(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Never-Trumpers say Trump is a loser - who do they imagine is a winner? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-09 Conservatives offer two rationales for the GOP’s failure in three straight elections (2018, 2020, 2022). One, the MAGA version — that the deep state rigged the game. Two, the Never-Trumper explanation — it was Trump’s fault. Take the Never-Trumper (until he kissed orange ass) Paul Ryan. Once the wunderkind of the GOP — he was the former VP candidate at 42 and Speaker of the House at 45 — he is trying to have his cake and eat it. He is eager to take credit for Republican achievements — while blaming Trump for their losing streak. In a March 2023 interview with the New York Times, he patted himself on the back for: “Criminal justice reform, opioid, cancer, infrastructure bills, a lot of regulatory reform and obviously tax reform.” Then he explained “We lost the House because of Trump in ’18. We lost the White House in ’20 because of Trump. We lost the Senate because of Trump in ’20 and ’22.” Ryan has always presented himself as an “aw shucks” regular guy from the Midwest whose modest aspiration is to run the US like a solvent corner store. But behind the hangdog eyes lies a flinty, unempathetic bean counter, whose philosophy is that of the heartless plutocrat, Mr. Potter, in It’s a Wonderful Life. Ryan's tell that he is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative is that he lies like a professional. Take his supposed accomplishments. “Reform” is a meaningless word. It tries to imply that something is now better. But conservatives use it as a cover for soaking the poor. Regulatory reform = more corporate profit, no matter who gets hurt. Tax reform = more money for rich people. His claim of criminal justice reform shows how deep immoral cynicism runs even in mainstream conservatism. Ryan takes credit for a bipartisan bill no Democrat voted against, while amongst Republicans, 36 Representatives and 12 Senators voted “nay”. The GOP's opioid and cancer bills were pure posturing. Opioid deaths have gone up . And cancer deaths have been decreasing anyway since 1999. In addition, Ryan does not mention that the GOP never made good on its ‘better, cheaper healthcare” promise. And the deficit exploded during the Trump years. This dishonest self-aggrandizement illuminates the vacuity of Republicans promoting the idea that, without Trump, America would live in a new golden age of successful and acclaimed conservatism. That dream is ludicrous. It is not just that conservative fiscal policies have harmed America’s economy, while their social policies are loathed by the majority. It is impossible to see who could be a good (let alone great) Republican leader. There is no one in Congress. McConnell is too decrepit — and how many Americans could name even one of the five other GOP Senate leaders? McCarthy cannot even run the House. And the other four members of the Republican hierarchy are MAGA acolytes. In the Senate, there is no Republican that reads as an up-and-coming leader. There are some who tried and failed — Cruz, Rubio, Graham. And some who would fail if they tried — Hawley, Markwayne, and Vance (to look at a few who have made noise. It is rare for a President to come directly from the House. While 18 incumbents were once US Representatives, only two had no higher position before becoming President. James Garfield was elected while a Representative. The only other was Abraham Lincoln. And there are no Lincolns in the GOP House. Among the current GOP presidential candidates, there are no winners . DeSantis is a craptastically awful politician and a miserable human being (not necessarily a conservative handicap, but he is boring with it). Ramaswamy is too weird and has embraced the anti-woke extremism that hamstrung DeSantis. Haley would make a great GOP Secretary of the Interior. Scott is just too darn affable. And as a bachelor, he would have to overcome hurdles among the evangelicals. (They love adulterers, but you must be married to cheat — which raises the other question). Christie may be the favorite GOP candidate among Democrats (that is how bad the GOP has become), so Republicans will not pick him. While Hutchinson, Hurd, and Suarez are the most prominent members of the “Who the feck are they” club. The only Republican candidate who has the policies to broaden the party’s appeal is the completely unknown Governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum. He is a conservative but not a nutter. And a self-made billionaire with a compelling life story. Among the rest, there has been some conversation about Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin , who won his election while neither dissing nor supporting Trump. And New Hampshire Governor John Sununu , who has said no to 2024, but is only 48. Problematically, he is a Rockefeller Republican (if there still is such a thing), and that ideology has little support on the right. There is a tumescent “anyone but Trump” lust among the sober-minded conservative class, as exemplified by the Lincoln Project . However, Rick Wilson and his fellow travelers, while they are clear where they stand on Trump, have yet to coalesce around “anyone.” And while that movement has run some entertaining ads, their lack of a focal point has lost a large part of their audience. In 2024, the Republicans have an unexpectedly better chance at the presidency than they should. Today Biden’s poll numbers are almost as bad as Trump’s — despite having one of the best first 31 months of a Presidential term ever. However, as yesterday’s vote in Ohio shows, Democratic social policies are far more popular than the GOP’s. Should the Democrats figure out how to gain the credit they deserve for their success over the last two years and keep the presidency, regain the House, and — most difficult of all — retain the Senate, the GOP will finally have to acknowledge they need new management. Or they should bugger off and make room for a center-right party that is not criminally insane. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/9/2186282/-Never-Trumpers-say-Trump-is-a-loser-who-do-they-imagine-is-a-winner Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/