At least SIX Republican lawmakers among the crowd at Capitol Hill

Andrewn

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I think that it's completely impossible for the Republican party to argue on good faith that they are now finally willing to work with Democrats after what they've done for the last twelve years. Ever since Obama was first elected, and they first embraced the Tea Party movement, their modus operandi has been to push back and refuse to give an inch for as long as possible to any sort of bipartisanship.
GOP forcibly moved in this direction not 12 but 26 years ago. It clearly dates back to Gingrich's group taking over the House in 1995.

"A number of scholars have credited Gingrich with playing a key role in undermining democratic norms in the United States, and hastening political polarization and partisan prejudice.[7][8][9][58][59][60][61][62][10][63][64][11] According to Harvard University political scientists Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, Gingrich's speakership had a profound and lasting impact on American politics and health of American democracy. They argue that Gingrich instilled a "combative" approach in the Republican Party, where hateful language and hyper-partisanship became commonplace, and where democratic norms were abandoned. Gingrich frequently questioned the patriotism of Democrats, called them corrupt, compared them to fascists, and accused them of wanting to destroy the United States. Gingrich furthermore oversaw several major government shutdowns.[65][66][67][59]

"University of Maryland political scientist Lilliana Mason uses Gingrich's instructions to Republicans to use words such as “betray, bizarre, decay, destroy, devour, greed, lie, pathetic, radical, selfish, shame, sick, steal, and traitors” about Democrats as an example of a breach in social norms and exacerbation of partisan prejudice.[7] Gingrich is a key figure in the 2017 book The Polarizers by Colgate University political scientist Sam Rosenfeld about the American political system's shift to polarization and gridlock.[8] Rosenfeld describes Gingrich as follows, "For Gingrich, responsible party principles were paramount... From the outset, he viewed the congressional minority party's role in terms akin to those found in parliamentary systems, prioritizing drawing stark programmatic contrasts over engaging the majority party as junior participants in governance."[8]"

Newt Gingrich - Wikipedia

Republicans have a split road ahead of them - they can choose to continue to embrace Trump's base, having to push neo-Trumps into the spotlight, hoping that the base continues to support them, as their more moderate members steadily leave and drop the party. Or, they can finally give up their insane rightward push, and finally move towards the center of politics.
With the current policies having been in place for 26 years, I doubt that any Republican younger than 50 y/o even remembers what normal conservatism looks like. I wish luck to the Lincoln Project but they may have to leave the GOP and join one of the fringe parties.
 
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mark46

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Do you simply ignore Republicans who came after Gingritch and sometimes worked with Democrats? Most obviously, do you just forget the legislation passed when George Bush was president. DO you think that he had a 60 vote majority in the Senate?

Do you think that no legislation passed under Clinton? Certainly some legislation was passed after the Gingritch was elected.

You use the word "policies". You really mean "approach" or "style".

GOP forcibly moved in this direction not 12 but 22 years ago. It clearly dates back to Gingrich's group taking over the House in 1999.

"A number of scholars have credited Gingrich with playing a key role in undermining democratic norms in the United States, and hastening political polarization and partisan prejudice.[7][8][9][58][59][60][61][62][10][63][64][11] According to Harvard University political scientists Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, Gingrich's speakership had a profound and lasting impact on American politics and health of American democracy. They argue that Gingrich instilled a "combative" approach in the Republican Party, where hateful language and hyper-partisanship became commonplace, and where democratic norms were abandoned. Gingrich frequently questioned the patriotism of Democrats, called them corrupt, compared them to fascists, and accused them of wanting to destroy the United States. Gingrich furthermore oversaw several major government shutdowns.[65][66][67][59]

"University of Maryland political scientist Lilliana Mason uses Gingrich's instructions to Republicans to use words such as “betray, bizarre, decay, destroy, devour, greed, lie, pathetic, radical, selfish, shame, sick, steal, and traitors” about Democrats as an example of a breach in social norms and exacerbation of partisan prejudice.[7] Gingrich is a key figure in the 2017 book The Polarizers by Colgate University political scientist Sam Rosenfeld about the American political system's shift to polarization and gridlock.[8] Rosenfeld describes Gingrich as follows, "For Gingrich, responsible party principles were paramount... From the outset, he viewed the congressional minority party's role in terms akin to those found in parliamentary systems, prioritizing drawing stark programmatic contrasts over engaging the majority party as junior participants in governance."[8]"

Newt Gingrich - Wikipedia


With the current policies having been in place for 22 years, I doubt that any Republican younger than 50 y/o even remembers what normal conservatism looks like. I wish luck to the Lincoln Project but they may have to leave the GOP and join one of the fringe parties.

Joh 8:57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
 
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Andrewn

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Most obviously, do you just forget the legislation passed when George Bush was president. DO you think that he had a 60 vote majority in the Senate?
This would be an example for Democrats working with a Republican president, not the other way around.

Do you think that no legislation passed under Clinton? Certainly some legislation was passed after the Gingritch was elected.
Clinton had to adapt his policies to a House of Representative with a Republican majority for 6 of his 8 years of office. He was sufficiently open-minded. Again, it's an example of Democrats adapting, not the other way around.

