Highbrow Magazine - GOP https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/gop en We Can’t All Get Along -- Remembering Rodney King’s Forsaken Plea https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/23492-we-can-t-all-get-along-remembering-rodney-king-s-forsaken-plea <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Thu, 03/23/2023 - 16:09</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1getalong.jpg?itok=T3uy0qUg"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1getalong.jpg?itok=T3uy0qUg" width="480" height="320" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Opinion:</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">What struck me immediately in what I initially thought would be a day of enduring bureaucracy at its finest was witnessing a group of kids in a situation where they cooperated and helped each other out, which is what’s referred to as “acting like an adult.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">I say this after guiding my relatives, visitors from out of town, to a foreign country’s embassy in Washington D.C. The family, consisting of father and mother and their two young children, had driven all night from Florida to have their passports renewed and then to return home early the next morning.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">My hope was to just get this document process over with as quickly as possible and that no complications would arise to make the family’s 12-hour, 706-mile odyssey to D.C. an exercise in futility.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">But as John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” In this case, I found what happened was totally unexpected in this most prosaic of settings.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2getalong.jpg" style="height:335px; width:650px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">After we arrived at the embassy’s passport office, the proceedings that followed prompted me to remember Rodney King, the victim of police brutality in Los Angeles in 1991. Later, after he had recovered from the attack, King asked the iconic question in reaction to rioting in South Central Los Angeles in 1992, “People, I just want to say, can we all get along?”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">It was only a few seconds after the tedious passport renewal process was to begin at the embassy that the family’s two young children had already found ways to entertain themselves. They sat down at a table with other children playing with a Lego set filled with building blocks and bricks. For them, this place represented just another chance to have fun.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">It was the parents who had to endure the patience of Job while they waited to get their documents stamped and the families’ pictures taken for their passports.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">When I see a group of kids together, I think of <em>Lord of the Flies</em>, about a bunch of schoolboys marooned on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3getalong.jpg" style="height:323px; width:652px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">But what intrigued me was that this was no <em>Lord of the Flies</em> scenario. Rather, these kids, initially strangers, became immediately engaged in a group project to put the building sets together in what I would term an illuminating model of cooperation.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">One little boy, who couldn't have been much older than 4, introduced himself to my relatives’ daughter and then asked, “What’s your name? How old are you?”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">The daughter, who’s 8 and rather shy, offered a cautious smile but didn’t immediately reply to his questions. After she got more comfortable, she acted with a sense of immense purpose and determination to tutor this younger kid on how one of the blocks was supposed to fit into another block. I was impressed by this boy thanking the girl for her help. Then he asked my relatives’ son, who’s 5, to help him construct the next block formation. What was striking is how easily they cooperated in their joint project.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">This example of getting along came in marked contrast to how some legislators in Congress (mis)behaved during President Biden’s February 7 State of the Union address. As Biden talked about how a minority of GOP members aimed to cut spending for the Social Security and Medicare programs, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and a few of her fellow Republicans interrupted the speech by booing, shouting out rude objections, and generally making fools of themselves.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/4getalong.jpg" style="height:435px; width:652px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">“Liar,” Greene repeatedly yelled at Biden from the back of the House chamber, as she leaped up gesturing with a thumbs down.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">The outburst by Greene and other brats prompted former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger to remark after the speech: “My fellow Republicans...you really want this as a role model for your kids? Do you really think the next generation will want to be part of this? I don’t think so.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">The shouting conjured up that old saying that it’s “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">It was also a reminder of another act of an adult’s incivility back in 2009 when Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shouted at then President Barack Obama, “You Lie,” during Obama’s healthcare speech to Congress. After the speech, members of both parties condemned the heckling. Wilson subsequently apologized for his outburst by saying he allowed his emotions to get the best of him.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/5getalong.jpg" style="height:366px; width:650px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Not all the children playing at the building-blocks table could maintain their mature behavior after being thrown into an unfamiliar situation. One girl, probably 3 or 4, started throwing a tantrum when the mother pulled her away to have her picture taken.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">The girl, I think, was particularly upset about not being allowed to play with her new-found friends. She cried the equivalent of “let me stay here,” but to no avail. Welcome to the adult world, I thought as the camera snapped her photo. Immediately after, she stopped crying and raced back to rejoin her playmates.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Upon our departure, their little boy offered heartfelt goodbyes to his new friends. The friends offered their own endearing goodbyes and that maybe they would see each other again.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Watching how these kids made instant friendships and then had to leave each other reminded me of  Shakespeare’s quote from <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> that “parting is such sweet sorrow.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">But the little boy and girl from my relatives’ family left with smiles on their faces. They were vivid and gratifying answers to Rodney King’s immortal question of “Can we all get along?”</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/6getalong.jpg" style="height:434px; width:650px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Author Bio:</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong><em>Eric Green, a </em>Highbrow Magazine<em> contributor, is a former newspaper reporter, U.S. congressional press aide, English-as-a-second-language teacher, and now a freelance writer in the Washington D.C. area. His articles have appeared in various newspapers and websites, including the </em>Washington Post<em> and </em>Baltimore Sun.