Quo Vadis GOP?

[Valmy]

I continue to oscillate between confident optimism and despondent pessimism on this 

Even if Trump loses the next GOP candidate won't be much better. They might even be competent, which is scarier. Comforting, right?

Plenty of them are already competent, at least as far as politicians go. Recreating Trump but as a competent politician and administrator seems...contradictory to what makes him work.

[HVC]

I was thinking more of a competent populist. Putting right people in right spots. Or more accurate the wrong people in the right spots. No one can out trump Trump in the game of rambling conman.

[viper37]

I get it's her state etc. But given this is Trump's party now and Trump's effectively run (and been treated) as an incumbent, 60% seems like a pretty poor result for him, no?

Just thinking - along with the very tepid CPAC that I feel like you'd expect more enthusiasm?

Yes, I'm seeing a few comments about with this kind of thinking...It is very optimistic.
Maybe?
But then how many of this 40% hate Trump vs. those who just think some variation of his time is done/this other person is better/I'll vote for whoever wins anyway.
I haven't seen the data but I've heard mutterings about a poll of these people saying they wouldn't vote for Trump, if thats true then its encouraging.

The Arabs don't want to vote for Biden because he's too pro-Israeli.
Some of the Jews don't want to vote for Biden because he's not seen as supportive enough compared to the GOP.  They'll take their chances with the very fine people.
The far left, again, don't want to vote for Biden because he's not leftist enough.

I predict a repeat of Trump's first election where many Democrats stayed home and Trump won the electoral college.

[Razgovory]

I was thinking more of a competent populist. Putting right people in right spots. Or more accurate the wrong people in the right spots. No one can out trump Trump in the game of rambling conman.

I'm not sure a populist can do that.  The whole point is to fight against the people who know how things work.

[Jacob]

Even if Trump loses the next GOP candidate won't be much better. They might even be competent, which is scarier. Comforting, right?

I don't think it's a given that if Trump fails, what follows will be just as bad (or worse). It might happen, but it might not - but I don't think it's worthwhile to worry about right now. Trump winning, however, is likely to set off some pretty massive disasters almost immediately - both internally to the US and globally.

If he doesn't win, conditions may be very different in four years.

[Admiral Yi]

More competent at what?  Overturning democracy?

[Syt]

https://www.universalhub.com/comment/964019

Tough choice for Republican voters in one Boston district next week: A woman with a doctorate who helps run a state agency or a Nazi

Republicans in the First Suffolk district (state Sen. Nick Collins's district) who vote during the March 5 primary will get to decide who represents them on the Republican State Committee - one man and one woman.

On the women's side, the candidates are Elizabeth Hinds-Ferrick and Lori Kauffman, both of Dorchester.

Hinds-Ferrick immigrated from Guyana, got a doctorate in law and policy at Northeastern and is currently assistant director at the state Department of Transitional Assistance.

Kauffman, who grew up Jewish, divides her love between Kanye West and Hitler. She wants to exile Jews from the US and blames a Covid-19 shot for giving her stage-4 brain cancer (don't worry, she says the tumors are now shrinking) . She's also a transphobe.

She had been running as a ticket with state committeeman candidate and Croke Park owner Daniel Kelly, but now hates him because he publicly supported Israel.

Hinds-Ferrick is running with Timothy Smyth of South Boston. Both won election last year running in a local caucus against now failed and rabidly pro-Trump state party Chairman James Lyons.

[Josquius]

How does that work? She exiles herself?
I suppose if she does have brain cancer it would explain a lot.

[Josquius]

I get it's her state etc. But given this is Trump's party now and Trump's effectively run (and been treated) as an incumbent, 60% seems like a pretty poor result for him, no?

Just thinking - along with the very tepid CPAC that I feel like you'd expect more enthusiasm?

Yes, I'm seeing a few comments about with this kind of thinking...It is very optimistic.
Maybe?
But then how many of this 40% hate Trump vs. those who just think some variation of his time is done/this other person is better/I'll vote for whoever wins anyway.
I haven't seen the data but I've heard mutterings about a poll of these people saying they wouldn't vote for Trump, if thats true then its encouraging.

The Arabs don't want to vote for Biden because he's too pro-Israeli.
Some of the Jews don't want to vote for Biden because he's not seen as supportive enough compared to the GOP.  They'll take their chances with the very fine people.
The far left, again, don't want to vote for Biden because he's not leftist enough.

I predict a repeat of Trump's first election where many Democrats stayed home and Trump won the electoral college.

The Arabs and some of the Jews?

I do remember last election some far left youtubers coming out and encouraging a vote for Biden as a "better to keep things as they are with a tiny window of hope" than to have a boot on the neck. Fingers crossed for the same this.

[viper37]

I get it's her state etc. But given this is Trump's party now and Trump's effectively run (and been treated) as an incumbent, 60% seems like a pretty poor result for him, no?

Just thinking - along with the very tepid CPAC that I feel like you'd expect more enthusiasm?

Yes, I'm seeing a few comments about with this kind of thinking...It is very optimistic.
Maybe?
But then how many of this 40% hate Trump vs. those who just think some variation of his time is done/this other person is better/I'll vote for whoever wins anyway.
I haven't seen the data but I've heard mutterings about a poll of these people saying they wouldn't vote for Trump, if thats true then its encouraging.

The Arabs don't want to vote for Biden because he's too pro-Israeli.
Some of the Jews don't want to vote for Biden because he's not seen as supportive enough compared to the GOP.  They'll take their chances with the very fine people.
The far left, again, don't want to vote for Biden because he's not leftist enough.

I predict a repeat of Trump's first election where many Democrats stayed home and Trump won the electoral college.

The Arabs and some of the Jews?

I do remember last election some far left youtubers coming out and encouraging a vote for Biden as a "better to keep things as they are with a tiny window of hope" than to have a boot on the neck. Fingers crossed for the same this.

It was in the Wash Post, IIRC.  Arab support is at 17% for Biden.
Why Arab Americans don't want to vote for Biden in 2024
For Jewish support, those who speak openly are still in favor of Biden:
For historically conservative Jewish Americans, Biden's response to Israel receives praise

On conservative forums, the talk is elsewhere.  There might be an echo chamber.

[garbon]

McConnell to quit as Senate Republican leader in November

[HisMajestyBOB]

Looking forward to Senate Majority Leader Tommy Tuberville next year.

[DGuller]

McConnell to quit as Senate Republican leader in November

It's depressing that my first thought was "is that good or is that bad"?

[Jacob]

If Trump wins, it's probably bad. The next GOP senate leader will likely be worse than Mitch, then.

If Trump loses, then it could go either way depending on which way the GOP cookie crumbles.

[Sheilbh]

If Trump wins, it's probably bad. The next GOP senate leader will likely be worse than Mitch, then.

Yeah - as awful as he is, I suspect he's held back an awful lot worse.