Washington, Jan 30
The GOP has come under fire from a section of the US media which says that if the Republicans continue to back a beleaguered former President Donald Trump, who is facing numerous court cases on election subversion and tax fraud, then they only end up alienating a wide swath of voters including many conservatives.
"Some people want a principled conservative, others want that too, but revenge is more important. Revenge doesn’t go well in the end.
"I can pretty much guarantee that if Republicans obtusely tie their horse to the former president, they can count on ostracizing a wide swath of American voters, including many conservatives," a columnist in USA today commented based on what she claimed was the general feeling of the American voters. .
As someone who works in the world of words, I understand that their meaning - and use - can change over time. Yet, something I greatly resent is how the Republican Party has conflated Trump with conservatism, she wrote in the publication, considered to be a great influencer and public opinion maker in the USA. ,
It certainly doesn't, and I can pretty much guarantee that if Republicans obtusely tie their horse to the former president, they can count on ostracising a wide swath of American voters, including many conservatives, Ingrid Jacques, the op-ed writer, said.
"It seems like that's what they plan to do. The Democrats want just that , they want Trump against Biden, so that the latter can win easily, they don't want Nikki Haley, who would beat Biden easily with swing voters on her side," other media reports said.
Trump loyalist Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene put it this way last week after the New Hampshire primary: "This is a true change for the Republican Party. It says that not only do we support President Trump. We support his policies. And any Republican that isn’t willing to adapt to these policies, we’re completely eradicating from the party."
Prepare to eradicate a lot of people ? - People Republicans will need come November, if winning is the actual goal, the reports commented on Green's extreme observation saying, Don't give up: Trump wins New Hampshire, but if Haley drops out, Democrats will get their wish. Don't do it.
Trumpism has taken over the GOP: Conservatism has generally been promoted with its ideals, never a particular politician or personality. Conservatism means a belief in free markets, individual liberty and limited government, the columnist wrote saying , there used to be widespread consensus inside the GOP about that, too. Now, the Republican Party has made Trump fealty a litmus test for the ideology.
For instance, Kevin Roberts, the president of The Heritage Foundation, a long respected conservative think tank, posted this after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the GOP primary: "While we all rally around our movement's leader -Trump - we also know that the future of conservative policies will be in how effectively we implement Trumpian conservatism."
Let's be clear: Trump and "Trumpism" are not synonymous with conservatism. Maybe Republicans have forgotten, but Trump has changed political parties more times than he’s been married. And his policies reflect a jumbled ideology. For instance, he recently supported a new 10 per cent tariff on all imported goods - a move that would have negative economic consequences on Americans and one that goes against conservatives' longtime support of free trade, Roberts said. .
Similarly, Trump has made a point of calling out his last remaining GOP rival – Nikki Haley – for rightly making a case for reforming entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. Those programs are going bankrupt (and fast), but Trump has mocked Haley for speaking the truth.
Trump also proved a wild spender during his first term, adding nearly $8 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years and almost $4 trillion in debt. While some of that was related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of it wasn’t, media analysts said.
So much for fiscal restraint, a section of the US media lamented. To make matters worse, the Republican National Committee has considered going whole hog for Trump, even before the GOP primary process plays out. It's true Trump has won the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the rest of the states still deserve a say, and Haley, the former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the United Nations, is planning to stay in the race for now.
The Dispatch reported over the weekend that the RNC was reviewing a draft resolution (now withdrawn) that "would declare Trump the party's presumptive 2024 presidential nominee," even as Haley doggedly pursues her campaign. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel also said that after New Hampshire, it's time for the party to come together behind Trump and focus on the general election.
That's incredibly disrespectful to the primary process and to the many conservatives who want to make their own choice. The more closely the Republican Party aligns with Trump, expect an even greater number of voters to jump ship and identity as independents, opinion makers in the media say.
As many conservatives - and some Democrats - say , they feel politically homeless. And voting for President Joe Biden is a nonstarter. If there were ever a moment for a strong third party candidate, I hope 2024 is, media analysts said, reflecting how the American voters were frustrated with both Biden and Trump and wanted a big change as third party candidates such as Robert Kennedy Jr, grand nephew of John F Kennedy , could make at the hustings , who will successfully take away the voters from both Biden and Trump.