</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Image Sources:</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>--Victoria Watercolor (<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/kids-play-games-childhood-4926029/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Pixabay</a>, Creative Commons)</em></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>--12019 (<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/washington-monument-sunset-twilight-1628558/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Pixabay</a>, Creative Commons)</em></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>--Geralt (<a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/wlan-web-friends-community-sms-2088659/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Pixabay</a>, Creative Commons)</em></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>--Justin Hoch (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RodneyKingApr2012.jpg" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Wikimedia</a>, Creative Commons)</em></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>--12019 (<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/fort-lauderdale-florida-sea-ocean-1975405/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Pixabay</a>, Creative Commons)</em></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>--The White House (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Joe_Biden_speaking_at_the_joint_session_of_Congress.jpg">Wikimedia.org</a>, Creative Commons)</em></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/rodney-king" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rodney King</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/getting-along" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">getting along</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/cant-get-along" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">can&#039;t get along</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/president-biden" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">president biden</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/congress" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">congress</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/marjorie-taylor-greene" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">marjorie taylor greene</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/acting-adults" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">acting like adults</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/washington-dc" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Washington DC</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/conflict" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">conflict</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Eric Green</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">In Slider</div></div></div> Thu, 23 Mar 2023 20:09:42 +0000 tara 11755 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/23492-we-can-t-all-get-along-remembering-rodney-king-s-forsaken-plea#comments The GOP Is a Greater Threat to Free Elections https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/9980-gop-greater-threat-free-elections <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 05:22</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3blackvoters_2.jpg?itok=KLCmzT2q"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3blackvoters_2.jpg?itok=KLCmzT2q" width="480" height="350" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in the May 6, 2019 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper. Read the rest <a href="http://www.louisianaweekly.com/gop-not-russia-is-greater-threat-to-free-elections/">here</a>.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p>We all have heard about WikiLeaks and Russian interference in the 2016 election. The report of special counsel Robert Mueller has once more put that on the front pages.</p> <p> </p> <p>Too often lost in the furor, however, is the far more damaging TrikiLeaks – the tricks and laws used to suppress the vote by partisans, largely Republicans here at home. After the Supreme Court’s right-wing gang of five gutted key sections of the Voting Rights Act in <em>Shelby v. Holder</em>, Republican-controlled states immediately ramped up efforts to create obstacles for voting, particularly for people of color.</p> <p> </p> <p>They mandated specific forms of state ID, made it harder for students to vote, eliminated same-day registration, reduced early voting days, closed polling booths in African-American neighborhoods leading to long delays, purged voters from the rolls, perfected partisan gerrymandering and more.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3voters_1.jpg" style="height:369px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>In some cases, as in North Carolina, their discriminatory intent was so public that the laws were overturned in federal court, but in most places, the new barriers were in place in 2016. Did it make a difference? Voting rights expert Ari Berman says, “Absolutely.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Overall, 14 states had new restrictions in place, passed since the <em>Shelby</em> decision. Look at Wisconsin. Trump won by 22,000 votes. In Wisconsin, 300,000 African-American voters didn’t have the newly required strict photo ID. Black voter turnout in Milwaukee declined by 51,000 votes from 2012, while as Lawyers Committee President Kristen Clarke noted, voter turnout rates were depressed across the state. Now we’re headed into 2020.</p> <p> </p> <p>Republican bastions like Texas, Tennessee and Arizona witnessed surges of Democratic support in 2018. Not surprisingly, they are launching new efforts to suppress the vote. In Texas, the secretary of state announced a plan to purge 95,000 people from the voter rolls because they weren’t citizens.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/mediumvotebuttons_6.jpg" style="height:336px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Independent research then demonstrated that in Harris County, which includes Houston, 60 percent of the 30,000 people on the list had received citizenship long ago. Some of the supposed research was 25 years old. Once more, citizens had to go to court to try to stop the suppression.</p> <p> </p> <p>In Texas, state lawmakers are also moving to add criminal penalties for people who improperly fill out voter registration forms, an effort to intimidate nonprofit groups that work to register people to vote. In Arizona, Republicans are making it harder to cast an early ballot. In Tennessee, GOP lawmakers are pushing legislation to fine voter registration groups that submit incomplete forms, even by mistake, up to $10,000.</p> <p> </p> <p>Tequila Johnson, co-founder of the Equity Alliance that focuses on registering people of color, called them out: “We have never seen a bill like this on the floor, until we dared to register 86,000 black and brown people to vote. This screams racism.” Much, much more attention should be paid to this battle.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in the May 6, 2019 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper. Read the rest <a href="http://www.louisianaweekly.com/gop-not-russia-is-greater-threat-to-free-elections/">here</a>.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Highbrow Magazine</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/voting-rights" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">voting rights</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/voting-rights-act" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Voting Rights Act</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/shelby-v-holder" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">shelby v. holder</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/supreme-court" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Supreme Court</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/minorities" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">minorities</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/afrrican-americans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">afrrican americans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/black-voters" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">black voters</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elections</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jesse Jackson</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Mon, 13 May 2019 09:22:57 +0000 tara 8719 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/9980-gop-greater-threat-free-elections#comments GOP Voter Suppression and the Threat to Democrats https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/9490-gop-voter-suppression-and-threat-democrats <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 12/02/2018 - 13:08</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3blackvoters_1.jpg?itok=004gp9PO"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3blackvoters_1.jpg?itok=004gp9PO" width="480" height="350" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in the Louisiana Weekly. Read the rest <a href="http://www.louisianaweekly.com/gop-voter-suppression-poses-grave-danger-to-democrats-in-2020/">here</a>. </strong></p> <p> </p> <p>New Jersey Democratic Senator Corey Booker flatly called the Georgia gubernatorial election a theft for GOP winner Brian Kemp. This was not partisan hyperbole. Thousands of eligible votes weren’t registered, were tossed, discounted, or ignored. The process was only slightly less muddled and outrageous in Florida, where there were also widespread reports of irregularities, incompetence, fraud and manipulation.</p> <p> </p> <p>The result in both states was that Democratic contender Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Andrew Gillum in Florida didn’t make history by being the first black governor in their states. Instead they made history by being embroiled in rancor and controversy over the vote process. The brutal reality, though, is that no matter how many votes Gillum and Abrams got or would have gotten in a fair process where all the votes were allowed and counted, their defeat was almost preordained before the first shout of voter fraud was made in their races.