As a very left democrat, I always look at republican candidates with the question "can I live with this person as president?" Not, will I vote for him or her, but can I live with them. This means that though there was no chance I would vote for McCain, I would have been OK with him winning (of course calling him the worst president of all time, as both parties are want to do about the opposition in power). I could live with Romney as president. I certainly did not feel that way about Bush (not for his programs, but because he was clearly in over his head). I was very afraid of Desantis as a candidate, as I was convinced that with his powerful resume (modest means family, Harvard, Yale, baseball player, military duty, successful governor) he would prove formidable in a general election running as a Trump, but with discipline and without all the drama. I figured he would also attract all the moderate republicans who just could not bring themselves to vote for Trump. Like George W Bush. He would appeal to their decency, which I think is the main barrier for a lot of moderate conservatives in voting for Trump. Desantis has obviously chosen a different route. The one that is to the right of Trump and amps the crazy. Is there zero room in today's republican field for a candidate that appeals to moderate, Bush republicans?
When it comes to the Bush Republicans AKA Neocons, there's one thing to remember: They brought us into Iraq. The fact that even most conservative Americans disagree with the folly of the neocon mission means that there will never again be a neoconservative movement in America, for as long as the independent movement in America lives. I want to go much further, to create a Nationalist Empire. But at the very minimum, we have succeeded at a crucial goal of preventing the neocons and their successors from ever gaining power. Though the Trump Administration flamed out quite spectacularly, if you told me we had to put down one demonstration at the end of four years to prevent the neocons from coming to power, I'll take that. Obviously not preferred, but the costs of the riot and the costs of another Bush war, pail in comparison. I believe that outsiders should not only continue to run for positions for the government, but then to govern in accordance with their policy. Be it the green party, the libertarians, etc. As much as the neo-cons are dubbed "never trumpers", we are never neo-cons. Under no consideration will a neo con ever win a general nomination, if our votes can be the determining factor.
While I totally agree that Bush condemned the US to non interventionism for decades to come because of the disastrous Iraq campaign, and removed a very powerful tool in the presidential tool box, ie THREAT of intervention, I don't think that you are addressing my point. The neocons are done. no two ways about it (though let's remember that before Bush got dragged into the war he ran on non interventionism ""If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road. I'm going to prevent that.") So we are all safe on that front. I am talking about appealing to moderate conservatives nationally. Bush on a national level had a very wide appeal with conservatives, both moderate and rabid. Today's candidates are all fighting for the latter. The Iraq war will forever define and tarnish Bush's legacy, but nationally he was the right's darling, especially because he PERSONALLY seemed to represent their values.
I’d phrase it a bit different, are there any traditional conservatives left in the Republican Party? Today, it seems around 75% of the GOP is following Trump or being Trumpers or MAGA Republicans. Trump himself doesn’t have a political ideology/philosophy of his own, the 7-time party switcher has always adopted the political philosophy of the party he has belonged to at the time. Outside of the tax cuts, what else did Trump accomplish legislatively that might be deemed conservative? Nothing that I can remember. Trump is a power-hungry egotist in my book, certainly not a conservative. He knows he lost in 2020, but his ego won’t let him admit it. His ego is boss which hasn’t a thing to do with a political philosophy or ideology. He could care less about the later. Trump in fact has spent far more time going after fellow republicans who didn’t agree with him, support him 100% than going after Democrats or attacking the liberal or progressive political ideology. Today, most republicans, Trumpers are following and supporting a man devoid of any political philosophy. Trump stands for nothing except for Trump. Traditional conservative values and tradition has been thrown out the window onto the trash heap of history when Trump took over the GOP leadership. Today everything Republican revolves around a single man, not a political ideology. It used to be anyone could step in and be the conservative champion, not with Trump. It’s all about the man, not about a political philosophy. Trump doesn’t have one. I sum this up, as a swing voter, there hasn’t been a president I didn’t like. I might have disagreed with a lot of their policies, but every single one of them had the good of the nation in their heart. I was born right after WWII, so I went through a lot of presidents. That is with the lone exception of Trump. Trump has only the good of Trump in his heart. Trump is all about himself, nothing or anyone else.