You use the word "policies". You really mean "approach" or "style".
I'm certainly open to be corrected and politics is not my specialty. As for now, it seems that Republicans have shifted to the far-right 26 years ago with Gingrich's "Contract with America." Sure, the shift was gradual and perhaps there were periods with a moderate "approach" or "style." In general, it's the Republicans who moved to the far-right and contrary to their propaganda, Democrats never moved to the far-left en masse.
 
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mark46

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Yes, the Republicans have moved to the right more than the Democrats have moved to the left.

Is Republican Party really more far right than Goldwater? The Party used to oppose Social Security and Medicare as a matter of policy. They certainly wanted less spending and less debt. The tax cut and huge extension of the debt wouldn't have occurred 20 years ago under a Republican president.
======================
My primary conclusion after following politics over 60 years is that we are a center-right country, and that over the years Democrats and Republicans have worked together to move us forward as a country. I think that this will happen again in the next two years. I understand that almost all the moderates have left the Republican Party. Enough are left to work with in the Senate.
================
You say that Democrats have not moved en masse to the left. I'm not sure of that at all. Had Clyborne not stepped up, the Democrats would be led by the far left. There is no question with regard to Sanders and his followers; they are far left of the center of American politics (and Democratic politics). Can the center hold for more than a few more years?

AN ASIDE
Trump and his supporters are NOT the continuation of a movement to the right that started with Goldwater. Trump is a populist and has little use for much of the conservative agenda. His folks have little use for the former leaders of the party. Until 2016, there was loyalty to the Reagan legacy. Even the Tea Party was an attempt to reinstate the conservatives.

We should remember the meetings after the 2012 loss. The Republican Party leadership wanted to move to legacy of Reagan supporting such candidates as Rubio, Hailly and Walker. The 2016 campaign rejected this approach.

A FINAL COMMENT
Trumpism is a clear and present danger to the Republican Party, and more importantly to the country, but Trumpers are not right wing in terms of American politics. They do not look back to the ideas of Goldwater and Reagan. Rather their ideas point to the autocrats of the world, and those of a century ago in Europe.

.

I'm certainly open to be corrected and politics is not my specialty. As for now, it seems that Republicans have shifted to the far-right 26 years ago with Gingrich's "Contract with America." Sure, the shift was gradual and perhaps there were periods with a moderate "approach" or "style." In general, it's the Republicans who moved to the far-right and contrary to their propaganda, Democrats never moved to the far-left en masse.
 
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KCfromNC

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You expected Republican Party leaders to fight with their president, the one who controlled the money and the votes many needed for re-election and primary fights. I've followed politics for 60 years. This position is simply unreasonable.

Perhaps up until the point where they had an easy way to promote Pence to president. They chose not to. This is on every one of their heads at this point.
 
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wing2000

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Trumpism is a clear and present danger to the Republican Party, and more importantly to the country, but Trumpers are not right wing in terms of American politics. They do not look back to the ideas of Goldwater and Reagan. Rather their ideas point to the autocrats of the world, and those of a century ago in Europe.

Agreed.

The Trump populists should start their own party. The Republican party needs to be the conservative party again....
 
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mark46

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Agreed.

The Trump populists should start their own party. The Republican party needs to be the conservative party again....

Given the move to the left by most of Democratic Party, the Republicans could transition over a very few years, perhaps in 4, 6 or 8 years.

It could happen fast if Biden is a one term president.
 
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Andrewn

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The Trump populists should start their own party. The Republican party needs to be the conservative party again....
The next 2 years, until 2022 elections, will be the GOP's chance for soul searching. Will it become the party of Southern Hawley and Cruz or the party of Northern Romney and Kasich? Time will tell what will become of the 2 wings.
 
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Andrewn

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Another possibility is that it will become the party of Haley (SC), Scott (SC), and Rubio (FL).
I don't know what to make of these people. They supported conspiracy fraud allegations, didn't they? What's your analysis of their positions?
 
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mark46

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I don't know what to make of these people. They supported conspiracy fraud allegations, didn't they? What's your analysis of their positions?

Like McConnell, they did not want to defy the president and lose the support of his base. I believe that, as McConnell, they accepted the election results when the states certified.

Make no mistake, these are competent politicians. Haley was careful enough to resign before the election. Her PAC has been on hold for years. I have met folks who will be working for her. She immediately came out against the rioters and Trump's complicity. Within a few minutes of the impeachment, I received a plea for cash from her PAC. The 2024 campaign has started. I'm sure that she will spend a lot of time working for other candidates in the 2022 election cycle.

I believe that all three are Tea Party conservatives. They were supposed to be part of the new direction of the party planned after the loss in 2012. Haley's parents were born in India. Scott is African-American. Rubio is Hispanic. In the last campaign, I recall all three on stage when Rubio was running in the SC primary. Personally, I think that Rubio's time has passed.

Curiously, a South Carolina ticket in 2024 of Haley-Scott would be a formidable challenge to the Democrats.
===
AN ASIDE
Haley is a former governor of SC, and a former ambassador to the UN
Scott is a senator from SC
Rubio is a senator from FL
 
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Andrewn

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