</p> <p> </p> <p>Voter suppression is a well-documented fact of life in American politics. The GOP has welded it as a potent weapon to assure its continued domination of American politics. The even more terrifying reality is that voter suppression has the force of law behind it. Kemp in Georgia was the crudest example of that. As secretary of state, he could legally make the call about which votes could and couldn’t be counted. The lawsuits that were filed against his blatant voter suppression were at best stopgap efforts to blunt some of the damage. They did absolutely nothing to change the legal authority Kemp had to make the call about the voting process.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/14trumphat_0.jpg" style="height:446px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The voter suppression ploys the GOP employs in a variety of other stats include closing polling places limiting voting hours, a rigid requirement for ID, and outright purging voters from the rolls if they haven’t voted in a recent election. These were all upheld by various courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. With few exceptions, the other GOP voter suppression ploy of tightly gerrymandering districts to make it impregnable to a Democratic contender has also been let stand in court challenges. This combined with the control of the vote process by GOP governors and GOP-controlled legislatures in Florida and Ohio, the two states that virtually determine who sits in the Oval Office, heighten the danger to Democrats in 2020.</p> <p> </p> <p>But it’s the legality of voter suppression that is the tough nut to crack. Its impregnability was made possible by the GOP’s crass, cynical, but stupendously successful assault on the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. In 1981, despite some grumbles and idle threats to oppose its renewal from a few in the Reagan administration, President Reagan dutifully signed the renewal legislation.</p> <p> </p> <p>A quarter-century later, a core of House Republicans stalled the legislation for more than a week and demanded that hearings be held. They used the same old argument that it punishes the South for past voting-discrimination sins, and they didn’t like the idea of bilingual ballots again. Despite the challenge, President Bush signed the renewal of the Voting Rights Act in 2006. The renewal by two conservative GOP presidents seemed to assure that any effort to scrub the Voting Rights Act from the federal books was a pipe dream.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/4voters_0.jpg" style="height:402px; width:602px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>It wasn’t. The GOP demanded that the High Court scrap the act as outdated, discriminatory, and a blatant federal intrusion into states’ rights. GOP state attorney generals in several states endorsed the challenge.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Supreme Court obliged. In a landmark ruling, it dumped the key requirement that Southern states get “preclearance” from the Justice Department before making any changes in its voting rights laws and procedures.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>This article originally published in the November 26, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in the Louisiana Weekly. Read the rest <a href="http://www.louisianaweekly.com/gop-voter-suppression-poses-grave-danger-to-democrats-in-2020/">here</a>. </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Highbrow Magazine</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/voter-suppression" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">voter suppression</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/stacey-abrams" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">stacey abrams</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/andrew-gillum" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">andrew gillum</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/voting-rights-acts" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">voting rights acts</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/african-americans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">African Americans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hispanics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hispanics</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/minority-voters" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">minority voters</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/democrats" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Democrats</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/2020-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">2020 elections</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Earl Ofari Hutchinson </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 02 Dec 2018 18:08:30 +0000 tara 8395 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/9490-gop-voter-suppression-and-threat-democrats#comments For GOP, Incompetence Is a Feature (Not a Flaw) https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/8648-republicans-incompetence-feature-not-flaw <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 11/19/2017 - 14:57</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/trumpandkelly.jpg?itok=8uJLfqdv"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/trumpandkelly.jpg?itok=8uJLfqdv" width="480" height="307" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in <a href="http://billmoyers.com/">BillMoyers.com</a>. Read the rest <a href="http://billmoyers.com/story/republican-experts/">here</a>. </strong></p> <p> </p> <p>It has been said that Newt Gingrich is “a dumb person’s idea of a smart person.” Who coined that phrase is a matter of scholarly dispute, but there is broad agreement that the sentiment is applicable. I will go further and say this characteristic of Newt’s is not just a personal foible; it establishes a model for Republican politicians and operatives since his time in Congress.</p> <p> </p> <p>Having had the opportunity as a former congressional staffer to experience his speakership up close, it was clear to me that Gingrich had a ready opinion on every subject from aardvarks to Zoroastrianism. He was usually wrong. But through a combination of confident and aggressive assertion, citation of “facts” and “statistics” that, while specious and cherry-picked, the listener was not in any position to immediately refute, and the glibness that masquerades as eloquence, he dominated his colleagues and set the House of Representatives on its path to becoming the extremely unfunny joke it is today.</p> <p> </p> <p>Consistent with his pose as a public intellectual, Gingrich schmoozed with Alvin Toffler, the author of <em>Future Shock</em>. Yet one of his first acts on assuming the speakership was to abolish the Office of Technology Assessment, an agency solely responsible to Congress and which gave an appraisal of new technologies independent of executive branch puffery.</p> <p> </p> <p>He also slashed the budgets of the General Accounting Office (GAO), the Congressional Research Service and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), impairing Congress’ ability to receive disinterested evaluation of a vast range of subjects. Who needs CBO (now a favorite whipping boy of congressional Republicans) when you know that tax cuts increase revenue?</p> <p> </p> <p>What began with Gingrich has culminated in the nightmare of the Trump presidency, where wildly incompetent pseudo-experts run riot through the government and endanger the well-being of the general public. America has become a laboratory to test whether its institutions can weather the present flood of Republican expertise.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Republicans: Assuring National Insecurity</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>The national security functions of government have long been a subject of mystification: The public and the press have a tendency to regard its practitioners as a kind of priesthood possessing an arcane and special knowledge. But long before Trump, the GOP treated it as a political reward for crackpot ideologues whose credentials were thin or nil.</p> <p> </p> <p>Bill Kristol, whose only qualification for anything was being the offspring of Irving Kristol, somehow blossomed in the late 1990s as a Republican national security expert. His current claim to fame is being wrong about everything; that has not prevented him from making a comfortable living via the “wingnut welfare” provided by right-wing media.</p> <p> </p> <p>Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense under George W. Bush, caused my jaw to drop in February 2003, when he informed the House Budget Committee on which I served that the invasion of Iraq would probably result in fewer US casualties than the near-negligible number the military suffered in the Balkan intervention, and also that the invasion would pay for itself through Iraq’s oil revenues.