Never thought this day would come. But, we seem to be watching the dissolution of the national Republican Party in real time.
The GOP is in danger of splintering to pieces. All on its own. By it’s own hand. No help needed, thank you very much.
In Congress, the danger of becoming irrelevant is coming from within the Party. At least that portion called the “Freedom Caucus.” The 40-50 or so GOPers who’ve chosen to separate themselves from the main branch of the Republican Party, in most things, by moving further right. Way at the end of the teeter-totter.
It would seem, gone are the days when a political group could hold a party-line vote on any subject. Now, at least for Republicans, even setting a date for a celebration of Lincoln’s birthday ends in an argument. The in-fighting is serious. And, for real!
We read and hear a lot about the “nutcase” folks which really are a minority within the whole of modern day Republicanism. The nuts get publicity because (1) they’re easy for what we call “reporters” to “report” and (2) their outrageousness. “Good copy” as they say in the newspaper business.
In reality, today’s bunch is just the old John Birchers on steroids. Their subject matter has been updated from the ’50’s. But, it’s still pretty much the same.
And, it doesn’t look like the radical nature of their conduct has reached its zenith. Every month or so, they come up with something new.
Now, on the national scene once again, it’s the size of the federal budget that’s become divisive. While a majority of Republicans seem O.K. with the numbers thus far, recent mainline GOP approval has come under fire from the rightward fringe.
The malingerers want “downsizing.” “Downsizing” on all fronts! They don’t seem to care who or what gets hurt. Just “DOWNSIZE.”
The reason the fringe doesn’t care is because they don’t know. If you listen to their bitching – and you do so at your own risk – they haven’t studied the subject matter enough to “know” what they want cut. Or, what or who would be harmed by just “cutting here, there and anywhere.” Becoming familiar with the intricacies of constructing a budget is, to them, not necessary. Just “CUT.”
At the moment, those voices are a vocal minority. Mainliners are still in control. And, it would seem, there’s little danger of the “fringe” becoming the political center of Republicanism.
In Idaho, the local chapter of the “Freedom Caucus” is not having a good day with the more moderate section, either.
There, several “F-C”members have thrown a lot of verbal garbage on the more moderate bunch in the Idaho Senate. The President Pro-tem of which, apparently fed up with the bilge he was hearing from the Idaho chapter of the Caucus, was moved to publically rebuke the “crazies,” calling their latest outbursts “degrading” and “disrespectful.”
One of the certainties of the far-right has always been the guaranteed failure of members to stick together. Sooner or later, there’ll be a breakup. Distrust nearly always runs rampant within the right-wing.
The “Freedom Caucus” – whether local or national – will likely meet the same end. It’s just the latest iteration of discontent within the Party. One of these days, a new version will come along.
And, then, another. And, another. And, another.
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