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Has the Republican Brand Become Toxic?
With the loss of the election for mayor in Chicago and the loss of the supreme court election in Wisconsin, I am beginning to wonder if it is even possible for a conservative, and more particularly, a Republican to be elected in many places in the United States. According to the reporting and even the reaction from some Republican leaders, the issue in Wisconsin was abortion. It seems to me, that while this is likely a relevant issue, it is only part of a larger opposition to the Republican party and the conservative movement in major segments of the American population. It seems to me, that as conservatives, we have to face this issue squarely as we approach 2024.
After the terrible results from the 2022 midterms, one on-air pundit made a statement that I think explains not just 2022, but these two recent losses in Chicago and Wisconsin, he said, “The Republican brand is so toxic right now.” Remember Hillary’s description of the “deplorables:” they are “homophobic, xenophobic, racist, islamophobic…” That is how we conservatives are perceived by way too many people in this country. It is a large part of why we are going to have a hard time winning elections going forward. We are seen as bigots and at least supportive of white supremacy. It is almost unthinkable for a young person to vote for a Republican today. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am.
We can complain all we want about how unfair the media has been to conservatives and of course, to Trump. We can list all the ways that we have been deplatformed and shadow-banned. We can describe all the ways that we suffer under a two-tiered justice system. But, in the end, we are complaining to ourselves and among ourselves. Our complaints gain no traction outside of our websites and news channels. This is a huge problem that I see no one even attempting to deal with much less change. Part of why they feel justified in their abuse of conservatives is what I said before. For many in the media, conservatives are evil personified. It is why Biden could invoke “Jim Crow 2.0” when Georgia passed its election reform laws, and major corporations would pile on to punish the state for its decision. It is why we can be described as a “threat to democracy” and no one in the media bats an eye.
I had some hope that Elon Musk, Matt Taibbi, Michael Schellenberger, and even before them Glen Greenwald would penetrate the so-called Media Bubble, but it simply hasn’t happened. They have just been lumped in with the rest of the “Right-Wing Crazies” on Fox News and almost completely ignored. In other words, honest journalism reflected in the recent “conversions” of liberals like Bari Weiss and Sasha Stone along with Musk and the others hasn’t moved the needle.
I continue to believe that the upcoming hearings in the House on corruption in the FBI and DOJ, the hearings on the Biden family, and hearings on government induced censorship of the internet will finally break through to the American public. However, all of these hearings and their results will be “filtered” through the larger media, and we have been repeatedly dismayed by their ability to deflect, ignore, and spin the reporting of all of these things. We already have a large history with all the ways they ignored and denied the Steele Dossier, the obvious FISA abuse, the Hunter Biden laptop, and now the collaboration between federal agencies and the social media giants.
All this to say that we are in serious trouble as a movement with hopes to restore sanity and conservative values to American society. We face unprecedented headwinds when it comes to the major institutions in American society. I honestly don’t know what we can do to change any of this. But I also know that we have to make the attempt. We certainly can’t keep doing what we are doing, which is complaining to each other and pointing out all the ways that we are being abused. No one on the other side cares, and in fact, most of them think that we deserve all of that abuse and more. Nor can we fight among ourselves and accuse each other of being “RINOs” and members of the “Uniparty.” We have to find a way to stand up for conservatism and conservative values the way that progressives unify around their so-called progressive “values.” This is an existential fight that we almost can’t afford to lose. Biden was correct about one thing, this really is a battle for the soul of America.
Nor can we fight fire with fire. January 6th revealed beyond a shadow of doubt that if we adopt their tactics of protest and riot (see BLM and all of the George Floyd protests) they will make us pay. This so-called “insurrection” has already been baked into the narrative of the Republican party and it is part of the reason we lost these recent elections. I have no idea how we break out of the current stereotype that paints us as “semi-fascists.” Part of what makes this so discouraging to me personally is the centrality of Donald Trump in the narrative. It feels like a complete “Catch-22” scenario. It appears that all of the indictments and scandals surrounding Trump guarantee that he will be the Republican nominee, and that he will just as surely lose the 2024 election. He is the epitome of the semi-fascist narrative: a narcissistic demagogue who wants to take over America. It doesn’t matter that this isn’t true, it is the story that so many people believe, and which will determine their vote.
The elections in Chicago and Wisconsin seem to me to be a foreshadowing of what lies ahead for the entire country. We desperately need to move away from the failed policies of the Left, but the voters keep electing Leftist politicians primarily because they aren’t Republicans. Until we face up to how toxic our “brand” has become I see no hope for us to restore sane governance to American society. I am not talking about pandering or compromising our values to appeal to the Left or even to moderates. We have to learn how to present our values in a compelling way. For too long the Left has presented themselves as the defenders of the poor, of women, of children, and as the party of compassion and the defenders of justice and equality. We have to learn how to use language the way that they do only legitimately and in the service of all that is right and true. They patronize the poor, women, and minorities. They are the party of paternalism. Their patronizing has, in fact, kept many of these communities in semi-permanent dependency and poverty. If there is structural racism in America it exists on the Left not on the Right. For too long we have allowed the Left to get away with its false narrative. We have to learn how to push back and to expose them for the ideologues they are.