</p> <p> </p> <p>While his testimony immediately aroused concern if not derision in the country, most Republican committee members seemed to eat it up as the wisdom of a latter-day Clausewitz. On leaving the Pentagon, Wolfowitz’s gold watch for confecting such prophecies was the presidency of the World Bank.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Republican so-called experts’ pronouncements weren’t exactly unplanned. In early 2001, just before George W. Bush’s inauguration, the Heritage Foundation produced a policy document intended to help the incoming administration choose personnel. The authors stated the following:</p> <p> </p> <p>. . . the Office of Presidential Personnel must make appointment decisions based on loyalty first and expertise second, and the whole governmental apparatus must be managed from this perspective.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/ktmcfaland.jpg" style="height:468px; width:624px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>A decade and a half later, Trump’s operatives must have been impressed by one of the document’s authors, George Nesterczuk; he was nominated to become director of the Office of Personnel Management, but later withdrew his nomination, complaining about “partisan attacks” (possibly a euphemism for “careful scrutiny”).</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump has built on Bush’s national security legacy. His first deputy national security adviser was K.T. McFarland. While she held national security positions in previous administrations, what probably commended her to Trump’s handlers was her stint as a national security “expert” on Fox News, a sinecure and career booster for the right-wing nomenklatura. From that perch, she recommended that Vladimir Putin be granted the Nobel Peace Prize. Foreign policy writer Jim Lobe describes her expertise <a href="https://lobelog.com/the-empty-headedness-of-k-t-mcfarland/">here</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p>It also must have helped that she ran for the Senate in New York in 2006. Although she was heavily defeated in the GOP primary, she claimed that the campaign of the incumbent Democrat, Hillary Clinton, was spying on her through her bedroom window and flying helicopters over her house in the Hamptons. When called out on it, after denying she was serious, she later told a <em>New York Post</em> gossip columnist that news of her “helicopters” remark had unhinged her: “I sat in a ratty old robe, tears spilling down my face. To ease my anguish, I killed off half a pint of ice cream. Next morning, I was in the fetal position. Still crying.” To GOP talent scouts these days, anyone who spreads conspiracy theories about Clinton is bound to appear highly qualified.</p> <p> </p> <p>Another early pick for the Trump national security team was Sebastian Gorka, named deputy assistant to the president for terrorism issues. Although this pompous little martinet insists on being called “Dr.,” his Hungarian Ph.D. sounds suspiciously like the product of a diploma mill. His reputation since then has been “widely disdained within his own field.”</p> <p> </p> <p>His professional seriousness may be inferred by his proposal to keep Muslims out of Hungary by affixing pigs’ heads to the country’s border fences, and by showing up at Trump’s inaugural ball costumed and bemedalled like the Balkan despot in a Marx Brothers movie.</p> <p> </p> <p>His garment and insignia pin were seen as a reference to Vitézi Rend, a Hungarian organization that is a legacy of Hungary’s collaboration with Nazi Germany, causing some Senate Democrats to publicly wonder why Gorka’s membership in the group (a charge Gorka has strongly denied) did not make him excludable from the country. It may also account for his never receiving a security clearance high enough to be appropriate to his sensitive White House position.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Gen. Kelly: New Broom or Partisan Hack?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>McFarland and Gorka are now gone from the White House. Is this a sign that a new seriousness is prevailing at the White House? Although McFarland landed on her feet (Trump nominated her to be ambassador to Singapore), Gorka’s departure from government was widely attributed to the arrival of Gen. John Kelly as White House chief of staff (predictably, Fox News is now providing Gorka with wingnut welfare).</p> <p> </p> <p>But as we have seen in the distasteful episode involving Kelly’s public feud with a Florida congresswoman over Trump’s perfunctory condolence call to the widow of a fallen soldier, the usual press and public tendency to genuflect to a high-ranking military officer could be misplaced in his case. At the same White House press briefing in which he insulted the congresswoman, his reputation was further tarnished by his refusal to call on reporters who didn’t have a connection to Gold Star military families, thus suggesting that military members are of a higher social caste, as in Wilhelmine Germany.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in <a href="http://billmoyers.com/">BillMoyers.com</a>. Read the rest <a href="http://billmoyers.com/story/republican-experts/">here</a>. </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Mike Lofgren is a former career congressional staff member who served on the House and Senate budget committees. His latest book is The Deep State: The Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of a Shadow Government. He appeared several times as a guest on Moyers &amp; Company. Learn more on his website: mikelofgren.net.</em></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/newt-gingrich" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Newt Gingrich</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/john-kelly" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">john kelly</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/k-t-mcfarland" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">k t mcfarland</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Mike Lofgren </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 19 Nov 2017 19:57:03 +0000 tara 7824 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/8648-republicans-incompetence-feature-not-flaw#comments Working Class Will Be Hardest Hit by Republican Health Bill https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/7465-working-class-will-be-hardest-hit-republican-health-bill <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 03/12/2017 - 15:40</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1gophealth.jpg?itok=flRnUk_V"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1gophealth.jpg?itok=flRnUk_V" width="480" height="331" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2017/03/back-to-the-er----poor-families-will-be-hardest-hit-by-republican-health-bill.php">New America Media</a>: </strong></p> <p> </p> <p>BERKELEY, Calif. – The healthcare bill introduced by House Republicans last Monday will cause millions of people to lose their health insurance, experts say.</p> <p> </p> <p>Among the hardest hit will be low-income families, who will be forced to go back to the Emergency Room for their medical care, says Marty Lynch, executive director of LifeLong Medical Care, a 40-year-old Federally Qualified Health Clinic with 14 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area.</p> <p> </p> <p>FQHCs like his -- long the safety net for poor and undocumented families in underserved areas -- are now bracing for the fallout from the planned repeal of the Affordable Care Act.</p> <p> </p> <p>Around 5 million Californians were able to get health insurance thanks to the ACA’s expansion of Medi-Cal (California’s name for the health insurance program for low-income people known as Medicaid in the rest of the nation) and the federal tax subsidies the ACA provides for those who buy insurance through the online marketplace. The state’s uninsured rate dropped to a record low of 7.1 percent last year. The majority of patients who today access FQHC services have insurance either through Medi-Cal or Covered California, the state’s online marketplace.</p> <p> </p> <p>Many of those customers could lose their health insurance under the new bill, called the American Health Care Act, which would change Medicaid funding so that states would be forced to choose Medicaid funding as a block grant or as a per capita cap. Healthcare advocates believe neither funding mechanism will cover California’s ongoing needs.</p> <p> </p> <p>They have spoken out strongly against the bill. Carmela Castellano-Garcia, president and chief executive office of CaliforniaHealth + Advocates, observed that the new bill would abandon “our most vulnerable communities by rolling back foundational safety-net programs like [Medi-Cal] expansion.”