# Is the GOP disintegrating? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 20, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840 "2022-02-20T20:58:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/21 "2022-02-21T15:26:28Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > We will never again have elections where two parties present opposing ideas and their visions of how to address the nation’s issues. Instead, we will always have one party doing this while the other spreads misinformation meant to gin up fear and hatred. We will always have this only if it’s sustainable long-term, about which I have my doubts. But I don’t know what will happen. Maybe both parties will fully embrace the misinformation and hatred approach. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/22 "2022-02-21T15:33:04Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > wall-to-wall nuttiness only hardcore nuts will see that as attractive. Perhaps we’re saying the same thing, however, beyond Kinzinger and Cheney, who in the GOP **isn’t** a hardcore nut? And then to add to the scariness, this seems to be becoming seen as acceptable behaviour; also demonstrated last month in Canada btw. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/23 "2022-02-21T15:36:15Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > We will always have this only if it’s sustainable long-term, about which I have my doubts. But I don’t know what will happen. Maybe both parties will fully embrace the misinformation and hatred approach. It saddens me to say that I think it’s much more likely that Democrats embrace the misinformation and hatred approach than for Republicans to get back to policy discussions. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/24 "2022-02-21T15:53:03Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > we’re saying the same thing I’m talking about voters. I think you’re talking about politicians. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/25 "2022-02-21T15:56:58Z")
It seems to me that what the GOP pols will need to do, once Trump’s declining appeal takes hold (which might be a few years down the road), will be to say “What my opponent has been saying about me all happened in the dim, distant past, way back in 2020 and 2021, and has no bearing on the crucial issues of today.” This kind of avoidance of responsibility often works, but I think this is an extreme case. The crazier you act in 2021, the harder it becomes to dismiss that in 2024. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/26 "2022-02-21T16:03:02Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > I’m talking about voters. I think you’re talking about politicians. Ah ok, you’re correct; I am talking about politicians. Wrt the voters, do you believe that the rational voters can form a sufficiently large and coherent block to keep out the crazies? ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/27 "2022-02-21T17:02:21Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > Wrt the voters, do you believe that the rational voters can form a sufficiently large and coherent block to keep out the crazies? Not in Arizona. Here is just one more candidate that proves there is no bottom to the crazy barrel on the Republican side: > **[‘This should terrify the nation’: the Trump ally seeking to run Arizona’s...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/21/mark-finchem-trump-arizona-elections-secretary-of-state)** > > Mark Finchem, a supporter of the ex-president’s ‘big lie’ about the 2020 election, could soon oversee voting in the state ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/28 "2022-02-21T17:12:11Z")
No, I’m sure the crazies will control certain states for some time to come, and I’m sure that they’ll be able to get 40% of the national vote and then maintain that they actually won crucial states that they lost through voter fraud, etc. But don’t see how this model will serve to win them moderate and independent voters. Eventually, they’ll have to win them back either through insurrection or by changing their crazy policies (or crazy lack-of-policies) to more sane positions. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/29 "2022-02-21T17:58:45Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > But don’t see how this model will serve to win them moderate and independent voters. They will just change those rules so that moderate and independent voters can no longer vote. It will really be a short step for them if they get certain candidates elected. (Like the one in the article I linked to above-- as well as MOST of the Republican candidates in AZ.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/30 "2022-02-21T18:05:36Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I keep hoping there will eventually be a “have you no sense of decency” moment that will cause the bubble to burst and drain trump of his populist appeal, as happened almost overnight with McCarthy. In those days, Democrats and Republicans generally agreed on what constituted decency. Now they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/31 "2022-02-21T18:12:58Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > Dems are now able, as they never were before, to present a choice to the rational members of the GOP: Are you with the crazies? Rational GOP voter: The party is batshit insane, but the Democrats will raise my taxes. _Sigh_ [Checks box next to (R) candidate.] ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/32 "2022-02-21T18:15:21Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > but the Democrats will raise my taxes. Or more specifically “the Democrats will raise (someone’s, maybe not mine) taxes!” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/33 "2022-02-21T18:16:20Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > The crazier are ever-crazier, and the choice to stay with them gets harder and harder. I don’t see how they’re going to be able to grow their coalition unless they start appealing to the sane, and they appear to be pursuing the opposite tack. I feel like recent events here in Canada might be a bellwether for the GOP in the US. With this Convoy crisis, we’ve seen our two conservative parties doubling down on support for the Canadian Crazies, which tracks with what they’ve been doing for years now, particularly during the past two years of the pandemic. But now, it seems to _finally_ be costing them the support of what actual moderate conservatives still exist. I’ve seen more moderate conservatives (both online and in real life) saying, at last, “Enough is enough”, and declaring that they can no longer support this nonsense. So it seems possible that the same can happen in the US. As I said on Facebook, the strain of American Crazy seems stronger than the Canadian strain of crazy, so the fight will be harder, but recent days in Canada suggests that it won’t be impossible. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/34 "2022-02-21T18:37:20Z")
True, and there are several reasons for that: 1. The crazy sheeple vote. Millions of voters have been brainwashed into the crazy by Fox and Conservative talk radio. 2. If you are not on the crazy train, the crazies will attack you-Look at Cheney 3. And worse- there will be death threats, maybe worse than threats… ---
**Author:** ![survinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2022, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840/35 "2022-02-22T04:23:07Z")
The GOP is strongly positioned to re-win the House in November, with a decent shot at re-taking the Senate. And it’s a little early. But I predict they will nominate Trump again in 2024, which should scare the Hell out of anyone who is worried about America turning toward authoritarianism. It’s amazing that one year after the attempted 1/6 Coup, the GOP has moved on from that and is lining up to curry favor with the guy who launched the Coup. They didn’t kick him out of the party. They embraced him, and in fact, he now tells them who to kick out of the party. So, in 2024, if Biden wins the election, we’re going to find out just how far we’ve gone toward Authoritarianism, because Trump and the loyalists installed throughout the State and Local GOP infrastructure will likely try to overturn the election again. As for the GOP’s views on policy, etc, the only thing they think about is “owning the libs” and opposing anything that the Dems do. That’s it. That’s all they believe in. There is no policy planks anymore. Remember, they didn’t even have a platform in 2020 other than to say, “yeah, whatever Trump wants”… So, we combine no-policy platform with “own the libs” with Authoritarians…and that’s today’s GOP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gop-disintegrating/959840.md?page=1)