Gerrymandering definitely helps them, but there are limits to this tool. If Republicans gerrymander an area and there’s a blue wave, they might not be able to stop it. This upsets the Republicans because they think they’ve rigged this race and how dare the voters defy what should have happened.
The Boomers are slowly dying out and, with them, a large part of the Republican base. (Boomers are about a third Republican, a third Democrat, and a third Independent.).
My generation, GenX, tends to be about 44% Democrat, 30% Republican, and 27% Independent. That’s a loss for Republicans, but one they could gerrymander past.
Millennials are 52% Democrat, 27% Independent, and 21% Republican. GenZ is 52% Democrat, 31% Independent, and 17% Republican. As these two generations take over, not even the most aggressive gerrymandering will help.
Republicans are facing a potential collapse of public support in all but the deepest red areas. This is why they are looking for non-democracy solutions like “state legislatures can override the elections if the voters decide wrong” or even outright “get rid of democracy and install a (Republican) king.”
A healthy political party, facing obsolescence, would change their platform to attract more voters. Perhaps a “theoretical healthy Republican party” could drop the “LGBTQ folks are evil” stuff as well as the “overthrow elections” garbage. They could stick to fiscal conservatism and might make headway that way. Unfortunately, the real Republican party believes that if the voters won’t support the Republicans’ views, then it’s the voters that need to go.
(And, yes, foreign dark money factors into this to a large extent. It amplifies their party and keeps them around long after they should have died off.)
Gen X here.
Reagan was such a productive fraud. Goddam his filthy soul.
I’m just glad that I’m not a flyover state middle aged parochial fool. I mean, I’m fool enough as it is, but worldly enough to steer clear of MAGA shitforbrains-itis.
I still think Ronnie Raygun might have done more damage in one administration than nearly any other. Though donnie’s one term is arguably worse. Maybe some distance of time might tell.
But Ronnie’s wrecking crew really, really got things going. And the infection persists - so much nonsense that started with that bunch is still with us today, and much of it has taken root in the Democratic Party, too. See: Clinton’s administration, for instance.
And if anyone wants to test the “liberal media” nonsense a bit, just see how they treat Raygun’s admin - the collective hagiographies are nauseating. And the way in which Iran/Contra is treated (more like: “covered up”) - which is far, far, far worse than Watergate. So many boomers attached “-gate” to every scandal since Watergate, but they should have been finding ways to tie things back to Iran/Contra after that.
Gerrymandering definitely helps them, but there are limits to this tool. If Republicans gerrymander an area and there’s a blue wave, they might not be able to stop it. This upsets the Republicans because they think they’ve rigged this race and how dare the voters defy what should have happened.
The Boomers are slowly dying out and, with them, a large part of the Republican base. (Boomers are about a third Republican, a third Democrat, and a third Independent.).
My generation, GenX, tends to be about 44% Democrat, 30% Republican, and 27% Independent. That’s a loss for Republicans, but one they could gerrymander past.
Millennials are 52% Democrat, 27% Independent, and 21% Republican. GenZ is 52% Democrat, 31% Independent, and 17% Republican. As these two generations take over, not even the most aggressive gerrymandering will help.
Republicans are facing a potential collapse of public support in all but the deepest red areas. This is why they are looking for non-democracy solutions like “state legislatures can override the elections if the voters decide wrong” or even outright “get rid of democracy and install a (Republican) king.”
A healthy political party, facing obsolescence, would change their platform to attract more voters. Perhaps a “theoretical healthy Republican party” could drop the “LGBTQ folks are evil” stuff as well as the “overthrow elections” garbage. They could stick to fiscal conservatism and might make headway that way. Unfortunately, the real Republican party believes that if the voters won’t support the Republicans’ views, then it’s the voters that need to go.
(And, yes, foreign dark money factors into this to a large extent. It amplifies their party and keeps them around long after they should have died off.)
Gen X here. Reagan was such a productive fraud. Goddam his filthy soul.
I’m just glad that I’m not a flyover state middle aged parochial fool. I mean, I’m fool enough as it is, but worldly enough to steer clear of MAGA shitforbrains-itis.
I still think Ronnie Raygun might have done more damage in one administration than nearly any other. Though donnie’s one term is arguably worse. Maybe some distance of time might tell.
But Ronnie’s wrecking crew really, really got things going. And the infection persists - so much nonsense that started with that bunch is still with us today, and much of it has taken root in the Democratic Party, too. See: Clinton’s administration, for instance.
And if anyone wants to test the “liberal media” nonsense a bit, just see how they treat Raygun’s admin - the collective hagiographies are nauseating. And the way in which Iran/Contra is treated (more like: “covered up”) - which is far, far, far worse than Watergate. So many boomers attached “-gate” to every scandal since Watergate, but they should have been finding ways to tie things back to Iran/Contra after that.