</p> <p> </p> <p>After California Representatives Mimi Walters, R-Laguna Niguel, and Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, voted to repeal the ACA March 9, Health Access Executive Director Anthony Wright said in a press release:</p> <p> </p> <p>“It is stunning that Californians like Rep. Nunes and Rep. Walters voted for this bill, given the direct and disproportionate impacts on California and our health system.”</p> <p> </p> <p>NAM interviewed LifeLong Executive Director Lynch about how his clinic would be impacted by going from ‘Obamacare’ to ‘Trumpcare.’</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/4healthcare_1.jpg" style="height:349px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Has the ACA been a game changer for LongLife?</strong></p> <p>Oh yes, totally. Medi-Cal expansion and subsidized private insurance under the ACA have substantially increased our insured patient population. In 2013, [prior to the ACA] we had 25,000 insured patients. At the end of 2016, we had 59,000 patients. About 60 percent of our previously uninsured patients got coverage.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>How are you able to draw primary care doctors to treat your Medi-Cal patients when the reimbursement rate for the program is so low, in fact, one of the lowest in the country?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>Healthcare payment methodology for FQHCs is ruled by federal law. It’s a lot better than what doctors in the Medi-Cal network get in other healthcare facilities.</p> <p> </p> <p>But our workforce is a big issue. We are experiencing a shortage of primary care doctors, like everywhere else in the nation, because more doctors are opting to become specialists.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>So with more Medi-Cal patients coming to your clinic since the ACA, has your bottom line improved, and by extension, has that allowed you to expand services?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>FQHCs received a financial boost under President (George W.) Bush. The ACA expanded funding further.</p> <p> </p> <p>It definitely takes some pressure off to have more patients. With the extra income, we were able to open additional clinics in Pinole, Rodeo and downtown Oakland. We now have an urgent care facility in San Pablo. We have been able to hire more dentists and mental healthcare providers.</p> <p> </p> <p>LongLife has also benefited from the federal government’s pumping of more money into the so-called Section 330 grants. [The 330 grant money gives qualified clinics the option of offering services that aren’t billable to insurance plans.] But this grant has to be renewed annually and with all that’s happening in Washington, the $4 million we should get under Section 330 is now not certain. We had planned to use that money to expand our Pinole center. Some of that money would have also been used to build a clinic in the City of Richmond, one which will have among other things a family care center, pediatric care, dental clinic and urgent care services.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>So have you put all your expansion plans on hold?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>We could be paralyzed by Trump fear, but we don’t want to let that happen. I am very disappointed with all the talk about repealing and replacing. Our community will be in a much worse place when it comes to accessing healthcare. They will be going back to the day when they resort to the Emergency Rooms to get their healthcare.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>How is LifeLong preparing for the financial cliff that is likely to happen?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>As a community clinic, we’ll adapt with whatever resources we have. But that won’t happen without patients getting hurt.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2017/03/back-to-the-er----poor-families-will-be-hardest-hit-by-republican-health-bill.php">New America Media</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/american-health-care-act" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">american health care act</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republican-health-bill" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">republican health bill</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obamacare" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obamacare</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/health-insurance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">health insurance</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Viji Sundaram</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 12 Mar 2017 19:40:42 +0000 tara 7415 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/7465-working-class-will-be-hardest-hit-republican-health-bill#comments Donald Trump, the GOP, and the Failure to Disavow Racists https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5648-donald-trump-gop-and-failure-disavow-racists <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 14:08</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1GOPracists.jpg?itok=T3iwn7Xb"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1GOPracists.jpg?itok=T3iwn7Xb" width="480" height="240" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/03/why-should-trump-disavow-racists-if-the-gop-can-not.php">New America Media</a></strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>The latest fad in GOP circles is that when a GOP candidate, an elected official, or some GOP connected notable makes a racist crack, dig, slur is to issue a pious, indignant statement denouncing the racist quip or act. The new GOP fad was on ample display when Trump refused to denounce former Klan Kleagle David Duke’s endorsement, nor any other support from the Klan. Yes, he stared down, a supporter wearing a Klan lettered tee shirt at a campaign rally, but that’s somehow not quite the same as a full-throated tirade against the Klan. Trump won’t do that. But then again why should he? Fad, and handwringing knocks against Trump for mute silence on the Klan from the GOP, won’t change the fact that Trump is simply taking his cue from his party.</p> <p> </p> <p>On a cable talk show appearance in 2010, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell flatly refused several direct, angled, and nuanced efforts to discuss racism in the Tea Party. McConnell’s none too subtle refusal to weigh in on the issue was in direct response to the NAACP’s resolution demanding that the Tea Party speak out, and speak out loudly against the racists among them.</p> <p> </p> <p>Long before the NAACP stirred debate on Tea Party racism with its resolution, a legion of Democrats, civil rights leaders, and even an online petition from an advocacy group begged the GOP to speak out against its naked bigots. No go.</p> <p> </p> <p>There’s a good reason. The GOP would cut its throat if it denounced its racists and racism, and really meant it. The shouts, taunts, spitting, catcalls, Obama as Joker posters, n-word slurs, Confederate and Texas Lone Star flag waving by some Tea Party activists, and the deafening silence from GOP leaders during Obama’s early years in office, was and still very much is an indispensable political necessity for the party.</p> <p> </p> <p>The spark to reignite the GOP’s traditional conservative, white male loyalists, and increasingly white female supporters, has always been there. The 2008 presidential election gave ample warning of that. While Obama made a major breakthrough in winning a significant percent of votes from white independents and young white voters, McCain (not Obama) won a slim majority of their vote in the final tally. Overall, Obama garnered slightly more than 40 percent of the white male vote. Among white male voters in the South and heartland, Obama made almost no impact. Overall, McCain garnered nearly 60 percent of the white vote.</p> <p> </p> <p>The GOP could not have been competitive during the 2008 and 2012 campaign without the bailout from white male voters. Much has been made since then that they are a dwindling percent of the electorate, and that Hispanics, Asian, black, young, and women voters will permanently tip the balance of political power to the Democrats in coming national elections. Blue-collar white voters have shrunk from more than half of the nation’s voters to less than 40 percent.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2GOPracists.jpg" style="height:353px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The assumption, based solely on this slide and the increased minority population numbers and regional demographic changes, is that the GOP’s white vote strategy is doomed to fail. This ignores three political facts: 1) Elections are usually won by candidates with a solid and impassioned core of bloc voters; 2) White males, particularly older white males, vote consistently and faithfully; 3) they voted in a far greater percentage than Hispanics and blacks.