This article got me thinking:
Republicans are enjoying their ride in the White House and basking in the glow of a divided Democratic presidential field, but a monumental identity crisis is looming for the GOP.
Whether you think President Donald Trump won’t be president in two months, two years or six years, Republicans are going to have a difficult time moving on to the next chapter.
I agree. It would be a mistake to try and find a Trump 2.0, because no such animal exists.
What the Stupid Party should do, starting immediately after Trump wins the 2020 election, is to start looking for a person who has bought 100% into Trumps’s agenda, and into his methodology of getting all that done (minus the cringe-making Twatter texts). In other words, find a younger man (or woman, but not both) who is, if you’ll excuse the expression, a quieter fire-breather.
As much as I like and respect VP Mike Pence (and I do, a lot), I don’t think he’s the guy for the job — just as GHW Bush wasn’t the right guy to follow Ronaldus Magnus in 1988 (which he soon proved by getting into an alliance with Swimmer Ted Kennedy, may his room temperature be set to BROIL right now). If Pence wants to be taken seriously as Trump’s successor, he needs to start getting out from under Trump’s massive shadow, and start establishing his credibility with the people who continue to support Trump. If not, then it’s time for new blood. Here’s what’s on the cards for Teh New Guy.
Certainly, a refusal to compromise with the Socialists would be a major plus, but in order to stop their bullshit, he needs to be either media-savvy or hire people who are.
And speaking of compromises: totally off the table is any thought of compromise on immigration. Whoever wants to get this POTUS gig should have to take The Pledge.
Ditto the rolling back of the tiresome raft of bureaucratic regulations (the “create one, delete five” Trump directive). Do not repeal this excellent Executive Order. Don’t even think of weakening it.
Keep walking away from the whole “climate change” religion. Let the Socialist luminaries (e.g. AOC) claim this nonsense for their idiotic Green New Deal platform, and live with the consequences.
Keep making new jobs instead by hauling manufacturing back to the U.S., and to hell with all the globalist bollocks.
Support the military, with more ships, more planes, more men, more (and better) technology. The Socialists won’t do any of this, so he needs to grab it with both hands.
Missing from all the above is who I think can do all this. That’s because I don’t know who fits this bill. (Most certainly, however, the list of prospective candidates should not include any of Trump’s kids — Trump, Kushner, whoever — or anyone named Bush, Rubio and the Usual Suspects, including Rand Paul, who is often the Republicans’ version of AOC.)
But whoever it is, the Stupid Party needs to get working on it soon, and should heed my advice on the above because:
At this stage, the Republican Party is primarily a collection of Trump followers. While a majority of GOP primary voters didn’t support candidate Trump early in the 2016 race — some Republicans were skeptical of his conservative bona fides, and others outright opposed him — the party has since largely coalesced behind the president.
Once again, a whole bunch of people (me included, quite often) don’t necessarily agree with Trump’s style of doing things, but we sure as hell support what he’s doing — and because most of that is anathema to the Stupid Party Establishment (GOPe, in old terms), they either need to get on board, or quit to allow others to take over.
Fat chance. They’ll fuck it up, just like they always do when presented with a great opportunity.