Contrary to all the mea culpa arguments by Democrats trying to explain their defeat - didn't listen to the poor, the working class, didn't understand what drives voters, too elitist, it was Biden's fault, etc..... - the Democrats lost because the American electorate is fundamentally dumb and ignorant as it was swayed by bullshit promises and fearmongering tactics by Trump and his racist acolytes.
Sit back and relax, and enjoy the snake-oil peddler-in-chief's magic show. As he begins digging into his deep barrel of manure that he overlayed with a thin layer of honey, the stench will become overwhelming and the ignorant American electorate will begin shedding tears of remorse. Watch the Republican hawks self-implode and destroy the kingdom now that they have all the keys. Why? They no longer have the Democrats to blame. Only themselves.
The American people will soon realize the error they made by electing a fascist monster and a veteran crook. Even the most hawkish of Trump's former administration officials, one John Bolton, repeatedly said that Trump is such a flat-headed idiot that he doesn't even have the intellect to understand, let alone design well coherent policies. He is a danger to the Republic precisely because his haphazard unpredictability stems from an inborn stupidity. Sadly, the fact that a majority of the American populace feels kinship with Trump reflects the same inborn stupidity bred and raised on ignorance, patriotic platitudes, and a hatred of people who think, preferring brawn over brain. American democracy has always lacked an that favors intellect elitism and propels smart people to power, preferring to brandish mediocrity and fast-and-easy solutions as somehow evidence of democracy. While money dictates the vertical social stratification in the US - as is generally the case in backward countries - the willful lateral dissemination of ignorance gives a false sense of equality and democracy: The lowest common denominator is always the objective of everything American. If we are all stupid, then at least we are all equal.
One more thing: During his first mandate (2016-2020), Trump was still hemmed in by the Republican party establishment. His administration was staffed by hardline right-wing people who at least were rational, experienced and educated. Virtually all of them ended up abandoning the derailing runaway train, slamming the door before jumping, and declaring their surprise at discovering that Captain Trump is in fact a dumb illiterate moron. This time, none of them and none of their political progeny will be joining the burlesque Trump show. Instead, as we are beginning to see, Trump is surrounding himself by the most abject racist, ignorant, and inexperienced extremists from the far right. These are the only people that would come anywhere near the supreme moron. While that might spell some consistency and constancy, the show will be in the realm of the far-from-equilibrium extreme stupidity that is untethered to the hard reality of the world.
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Opinion: Will Republicans prove Trump haters right, or do their jobs and govern like adults?
Dace Potas, USA TODAY
Mon, November 11, 2024
On the heels of former President Donald Trump’s reelection victory, Republicans are naturally taking a victory lap.
There remain some scattered outstanding votes left to be counted in House races, but as it stands Americans have given Republicans a strong mandate in 2024. If Republicans take control of the House, it will be the first time they’ve controlled both chambers of Congress and the presidency since Trump’s first term.
Republicans must prove to Americans that they can be the adults in the room and effectively right the ship now that they have been trusted with power. If not, Republicans could face a quick revoke of their hold on the federal government, as Americans did in 2018.
News media pundits have long criticized Trump’s GOP as being dysfunctional and riddled with infighting, to much merit.
Between several debt ceiling hiccups and a high-profile House speakership battle, Republicans have provided critics with more than enough ammo to show that they are too focused on fighting among themselves than they are responsible governing.
For much of the dysfunction, Republicans have lacked sufficient political capital to actually be effective leaders, so these sideshows had limited effect on the governments’ actual effectiveness.
The GOP-controlled House has faced threats of a government shutdown several times over the past two years, often due to Republican infighting over budgetary legislation. It will be easier for them to achieve consensus with complete control, but we shouldn't expect these disagreements to vanish.
Now that they have the supposed keys to the kingdom, distractions will directly inhibit their ability to both deliver conservative policy and actually keep the government running.
Republicans have consistently trashed President Joe Biden's economic agenda, and the response from Trump is increased tariffs, which are certain to put even more economic burden on Americans.
As for the border crisis, Trump has made the massive surge in migrants a fixture of his campaign. Republicans now have the daunting task of actually solving said crisis, unlike the mostly empty Trumpian promise of a border wall paid for by Mexico last time around.
Republicans should avoid going full MAGA
Furthermore, with total control of our federal government, the blame will lie with Republicans in the case of any shortcomings in basic effectiveness. Namely, a government shutdown will result in the blame being laid solely at the feet of Republicans from voters.
Democrats have warned for years that a return of the GOP to power would mean utter dysfunction. The worst possible thing that the GOP could do is prove them right. Americans rejected Trump in 2020 and were skeptical at best of giving Republicans power back in the 2022 midterm elections. If the prophecies told of another Trump presidency end up being true, the GOP will quickly get their leash tightened again.
Acting by any means necessary to enact the full MAGA agenda will inevitably lose the trust of Americans, who are apprehensive toward radical change in one direction or the other.
Americans are sick of the Democrats, but it's not like Trump was winning swing states by margins that Barack Obama did in 2008. This is not a sweeping mandate to enact Trump's full slate of policy proposals. Republicans have been accused of any number of extreme policies, and they ought to recognize that too much volatile change too fast is likely to results in losses in the 2026 midterm elections.
The factions of the GOP will have difficulty navigating. Total control poses a vulnerability for blame, and both factions of the GOP face difficulty as a result.
Anti-Trump conservatives must walk the line of enabling the MAGA wing by falling in line, and restraining the party so far that it reduces their effectiveness. At the same time, the MAGA wing will have difficulty pushing the party so far that they lose more traditional conservatives, while also effectively advancing directives from Trump.
With 53 seats in the Senate, the GOP will have some padding, particularly with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. This means there will be few opportunities for striking points, even on certain controversial Trump nominations that are being discussed.
After years of simply needing to highlight Biden-Harris shortcomings, the Republicans now have to actually produce on its promises. A cohesive Republican Party will also install confidence in themselves so long as they are effective. The GOP has spent a long time asking for the keys to power by painting Democrats as disastrous mismanagement, rightfully so.
Now is their time to prove they are more effective and can be trusted to do their jobs effectively. The American people have a short memory, and could easily turn back to Democrats if the GOP can’t do that.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.
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