</p> <p> </p> <p>The GOP leaders have long known that blue-collar and a significant percent of college educated, white male voters, who are professionals, can be easily aroused to vote and shout loudly on the emotional wedge issues; abortion, family values, anti-gay marriage and tax cuts. They whipped up their hysteria and borderline racism against the Affordable Care Act, and by extension, Obama. This was glaringly apparent in ferocity and bile spouted by the shock troops the GOP leaders in consort with the Tea Party activists brought out to harangue, harass and bully Democrat legislators on the eve of the healthcare vote. These are the very voters that GOP presidents and aspiring presidents, Nixon, Reagan, Bush Sr. and George W. Bush, McCain and Romney, and an endless line of GOP governors, senators and congresspersons have banked on for victory and to seize and maintain regional and national political dominance.</p> <p> </p> <p>The GOP is widely seen, an insular party of Deep South and narrow Heartland, rural and, non-college-educated blue-collar whites. But this is not a voting demographic to mock, ridicule or be sneered at, let alone dismiss, because the numbers are still huge.</p> <p> </p> <p>The GOP driven by personal instinct, political leanings, its history, racial demographics, and raw political need, has masterfully played the race card for more than a half century to get its way. Trump studied the template well, and has managed to add a few tweaks to it, with his swagger and bluster. Asking him to stop now would be asking the GOP to cut its own throat. Trump well knows that.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio: </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is From Sanders to Trump: A Guide to the 2016 Presidential Primary Battles (Amazon Kindle) He is a frequent MSNBC contributor. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner New America Media</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/racists" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">racists</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/kkk" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">KKK</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/david-duke" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">david duke</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/2016-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">2016 elections</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Earl Ofari Hutchinson </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 06 Mar 2016 19:08:24 +0000 tara 6714 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5648-donald-trump-gop-and-failure-disavow-racists#comments Why the GOP Dislikes Donald Trump https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5640-why-gop-dislikes-donald-trump <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Wed, 03/02/2016 - 21:38</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3trump_0.jpg?itok=lG3gYyTN"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3trump_0.jpg?itok=lG3gYyTN" width="480" height="268" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner New America Media</strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>“With God as my witness I will Not Vote for Donald Trump.” A liberal, moderate, Democrat or Republican, or independent. This was the blaring headline on a conservative website. The flat pronouncement of anti-Trump sentiment by an avowed conservative activist merely reaffirmed what many in the GOP have frantically whispered and sweated over privately and some even publicly since Trump’s relentless unwavering dominance of the GOP presidential popularity polls from almost the moment he officially jumped in the race last June.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>They fear that he will actually be the party’s nominee. And if so, what will that do to the party? GOP leaders from House Majority leader Paul Ryan to Arizona Senator John McCain sweat that Trump could not only cost the GOP any shot at the White House but blow their majority hold on the Senate as well. The one thing that would almost certainly insure that is if the sentiment voiced by the conservative activist about Trump is not just a bad case of momentary blowing smoke.</p> <p> </p> <p>A quick glance back at the 2008 presidential contest tells why GOP leaders exhibit nervous jitters over possible GOP presidential nominee Trump. In an October, 2008 interview on Meet the Press, Republican stalwart Colin Powell said publicly what legions in the GOP had up to that point grumbled privately and that was that he would not vote for GOP presidential candidate John McCain; why? Sarah Palin. Palin, of course, was McCain’s vice-presidential pick. Powell flatly said she’s “not ready to be president.”</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>The dominoes for the McCain-Palin ticket quickly tumbled after that. Dozens of big name, even icon GOP stalwarts, endorsed Obama’s candidacy. They included many of the sons, daughter’s grandchildren and in-laws of Republican presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, and Reagan, and 1964 Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. The GOP defectors also included an array of some of the leading conservative writers, editors and publishers.</p> <p> </p> <p>Many of them, as Powell, publicly made clear that they were horrified at the nightmarish thought of Palin being the proverbial heartbeat away from the presidency. Palin simply being on the ticket, though, didn’t cost McCain the presidency. There were too many negatives for McCain to pinpoint her as the sole reason, such as a collapsing economy, a failed and flawed Iraq war, Bush’s abysmal overall record, and the sense on the part of GOP hard core conservatives that McCain was not one of them. However, the inescapable fact was that many in the GOP just simply saw Palin as a living, breathing disaster for the party.</p> <p> </p> <p>Fast forward eight years later, and this time the nightmare for many is not a vice-presidential candidate being a heartbeat from the presidency, but a dubious candidate bagging the presidency itself. The hints of broken ranks and splits and outright rejection all stirred by the prospect of a Trump nomination are plainly there. One big money GOP leaning PAC, Our Principles, has already dumped several million dollars into a series of running hit ads savaging Trump as a “conservative of convenience.” As Trump notches primary victories, the noise within the GOP about “stopping Trump” almost certainly will shoot the decibels about heading Trump off even higher.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump for his part hasn’t done much to win any favors from the GOP establishment. But then he doesn’t have to, his campaign from the start wasn’t based on winning their favor or approval. His mediagenic persona, brashness, and take-no-prisoners style stirred the basest instincts among a wide swatch of disconnected and alienated lower income blue collar white voters, hard-right faithful, and a cross section of GOP leaning voters disgusted with party cronyism and business as usual Washington bureaucrats. They were the ones who stayed away from the polls in droves in 2008 and 2012. There were two keys to try and get them back. One was to pander hard to their fear and xenophobia of minorities, gays, immigrants and Muslims.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/4trump.jpg" style="height:408px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The other was to have someone willing to spew as much verbal bile at Obama as possible. Trump fit the bill. Stirring the pot on this issue closely tied in with the other issue that could get the juices flowing. That was illegal immigration. Trump again was the man. His slander of Latino immigrants as "criminals" and "rapists" got quiet nods among many, tons of media clips, and the crafting of him as a candidate not afraid to tell it like he saw it on an emotional issue no matter who it offended. It didn't much matter how much of a polarizing figure he was. He made stupendous copy, brought oceans of attention to the GOP, and suddenly made ultra conservatives cheer lustily for him. This helped make him the party’s top dog.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Republican National Committee has publicly said that it will back whoever the GOP presidential nominee is. It has no choice, publicly anyway. The big question though for the GOP is how many others within the party will call on God as their witness and swear they won’t vote for Trump?</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio: </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is From Sanders to Trump: A Guide to the 2016 Presidential Primary Battles (Amazon Kindle) He is a frequent MSNBC contributor. