areas hears.

It would take a lot of time to work. And no one is willing to put in the long term investment.

Right wing talk was a money hole for a long time, Fox was a money hole, but they took the losses in order to get the message going and entrenched.

Media influence isn't a short term game.

[Midnight Writer]

14. Exactly. For some reason, we have ceded the rural areas to Republicans.

Talk radio is a MAJOR part of that. Folks in the hinterlands hear nothing else, and it runs on and on, 24/7, multiple stations, with no opposing viewpoints.

[Bettie]

16. And it's on in barns, tractors, and

all those small town or rural stores. It's constant background noise and there is little other available option.

[Midnight Writer]

17. It's everywhere. Including discussions with neighbors, family, co-workers.

You can't chat with a neighbor over the fence without them bringing up some talk radio BS.

[Bettie]

18. With time and money, that could be changed

there could be a counter-narrative set up, but it would take time and money.

There are Democrats who have more money than they will be able to spend in twenty lifetimes...but no one is willing to put it into something that doesn't have the base message "LOOK AT ME!!!".

But it would change things. Well, it already did, changed a lot of Democrats to Republicans, just by being consistently there, in the background.

[tinrobot]

6. It will collapse, eventually.

The question is - How much damage will be done before that happens?

[MineralMan]

7. Yes. What happens next remains to be seen.

[leftieNanner]

9. I look forward to the day

When some of these moderate Republicans choose to pull the lever (old time voting reference!) for a Democrat instead of voting for the lunatic only because of the R next to the name.

"I don't like Marjorie Taylor Greene, but I'm a Republican so I guess I'll vote for Rand Paul."

I hope you are right MM.

[MineralMan]

11. We don't need that many Republicans to switch their votes, really.

If some do, or just stay home on election, we win. Well, we win if we turn out and vote, anyhow. I suggest we do that and help others to do the same.

When your enemy is engaged in infighting, that's the best time to attack.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

19. The GOP base is dying off

Demographic trends such as demonstrated in the latest census are not favorable to the GOP. The GOP has dumped its 2012 autopsy which called for expanding the base of the party and gone in the opposite direction or running off sane white moderate voters. Gerrymandering and voter suppression are the GOP's only hope in 2022 and we will be litigating these measures.

[eTXwLA]

20. I've known several of these talk radio GOP voters who have died from COVID recently.

And just got word this morning another is on a ventilator. So GOP pro-death governors are doing a pretty stellar job of killing off their voters.

[MineralMan]

23. I think that even people who survive COVID-19.

but who listened to the anti-vaxxer crap, are going to think about what they were told by the far right.

There's something about being deathly ill that focuses your mind on reality.

[bucolic_frolic]

21. They're hurting themselves, killing each other off, and will listen to no one.

There is nothing we can do, even from a humanitarian standpoint. Leave them be.

[Tadpole Raisin]

22. Let's hope the GOP in most states full implodes right before the 2022

midterms. Maybe by then that any republicans left with a modicum of integrity fully expose the corrupt RW leaders and perp walks are being conducted every week.

Call me a dreamer…

[pwb]

24. I agree. Their so called solid base is waking up to the pukes argument that there is

Last edited Sat Aug 21, 2021, 03:48 PM - Edit history (1)

another side to everything, bullshit and lies. This base is criminals who usually can't or don't vote. Dropouts who are energized by that Colorado woman dropout congressperson, they will be too incapacitated to even remember to vote.
I cant think that voters will not remember their parents or grand parents dying from Covid because they listened to that party lie over and over and defying common sense?
Even business is turning to our side. They make more money selling more products than any tax cut. Democrats give the masses more disposable income and they are spending it. Not banking it like the wealthy do with tax cuts.
Yeah they will lose big from now on even in the south. Defending their lies is harder and harder every time.

[KS Toronado]

25. Thanks, MineralMan

All my thoughts exactly, expressed in ways you're better equipped than I am to put down on paper.

[MineralMan]

29. My pleasure.

[Beartracks]

26. My fear/impression is that even if many Republicans are turned off by far right bull and antics...

... they'll still vote for QOP operatives for the simple reason that those candidates are not the Democrat in their races.

========

[NEOBuckeye]

27. All that may be true. But I live in Ohio

It would help to have a legit Democratic Party to fight the GOPpers with. The Ohio state-level Dems here SUCK. Like really badly, except for Sherrod Brown. And maybe Tim Ryan.

As bad as the Republicans are, the Democrats cannot even mount a challenge to their stupidity, and they have had so many easy chances to do so. A strong state party would have kicked John Kasich’s ass in 2014 if not from the jump in 2010 and kept him on Faux News as a whiny blowhard… instead of giving him delusional hopes of ending up in the White House.

We see this again with the recent Larry Householder scandal in which he was convicted… and still re-elected before the Republicans themselves finally couldn’t stomach him and had to remove him.

The Republican Party is a cancer on our state and country, but we have to have organizations that are able to fight hard and beat it into remission before we can actually get some place better. We can’t expect their own stupidity to do it for us.

[MineralMan]

30. That will be the job of Democrats in Ohio.

Nobody else can do it. Since you live there, you can play a role in it.

[cadoman]

28. as grim as it is, non-vaccination and non-masking will be the end of the GQP

You can't have a movement if your followers are steadily dying from not following science.

We don't even have to worry about policy because until the GQP corrects course on those issues, they will dwindle in numbers every day. We are already seeing this in the carnage in Florida and Texas.

[MineralMan]

31. You can't count on Republicans dying off. Not that many who get

COVID-19 die, actually. Most just get sick and then recover. However, the lies about the pandemic are going to come back and bite GQP leaders on the butt. If someone in your family ends up in the hospital for two weeks, you're going to think about COVID differently than you did before.

That is what is going to kill the Republicans. They lied to their own supporters and in a very dangerous way. Even stupid people see the truth sometimes and it does affect their decisions later.

[CrackityJones75]

32. I love it.

I love coming here, reading a story that might point to a tiny piece of good news, and then be told why it is bullshit and that actually everything is completely opposite and 10 times worse.

Really tops off the old bowl of cheerios nicely.

[MineralMan]

33. Perhaps you should read more closely.

Or am I misunderstanding you?

[CrackityJones75]

34. I think you are.

[CrackityJones75]

35. Was not a critique on your post.

More on the part of those responding to it.

[MineralMan]

36. Thanks for clarifying.

[madinmaryland]

37. They are not in disarray in Ohio. They will win easily here in 2022 and 2024.

[Poiuyt]

38. On what do you base your claim that the far right wing is the minority of Republicans?

There aren't many moderate Republicans in Congress or in the state legislatures (at least not here in WI). Maybe your friendly Republican down the street is not a fascist zealot, but how would we know? All we know is that the repubs in Congress are pushing things further and further to the right, and have been doing so since Reagan. As long as the repubs in power (either through the legislature or through lobbying) are radical right, we can only assume that most in that party agree with them. Otherwise they'd be primaried out.