In this video Frank Schaeffer explains why he believes Trump is destroying the old Republican Party of Hate and why he’s optimistic about the country’s future.
In the video, Frank Schaeffer talks about how starting with Nixon the Republican Party ran on the politics of exclusion and division to get people to vote for them. But it’s like a family fight — if you keep on dividing yourself from everyone in the family you will eventually find yourself all alone.
In the video, Frank Schaeffer believes Hillary Clinton will “clean sweep” Trump. He believes that will be the end of the Republican Party as we know it and hopes the Republican Party will be rebuilt into a sane political party vs. one of hate.
In the video, Schaeffer says after the 2016 election, Trump and his followers will be forgotten by a “rising, optimistic, wonderful nation.”
I hope he’s right. I hope Democrats can win back the Senate and the House. The country can't afford more Republican obstruction. President Hillary Clinton has to be able to accomplish something. There's too much need out there.
In November, almost every pundit dismissed Donald Trump as having absolutely no chance to win the Republican nomination. In July, the Huffington Post moved coverage of Trump to entertainment section. The top pundits with outstanding track records such as Nate Silver, Sam Wang, Charlie Cook, and Larry Sabato all thought Trump had little to no chance to win the Republican nomination.
I’ve got to commend David Atkins of the Washington Monthly. In November, when almost everyone dismissed Donald Trump, he wrote an article "It Really Is Trump's Republican Party Now" challenging the establishment and the mainstream media for dismissing Trump as having no chance. In that article, Atkins noted:
sometimes paradigms do shift, and sometimes tipping points get reached. It seems to me that the GOP’s Southern Strategy/Tea Party monster has finally broken free of its cage and its master is powerless to control it anymore.
In fact, it was Atkins article that convinced me maybe Trump wouldn’t implode? Maybe he would win the GOP nomination? I’d always believed we were at or near a political tipping point but wasn’t sure what it would look like- maybe this was it? The Republican Party always assumed they could run on race and religion to get white racists and religious right voters to vote against their own interests.
What the Republican Party establishment failed to consider is eventually they had to actually do something for their voters besides teach them who to hate. The Republican Party now consists of plutocrats and older, angry white men who are struggling economically. What have they ever done for those older angry white males?? Nothing, except try to get them to not sign up for health care. How many Republican votes did the Affordable Care Act get? How many Republican states refuse to expand Medicaid so more poor people have access to health care? How many Republican votes would a jobs bill get? What about a $15 minimum wage?
I recently ran across this fascinating Pew Research study. This study makes it very obvious the Republican Party is devolving into a white nationalist, anti-abortion, fair trade party that may be giving up on cutting/privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Imagine that 73% of Trump voters oppose Social Security cuts vs. 72% of Sanders voters and 71% of Clinton voters? And Trump voters are more against free trade deals than either Sanders or Clinton voters.
Is Frank Schaeffer right? Is 2016 the end of the Republican Party as we know it?
That’s an interesting question. After the Indiana primary a number of Republicans publicly said they are supporting Hillary Clinton- here. Also, PBS and other media outlets are reporting some Republicans have privately told Clinton they will come out and publicly support her when the time is right- here and here.
I always wondered why so many of the Republicans terrified of Trump were silent all these years while the politics of hate were creating him? Were the short term political gains too great? Did they really believe the Republican Party could run on race and religion forever while doing nothing for their voters but have changed their mind? Were they afraid of jeopardizing their jobs? Were they spending too much time around their donor base and not enough around ordinary people?
Sometimes when a few people begin having the courage to speak out, more people follow. Will that happen here?
Personally, I hope Frank Schaeffer is right because the country desperately needs him to be. What’s my belief? I do believe Hillary Clinton will win decisively. But I just don’t know if the Republican Party will change that much quite yet. My gut feeling is the Republicans will do to President Hillary Clinton what they did to Obama and Bill Clinton- obstruct and try to destroy them. I think the Republican Party has devolved into a white nationalist, anti-abortion, anti-LGBT, fair trade party that may be giving up on cutting/privatizing Social Security and Medicare. The latter two indicate yes the plutocratic wing is losing influence. But I don’t think the white nationalists or the religious right is going anywhere. I’m not as optimistic.
But maybe enough Republicans will have the courage to speak out and take a stand? Maybe enough Republican leaders will realize they have to actually do something for people besides teaching them who to hate?
What do you think?