Several days ago, I was rereading the August 2016 article “BEYOND TRUMP – Where will the Republican Party go after 2016?” The line that caught my attention, the authors wrote: “Whether or not Trump prevails in November, the GOP is set for a rebuilding process like none in recent memory.” Moreover, “Beyond Trump lays out the possibilities ahead for a political party facing an existential crisis.” I admit a curiosity about the direction the GOP might pursue following Trump and, like many, was disappointed.
The country and the world survived four years of the Trump presidency during which he successfully took over and imprinted his unique brand on the GOP as a political entity. During his one term in office, the former president also captured the loyalty of enough of the Republican base that no aspirant for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 can garner that nomination without their support, and perhaps Trump’s as well.
My real question– and my focus for this piece is, when did the rebuilding of the GOP take place? Who were its architects? How did I miss the rebuilding of the Republican Party since Trump stepped down on January 20, 2021 following a disastrous one term? Daily, I see a Party still in thrall to a one-term president, arguably, the most malevolent force in Republican politics in living memory. What happened to the GOP’s traditional platform of social and fiscal conservatism and national security interventionism? Before the current crop of Republican contenders for the 2024 presidential nomination appeared on our television screens, Donald Trump strode like a colossus across the Republican landscape silencing all of the opposition, especially anyone with competitive ideas.
Even while under indictment,Trump has been characteristically vocal in proclaiming his intentions should he prevail in 2024. Most notably, to pursue a vendetta, or punish, those from both parties he feels wronged him and sought to hold him accountable through two impeachments and a plethora of state and federal indictments for various crimes. He also plans to punish the Department of Justice and defund the FBI; and to eliminate the protections enjoyed by professional federal Civil Service employees. Our federal workforce would be replaced, to the extent possible, by a new class of federal employee – Schedule F – hired by him and loyal to him. Recall the former “Spoils System” begun under the administration of President Andrew Jackson in 1829. Should he prevail in 2024, Hell is just beyond the horizon.
Who, then, is taking on the task of rebuilding the GOP? Setting aside for the moment those Republicans seeking the nomination in 2024, who among the current crop of sitting Republican leaders has stepped forward with a bold plan to rebuild the GOP, who is also unafraid of a primary challenge should his/her plan not meet Trump’s approval? Is there not an opportunity–or the likelihood– that a rejuvenated, repurposed Republican Party might have appeal beyond its base? I am suggesting that the Republican Party in 2023 is a known quantity, positioned on a slippery slope since 2016, and unlikely to halt its descent into a very deep hole until the political fortunes of Donald Trump have been decided by the Courts. There is, however, opportunity.
Well, what are Democrats and their allies doing to prepare for what most of us expect will be the most massive onslaught against democracy this country will likely experience in November 2024 since the McCarthy era? Democrats are not unified. They lack a coherent message strategy and, I would add, are unprepared for 2024. Progressives and Centrists are at loggerheads about an issues’ agenda.
The Democratic standard bearer is an octogenarian who, many agree, appears fragile both mentally and physically. Moreover, he is overly scripted, and his political instincts honed a half century ago are more suited for a by-gone era when the rule on Capitol Hill was to go-along to get-along: debate and disagree publicly and then retire to a hide-a-way for cigars, brandy, and a friendly bi-partisan card game. Today, the rules that govern relations between the two parties are incivility, obstruction, and open partisan warfare. Again, there is opportunity.
Will this President suit up for the no-holds-barred warfare that will only intensify during the coming Primary season? Will he and the Party leaders shy away from aggressive leadership to lead the response to the Republicans hellbent on wresting control of the White House by any means necessary? Or, will Biden, Schumer, Manchin, Sinema, and Durbin, ask the Party faithful, e.g. Blacks, Latinos, Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, youth, the elderly, to rescue them, again, to provide less-than-inspired leadership? We voted for them earlier! That’s leadership by default, not leadership for the times in which we live.
I would submit that our choice in November 2024 must be to save our democracy, to salvage what remains of democratic norms, the rule of law, a respect for the Constitution, and a woman’s right to control her own body. At a minimum, we must determine the quality of our democracy. I feel we–the rest of us: Democrats, moderate Republicans, and Independents– must vote in numbers that guarantee a margin of victory in State Houses and in both Houses of Congress to empower our leaders to make the bold changes we must insist upon, and not provide more of the same. Those cautious leaders resistant to change, e.g. Schumer, Manchin, Sinema, Durbin, who cling tenaciously to their Centrist/institutional credentials, who refuse to use the power of the bully pulpit, who refuse to change the filibuster rules, and who refuse to consider expanding the Supreme Court, must be set aside.
We require leaders responsive to the times; leaders prepared to govern in the moment, and are willing to confront the forces of darkness arrayed against democracy – both domestic and foreign. American democracy is now more fragile than ever, a development that has emboldened our adversaries and compelled former allies to reassess their relationship with us. American democracy is incapable of self-correction or self-preservation. It is subject to the forces aligned against it. Americans expect, practically demand, a robust democracy. Therefore, the health of its present and its future requires enlightened stewardship.
It is we, the concerned voters, who bear the ultimate responsibility to safeguard our democracy and the spaces we call home. Let’s elect the leaders who share our concerns. The wrong choice in 2024 could be catastrophic. It is up to us.
