All’s fair in love and war?
by digby
According to the Republicans, all’s fair in politics too. Here’s one of the most unnerving things you might read today:
Demographic change might very well give Democrats a durable edge in national elections over the coming decade. But by exploiting (and creatively exacerbating) our political system’s structural biases toward rural voters — and the extraordinary powers of our federal judiciary — Republicans can plausibly retain a “floor” of power high enough to frustrate progressive reform without expanding its existing coalition, or moderating ideologically. And in a two-party system, if the GOP can maintain power in the courts — and remain (at the very least) in perpetual striking distance of a Senate majority — then it would only ever take one ill-timed recession for Republicans to regain unified control of the federal government.
All of which is to say: The GOP does not have a plan for remaining electorally competitive in a democratic United States. But it doesn’t necessarily need one.
If you read the whole piece by Eric Levitz at New York magazine, you’ll see a rundown of all the ways in which these Republicans are undemocratically working the system to their advantage. It explains why they are perfectly happy to keep backing Trump and coddle his cult.
I’m not sure what can be done about this. After all this is a country that elected a man who boldly admitted that he didn’t pay taxes because he’s “smart.” He said he’d only accept the results of the election if he won. He lies as easily as he breathes and they love him. So cheating to win has become the open strategy of the Republican Party and it’s eagerly endorsed by the voters who have been convinced that they are in an existential fight for America with liberals, immigrants, people of color and women. What will change that?