Nice post. Ironically of course, Trump's greatest legacy is the Supreme Court....which he has absolutely nothing to do with and is only a combination of dumb luck and the doing of Mitch McConnell who Trump hates. Sadly, there are too few people out there who start off with the notion that the current presidents love their country and want what is best for it, even if we disagree with policy. My 90 year old father, a true blue democrat, who is highly critical of republicans, shares your view. And I agree with you: Trump never gave a toss about America, while I have no doubt that even someone I disagree with vehemently (Bush, Reagan, McCain etc..) do. PS Always curious to know how many times Trump ever visited non coastal states before he ran for president. You know the regions that just adore this 'blue collar billionaire" (gag).
The topic line question might also be 'Are there any Republicans left?' What we now have are Trumpians. Regards, stay safe 'n well.
I blame ex-democratic senate majority leader Harry Reid and his cohorts for his, their precedence setting and first use of the nuclear option for the SCOTUS. Without that it would have taken 60 votes for cloture and none of Trump’s appointments would have happened. That lowered the threshold down to a simple majority of 51. I’ve long been an advocate that the confirmation process for the SCOTUS along with all federal judges should obtain a super majority of 75%. That would take politics out of it. Both sides would have to nominate a judge deemed acceptable by both sides. That out of the way, my folks were known at the time as yeller dog democrats. They’d vote for an old yeller dog before they’d vote for a republican. I hate what politics have become in today’s modern political era of polarization, the great divide, the super, mega, ultra-high partisanship. It seems to me that both major parties have become filled with ideologues. The pragmatist is a thing of the past as is the old political game of give and take, compromise. Politics today is full of hate, that I blame on both party leaders with all their negative personal attacks. Politics isn’t about substance anymore, possible solutions to our problems, fresh ideas, etc. It all about degrading the other side, making them out as the worst, most evil scumbags on the face of the earth. After a while, those spouting all the negativity begin to believe it. This is an old poll, but it sums up what I’m getting at nicely. “A deeper dive finds that 37% of Republicans feel Biden voters are the biggest enemy, just edging the 34% who feel that way about China. Thirty-five percent (35%) of Democrats think Trump voters are the biggest threat, far and above the danger posed by all the others. Voters not affiliated with either major party rate China, Biden voters and Trump voters all equal as threats.” https://www.rasmussenreports.com/pu...2020/voters_see_each_other_as_america_s_enemy
I left the Bush family when they left the Republican Party. When they all endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, I was disgusted with them. Yea, I know they disliked Trump, but endorsing Hillary is like endorsing the devil complete with cloven feet. How about remaining neutral? That would have given the Bushes a level of respectability. The Bidens are minor league grifters. The Clintons are the A-Team grifters.
He was an average president. He didn't bother me at all. Iraq was a bad idea but I've become accustomed to federal government having bad ideas.
I will attempt to explain this again. There are three wings to the Republican party. The Bush wing and its various sycophants and hangers on, this is far and away the smallest of the three. It is basically all that remains of the old country club or Rockefeller wing of the party. The problem is that there is no there there they are simply bureaucrats at heart who think they were born to rule the bureaucracy and everything else they do is but training for that they only real difference between them and Hillary on most issues is they are old money and she isn't. The second group are the Neocons. they are the second smallest group and are currently allied with the Bushes and like the Bushes mostly what they bring to the table is a pot load of money leavened by a lust for military adventurism that borders on the obscene. The rest of the party is largely made up of people who have figured out that if you want massive changes in how we do governance in this country, voting for neocons and Bushes. isn't going to make it happen.
Within “the rest of the party” there are Trumpers and non Trumpers. The Trumpers learned that the Bushes and the Neocons have little to offer them. They are typified by jellyfish like Romney who had Obama on the ropes, and then rolled over because he wasn’t serious about beating the first Black president. The trouble is they are mesmerized by Trump despite the fact that his negatives are so high that he has little chances of winning. The non Trumpers are not never Trumpers. Many of us voted for him twice, but now it’s time for the next generation of leaders. If Trump cared about the country he would step aside and let the younger generation “make America great again.”
The term moderate, in terms of national politics, is mostly heading towards extinction. You might lament the demise of the moderate Republican, but I lament the demise of the moderate Democrat. Both parties have gotten more extreme in different ways. Joe Manchin would have been a perfectly normal Democrat in the 80's. Now he's a one of kind who's only in office because of the particularities of his state. Republicans have gotten more extreme in a totally different way. Instead of becoming more conservative they've become more populist. Of course I'm talking about Republican voters, not their elected officials. The old time establishment Republicans (they type you are nostalgic for) are still in office and have a firm grip on power. This is normal though. A conditions change, so do our politics. We can't pretend it's the era of Reagan, Eisenhower, or Roosevelt. We live in different times and have different challenges.
