Thursday, May 12, 2016

Trump Ended The Civil War Within The Republican Party: What Follows?

Ted Cruz was the leader of the "True Conservative" movement in the Republican Party.  He believed that he could win the GOP nomination with a coalition of evangelicals and ideological conservatives.  Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were favored by establishment Republicans who held to the basic ideas that led George Bush to two terms in the White House.  The Republican Party managed to contain the civil war between between these two factions within the Party until Donald Trump arrived on the scene.  Ted Cruz was unable to move beyond his base of "True Conservatives" as Donald Trump brought many of them into his camp.  Social issues were less important to many of them than fear and resentment.  Neither Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio were able to sell another version George Bushism to the Republican base.  The Civil War within the Republican Party is history.  The only remaining question is what will the Party become under Donald Trump?  Ross Douthat is concerned that the narrow differences that separated the two factions with the Republican Party during the Civil War has been torn asunder by Donald Trump.  Its possible that a new religion called Trumpism, which bears little resemblance to the core ideas of the Republican Party, will take its place.  The real danger is that Trump could win the November election.  That would be terrible for our nation and it would also put  what remains of Republicism in its grave.  The split within the GOP has divided two Republican senators who usually agree with each other.  John McCain will support the Republican presidential candidate and Lindsey Graham will not.

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