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner New America Media</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/2016-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">2016 elections</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hillary-clinton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hillary Clinton</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/paul-ryan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Paul Ryan</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Earl Ofari Hutchinson </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Thu, 03 Mar 2016 02:38:05 +0000 tara 6704 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5640-why-gop-dislikes-donald-trump#comments Trump and Cruz Are the GOP's Worst Nightmare https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5590-trump-and-cruz-are-gops-worst-nightmare <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Thu, 02/04/2016 - 20:03</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trumpcruz.jpg?itok=4UBQGa8c"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trumpcruz.jpg?itok=4UBQGa8c" width="480" height="268" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/02/trump-and-cruz-are-the-gops-not-the-democrats-worst-nightmare.php">New America Media</a></strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>Vice President Joe Biden was not auditioning for a stint on SNL or appealing to divine providence when he quipped to a packed crowd of Democrats recently that the Republicans may have given the Democrats a “gift from the Lord” in the presidential race. The heavenly gift Biden referred to comes in the form of a Trump or Cruz presidential candidacy. Biden and many other Democrats practically salivate at the thought of either one of them getting the GOP presidential nomination. The conventional wisdom is this will deliver the White House back to the Democrats in a handbasket.</p> <p> </p> <p>The election walk-over for presumed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is the nightmare that has haunted the GOP party leaders from the moment that Trump and Cruz declared their candidacies. Both men are the most polarizing presidential ticket candidates since Sarah Palin turned the GOP White House bid into a running Comedy Central riff.</p> <p> </p> <p>This election go-round it’s far worse than when Palin was on the ticket in 2008 and later made some soundings about a 2012 presidential bid. Trump and Cruz have stayed at or near the top of the polls from the start of their campaigns. They both have big, angry  constituencies, be it Cruz’s evangelicals or Trump’s fed-up, white, blue-collar workers. They are mostly, white, older voters, and they would likely show up at the polls on Election Day for one of the two.</p> <p> </p> <p>In the past it was fairly easy for GOP party leaders to rid themselves of a party nuisance such as Palin. After all they controlled the money, media spin and party apparatus. They banked that they could maneuver and massage the primaries and convention to ensure that the noise and mischief the outsiders could make would die before the primary season began. That won’t happen this time. Trump has got and will continue to get nonstop headline coverage from a slavish, fawning media, maintain his mass poll support from the disaffected millions of voters, and will likely get a proportional share of delegates in a number of GOP primaries, win or not. Cruz has a mountainous campaign war chest, the solid support of white protestant conservative evangelicals, and the prestige of holding a national office.</p> <p> </p> <p>They also have gotten a huge lift from the cast of GOP presidential hopeful competitors. With the exception of the momentary fascination with Ben Carson, the other contenders have wallowed in single digits in the polls, have gotten little to no traction in their campaigns, and have been swallowed in the media rush to Trump and Cruz. The bigger problem for GOP leaders are the voter demographics. The average GOP voter is white, older and conservative.  Legions of these voters are polarized and put-out with their party.</p> <p> </p> <p>This didn’t just happen overnight. The disaffection has been building for almost a decade. They lambasted presidential contenders John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 for being too deeply tainted by the Washington bureaucratic, compromising and dealmaking establishment. A huge swatch of the GOP stayed away from the polls in droves during both campaigns. Their sleep in on Election Day was a big reason for McCain and Romney’s defeats.  In the near eight-year tenure of Obama in the White House, the fury of much of the GOP base to a traditional play by the established Washington rules presidential candidate has risen to a fever pitch. The prospect of a Clinton White House which is tantamount to a third Obama term to them further ensures that Trump rallies and appearances will take on the appearance of a crusade rather than a campaign rally.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2trumpcruz.jpg" style="height:446px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>GOP party leaders in the event of a Trump or Cruz break-away in the caucuses and primaries can do one of three things. They can continue to try to rally support behind a Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, the party establishment’s preferred respectable choices. They can pretend to remain neutral, which just gives Cruz and Trump even more room to roam. They can jump on the bandwagon of either one of them.  If either one is the eventual party nominee, GOP party leaders, donors and bundlers, and the national and state committees will have no choice but to go full throttle in support of the nominee. Anything less would ensure a runaway win for Hillary Clinton, the possible loss of the Senate to the Democrats, put at risk the loss of some GOP-controlled statehouses to the Democrats, and worse, split the GOP.</p> <p> </p> <p>A Trump or Cruz presidential nomination snub would risk incurring the anger of millions of GOP grassroots voters. That’s a catastrophe that GOP leaders will do all to ensure doesn’t happen even if it means holding their nose and backing a Trump or Cruz.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump and Cruz, then, are the GOP's textbook Catch-22. One of them figures as a real possibility for the presidential nomination. For GOP leaders to not support them almost guarantees a flaming Election Day defeat. But to support them could mean the same. That’s the GOP’s much deserved worst nightmare.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio: </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is Trump and the GOP: Race Baiting to the White House (Amazon Kindle) He is a frequent MSNBC contributor. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/02/trump-and-cruz-are-the-gops-not-the-democrats-worst-nightmare.php">New America Media</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ted-cruz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ted cruz</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/presidential-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">presidential elections</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hillary-clinton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hillary Clinton</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/voters" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">voters</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Earl Ofari Hutchinson </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Fri, 05 Feb 2016 01:03:10 +0000 tara 6639 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5590-trump-and-cruz-are-gops-worst-nightmare#comments What Trump's Disturbing Race-Baiting Means for His Campaign https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5465-what-trumps-disturbing-race-baiting-means-his-campaign <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Mon, 11/30/2015 - 20:55</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trump_2.jpg?itok=UMDqIsTT"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trump_2.jpg?itok=UMDqIsTT" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p>First, frontrunning GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump cheers on a crowd at a campaign rally in Birmingham, Alabama that physically and verbally assaults a black protestor. He then follows that up with a tweet on phony and doctored black crime figures that were so racist that even some staunch conservatives cringed at the ploy. They didn’t buy his lame, partial walk back excuse that he was simply retweeting what a supporter sent him.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump is oblivious to this for a good reason. His unapologetic race baiting is a big part of what rocket-launched him to the front of the GOP presidential pack and at a couple of points when he slid a bit, launched him right back to the front. The race-baiting is hardly new. The instant a multimillion-dollar settlement was announced in 2014 with the five young African-American and Latino youths falsely convicted and imprisoned for assault and rape of a jogger in New York's Central Park in 1989, Trump loudly ranted against the settlement and did everything possible to whip up another round of racial hysteria over the case. And why not? When the case broke in 1989 he shelled out $85,000 to four newspapers to splash an ad demanding the death penalty for the five. The toss of the case and the overwhelming evidence that the men were innocent meant nothing to Trump.