Friday, January 19, 2018

Why Has The Republican Congress Enabled Trumpocracy?

David Frum is a conservative intellectual who wrote a book about Trumpism that has just been released.  He discusses the major theme in his book during this interview.  I have posted a quote from the interview which goes to the heart of Frum's argument.  It explains why Trump is being supported by the Republican leadership:

I’m horrified, but I’m not shocked. The Republican Party has a platform that can’t prevail in democratic competition. This is one of the big themes of this book, and why I think this situation is so dangerous. When highly committed parties strongly believe [in] things that they cannot achieve democratically, they don’t give up on their beliefs — they give up on democracy.
The conclusion that follows from Frum's analysis of his political party is that the Republican Party must either adapt to changes that have taken place in our society or give up on democracy. It can't win elections if everyone votes in the US. In a sense, economic and social hierarchies are inconsistent with democracies.  Trumpocracy is the only way for the Republican Party to retain its power unless it finds a way to blend its traditional values with the changes that have taken place in our nation.

The Republican House just passed a short term budget resolution that will keep the government running for a few months.  That bill cannot pass in the Senate because it requires 60 votes for passage and Trump will not support a bipartisan bill that can get enough votes from Democrats to keep the government in business.  Trump must believe that a government shutdown, which demonstrates the inability of Congress to govern, is good for him.  He would prefer to operate the government without interference from Congress.  That is the essence of Trumpocracy. Trump should not be hampered by our democratic system. 


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