Published in Elections
Some believe that if we could just get rid of Trump, we will have saved the brand. But the brand was damaged long before Trump. Trump actually began the process of saving the brand in the sense that he brought in the Working Class who always saw the GOP as the party of only the rich.
Excellent post, Thomas. Were it not so depressing I would thank you. I hope it isn’t the case, but the country may already be so hardened in its division that dissolution is the only resolution. If the left maintains control and continues its management of our economy and our foreign relations in the same manner as the Biden administration has been for the past three years, the country’s end could come sooner than any of us would have thought. God forbid! I have no idea how to take back control of our institutions. I am not a grand thinker. But one thing I feel certain about is we must be united within the Republican orbit or we have no chance. That is why I have been so disappointed in Trump’s almost immediate jump to an adversarial status with Ron DeSantis. I have been witnessing the fanatical disdain/hatred of DeSantis on the CTH website. They are only Trump and it is him or no one. We can’t win like that. I don’t understand why Trump isn’t encouraging young leaders with proven success like DeSantis (they are few and far between) as the next-gen America First patriots. The former President will be 79 years old at the next Presidential inauguration. I wish I had some answers for you…for us all.
This is a fair assessment. The toxicity results from several decades of the Uniparty Rinos in charge of the Republican Party. America is suffering from her prosperity and the power behind the wealth has shifted to the Democrat Party with the residual Rinos support. I try to forget the Party designations and consider it a contest between romanticism and realism, guess which is which. There are some realists on the Left, they are the ones with the money, they are the ones in charge, and they will do all they can to prevent that authority falling into the hands of the people. This is the source of the toxicity the OP is referencing that has been sprinkled on the Republican Party, the realists who support Donald Trump. Life is not easy and the approach to understanding this is the difference between the two major political factions in America. We’ve been running on the romantic approach, at least the leaders have convinced the peasants to do that and it’s like skiing or snowboarding down a slope, when we reach bottom it will be a tough climb getting back to the peak where we started this trip down.
The realist approach is not toxic but it is not easy. That’s why it is worth the effort to live the life not determined solely by those with the wealth.
So toxic means not easy.
This is the Trump behavior that is beyond comprehension. He needs to build something that can endure beyond himself. Makes one wonder if he himself understands what he is trying to say when he points at you in his ads.
The election in Chicago was a runoff in the Democratic primary. The city has had Democratic mayors since 1931. Thus, it tells us nothing about the toxicity of the party. In Wisconsin, the Democrats spent far more on the election. We need to clean up voting fraud but too many people on Ricochet and elsewhere dismiss this problem.
I don’t even know what the Republican brand is even supposed to be anymore.
It isn’t just Trump. Neither party puts effort into training, teaching, and encouraging the next generation of leaders. The octogenarians hold onto power until they’re senile and don’t even think about who might come after them. Because they can’t conceive of being replaced. (And of course, they love the graft.)
There is no reason for any of these old farts to still be in the House or Senate. Lacking term limits, I think we need age limits. Granted, one person’s 80 doesn’t look like another’s. Joe has lost his marbles, Trump is still going strong.
Age limits or term limits. We need either or both.
True dat. Once upon a time it was at least a pro-life party, but now we’re hearing how that damages the brand.
I agree with your other points but there is life after Trump, we hope.
You would think with 6 years of Ronna Romney in charge it would all be clear ;)
For the last century, the Dems, which is the party of government, have run government in the country. Perhaps we are in another cycle like. Perhaps Americans will come their senses and stop acting like indulgent and entitled brats and vote for the adults. Hopefully the GOP will be the party of adults at that time.
Emmanuel Goldstein has entered the chat.
Her recent insistence that the GOP has a messaging problem kind of reveals her lack of self-awareness. Lady, crafting the message is part of YOUR JOB!
After elections, “Brand” and “Messaging” get rolled out to exonerate ourselves for being apathetic. It’s comforting to be able to avoid blaming ourselves and our friends and our neighbors. The fact is that, in Wisconsin, 450,000 people who voted Republican in midterms a few months ago didn’t show up to vote for Supreme Court on Tuesday. Democrat turnout was low as well; but Repub’s was absolutely dismal. That’s just lazy…apathy. Once again, we did it to ourselves.
80% of success in life is just showing up.
Of course, you do need to give people a reason to show up as well.
