Right now, the best asset the GOP seems to have is the ineptitude and overreach of the newly empowered Democrats. The Democrats beat the most consequential Republican president since Ronald Reagan. They’ve seized the most powerful offices in government and dominate America’s most influential institutions. The pendulum is likely to swing back toward the Right in time, but there’s no easy way through this moment. Who else can step forward to lead the GOP now? It’s a wide-open field. Some of those who were making the most headway with the Trump base before (Sen. Cruz and Hawley come to mind) have, for now, been hit with the blowback over Trump’s last few weeks in office. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has the single most impressive record of any leader of a large state during the pandemic, and may have aspirations to leave the sunshine state for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. For now, the primary feeling within the GOP is akin to “batten down the hatches.” The GOP is on defense and Trumpism is in exile. The American people are going to have to suffer through some very unfortunate Biden policies to remember why just a few short years ago, they handed the reins over to a political outsider with the simple promise that he would Make America Great Again.
lore, Trump was happy to create “made guys” when he was the godfather. It might be a very different thing when he’s no longer the head of the family... Which brings us to another possibility – his actual family. Trump may pass the political baton to his kids. There’s already a lot of chatter in the political press about the possibility of Ivanka running for Senate, in a challenge to incumbent Marco Rubio. Yet as attractive, connected, and wealthy as Ivanka is, her connection to the blue-collar Trump voter is unproven. An easier pitch may be Donald Trump Jr., whose fondness for hunting, fishing, and the trappings of Americana could propel him to the front of the GOP pack in 2024. Eric Trump’s wife, Lara, is also expected to run for Senate in her home state of North Carolina. The Trumps run a family business, and that extends to the business of politics. So, there very well could be another President Trump, it’s just not clear yet which one. That said, the 2024 presidential election right now feels like eons away... The Republican party has to focus on the immediate tasks ahead of stifling the most radical aspects of Biden’s agenda, and preparing for a wave election to take back the House in the 2022 midterms. Right now, the best asset the GOP seems to have is the ineptitude and overreach of the newly empowered Democrats. If they dramatically underdeliver on the “build back better” promise of the Biden campaign, it’s likely they will be made to pay a hefty price at the polls.
American Consequences
25
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online