What is a Republican? Somebody that isn’t a Democrat.
But insofar as youth – I know a fair number that will vote Republican with no significant awareness of either the consequences of their vote or the issues: Usually both.
But next to the last time I was at a County Republican meeting there were two that spoke up espousing things any Left Coast liberal would endorse. You can imagine the uproar that resulted (I kid, of course – not one word of objection or correction).
It’s not enough to see the utter destruction of your civilization?
But, this is why I believe it’s ultimately a spiritual battle. People need to be convinced that toxifying kids with opposite sex hormones and cutting off their otherwise healthy body parts is evil? That mass killings of innocents in utero is bad for individuals and society? That’s a spiritual problem, not a political one.
Maybe the solution is prayer, fasting, and penance. We’re in the Sacred Triduum starting today. A little late for Lent, but better than never.
There’s been apathy on the Right in WI since Scott Walker lost his last election. They just aren’t coming out to vote? I’m very curious as to which GOP factions are turning out and which ones aren’t.
I’d like to know in this past election what % of votes were mail in votes? Same day registration, early votes? I received election mailers – I assume they’ve ID’d me as a consistent voter. In this era of social isolation, especially with men my age – I would have thought there would be events: lunches, dinners, shooting events… where they could split the $$ vs. a high roller fundraiser. Do a fish fry for $30 where the GOP get $20. Every gun store/range in this state should essentially be a GOP satellite office. Hell, we’re Wisconsin – sponser a tasting of GOP home brewers, not ‘flowers’ like Ronna McDanieals wasted money on. I never, never hear from any state or local GOP entity despite previous campaign volunteering. That’s fine (don’t need any more spam emails & texts) but for those that aren’t listening to local talk radio (WISN 1130) – how are GOP voters being informed? It’s not the papers or local TV news broadcasts.
I have a numbskull of a 21 year old daughter than can’t be counted on for much but she had all the Lefty propoganda for Judge Protizaiwch(sp?) and voted for her. They knew how to motivate her.
State of WI Speaker of the House Robin Voss was repellent in interviews following his squeaker of an primary challenge in 2022. His seemingly cavalier attitude to election integrity issues was infuriating. 7 patronizing. Then to hear about these damned Tollways not being DOA!, no real reforms on the Public Health Nazis/Covid-19 abusers – I think the average, non-engaged voter truly doesn’t think there’s much of a difference. If the Left get’s their side out (state government workers, ‘educators’, students, recipients of state largess) – we’ll get beat everytime.
I don’t think the state is “lost” but after Scott Walker left – I really haven’t seen much of anything useful from the state GOP.
The threat of ceding control of the State Supreme Court isn’t reason enough?
The State Oarty can – and should – find out. The voter lists are public information. Once they are in hand, it’s a simple matter to see who voted in Nov 22 but not Apr 23. Then go ask them why.
Since my eldest daughter came of voting age, she’s been courted by lefties. She gets Democrat propaganda in the mail, flyers for their candidates, she gets phone calls, she gets a lefty newspaper that she never asked for . . .
You know how much she’s gotten from Republicans?
One guess . . .
That part of the problem right there. Republicans assume they won’t get young people so they don’t even bother to try.
How much territory do the Republicans accede to Democrats because of this mindset?
[EDIT: I will say that in spite of Democrat propaganda efforts, she remains steadfastly conservative.]
I often think that conservatives need a new coalition. The pointless distrust and infighting between Republicans who are religiously informed, libertarian, and the two varieties of ‘fiscal’ takes up most of our time and energy.
Our brand sucks, and it has sucked for a long time. But a large part of that suckage is how we have been portrayed (as per the OP).
We can re-form, rename, rebrand to our heart’s content, but we will be misrepresented at every turn; witness how Taxed Enough Already – a clearly fiscal approach – was painted as a bunch of religious nuts.
The people who run away from him have agency. Stop running away and something larger gets built. Stop tearing him down and something larger gets built. Don’t like him personally? Ok, but we’re not building a play date group, and besides he won’t be around forever anyway.
Thanks cdor. We are really on the same page. It took the Left over 70 years to take over our educational institutions. I don’t see how we reverse the level of indoctrination that they have unleashed into our society. I just know that we have to do something.
According to an article in a Chicago paper, Vallas lost because he called himself a “republican.” The author also pointed out all the union money and the fact that he won overwhelmingly in the African American sections of the city. But he was very specific, his identification with republican causes contributed to his defeat.
We just have to start our own march through the institutions. Public and private. Directed at first, but then it spreads organically.
That has always been what’s needed.
Yes, and we need leadership to effect it. My guess is that we have the willing who just don’t know how to proceed.
If we were on the Left it would be by any means necessary.
Substitute “black people” for “young people” and you have a core problem that goes back to the 80s.