</p> <p> </p> <p>The record of Trump’s line of naked bigotry since then has been unbroken. He was ripped by the Justice Department for blatant racial discrimination in his apartment rentals and when cornered on his racist exclusion he blithely said that if he didn't his and other tenants (meaning white tenants) would flee from his units and the city.</p> <p> </p> <p>He turned the thinly disguised racist savaging of President Obama into a fine art by stoking hard the phony, fraudulent, and bigoted Birther movement. Then he doubled down on that by demanding that Obama produce his supposed doctored college transcripts. Ever on the alert for an angle to race bait or to apologize for racism, he piled on the bandwagon to defend former Los Angeles Clipper owner Donald Sterling who was caught on tape making racist rants.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2trump_0.jpg" style="height:425px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Even before Trump tossed his hat in the presidential rink, his well-timed racist digs, quips and slurs were carefully and calculatedly designed to get the tongues wagging, another round of invitations on the talk show circuit, and in the case of the Central Park Five, an invite to pen his race-tinged scribblings in an op-ed column. His cynical but well-calculated race baiting ploy worked to masterful perfection with the Birther issue. Trump knew that while the issue had been thoroughly discredited and disavowed by every leading GOP presidential candidate in 2012, a significant number, if not a majority of Republicans actually believed or wanted to believe that Obama's birth was a legitimate issue to dump back on the political table. The resulting avalanche of lawsuits and petitions filed in various state courts that contested Obama's U.S. citizenship showed there was some mileage to be gained for Trump to continue to wave the issue around. The payoff was that he conned enough newsrooms, talk show hosts and legions of the GOP's inveterate Obama bashers to chat up a Trump presidential candidacy.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump got what he wanted. Tons of fresh media attention, a momentary seat at the GOP presidential candidate's chat table, and starry-eyed idolization from legions of ultra-conservatives and untold numbers of unreconstructed bigots.</p> <p> </p> <p>The only real difference in what Trump has done with naked race baiting and what legions of other GOP presidential candidates and presidents from Nixon to George W. Bush, and GOP state and local candidates and elected officials have done with race is that his is blatant and in-your-face. The others were subtle, sneaky and loaded with emotional hot button code words and phrases that were designed to stoke the racial fires to win and maintain office. They knew that no overt mention of race was necessary to tug at the emotional strings of the GOP’s core constituency—white conservative, rural, and blue-collar workers. A wink and a nod with the code words on welfare cheats, entitlements, tax and spend big government, and immigrants, and the endless wedge issues from gay marriage to abortion was more than enough to boost their poll ratings.</p> <p> </p> <p>But this is a different time. Polls show millions of whites are wracked with worry, concern, are edgy, and fearful about the future and the direction of the country, and the horrid thought of losing grip on their numbers and power. The usual stock code words and phrases that GOP establishment politicians worked so well in the past can’t compete with a good old-fashioned appeal to black crime, Muslim bashing, and “send them all packing back across the border “shouts. Trump has proven that he’s the right man to say just that and reap a big reward for it.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is Torpedoing Hillary: The GOP’s Plan to Stop a Clinton White House (Amazon Kindle). He is a frequent MSNBC contributor. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner New America Media</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/trump-1" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trump</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/presidential-campaign" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">presidential campaign</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/2016-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">2016 elections</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/race" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">race</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/racial-issues" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">racial issues</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Earl Ofari Hutchinson </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Tue, 01 Dec 2015 01:55:20 +0000 tara 6494 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5465-what-trumps-disturbing-race-baiting-means-his-campaign#comments The Rise and Fall of the Republican Party https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/3210-rise-and-fall-republican-party <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Thu, 11/21/2013 - 09:26</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1Republicans%20%28House%20GOP%20Leader%20Flickr%29_0.jpg?itok=Zw8vlQT5"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1Republicans%20%28House%20GOP%20Leader%20Flickr%29_0.jpg?itok=Zw8vlQT5" width="480" height="320" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p>Open with: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan watch on as Obama is sworn in. Cut to: Republican strategists pour over election results and label 2013 a much-needed rebranding year. Cut to: An autopsy report is released on the GOP brand encouraging Republicans to lose the "stuffy old men" image. Cut to: Young college Republicans perform an autopsy report of their own. Respondents criticize the Republican party as bigoted and essentialist. Cut to: Nevada GOP leader saying 2014 will be a good year for Republicans because minorities and young voters won't turn out. Cut to: Ted Cruz reading <em>Green Eggs and Ham</em> to his kids while the government shutdown looms. Cut to: Government shutdown and a Republican party at war with itself. Cut to: A tan and battle-worn John Boehner standing at the pulpit wearing a salmon-orange tie with circle-and-a-dot patterns distributed in white. Finish with: 2013 and the year of the Republican civil war.</p> <p> </p> <p>The history of the Republican Party isn't as stagnant as today's representatives indicate. Like most (well, some) political movements, the GOP began with good intentions. At its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_%28United_States%29">genesis</a>, the Republican Party coalesced in opposition to popular sovereignty, Stephen Douglass and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Populated by Whigs, Free-Soilers and anti-slavery coalitions, the Republican Party, once formed, became the North's foil to the Southern-backed Democrats. Within five years, the yearling party was in control of a staggering majority of Northern state and federal offices on the platform of "free labor, free land, free men" and within six years time, the party had their first president in the White House: Abraham Lincoln.</p> <p> </p> <p>As the Civil War came to an end and post-bellum reconstruction no longer carried political weight (and fell subject to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system">corruption</a>), the Republican party mobilized to support the massive industrialization underway in the North, pushing for fast growth with laissez-faire economics. Their support of the fast economic expansion and high wages continued through (and <a href="http://uspolitics.about.com/od/economy/tp/what_caused_great_depression.htm">helped bring about</a>) the Great Depression, which brought Republican momentum to a screeching halt. Quickly thereafter, the GOP succumbed to a revamped Democratic party and FDR's New Deal, introducing a realignment of each party's ideologies. In response to their ousting, Republicans condemned the New Deal as poorly veiled socialism and gravitated toward a new domestic policy of conservatism.</p> <p> </p> <p>The platform stuck with American voters and conservatism became the party's new rallying flag. By intermingling their pro-business roots and right-wing social policies, the Republican Party indoctrinated the now aging vanguard of the GOP's constituents, the renowned Greatest Generation. Today, the Republican Party still supports big business and social conservatism, but the party defines their brand more frequently through social policies, an agenda that is beginning to fall out of touch with the younger Republicans and American public opinion. The disparity between party agenda and public interest led to the now famous (infamous?) <a href="http://growthopp.gop.com/%E2%80%8E">autopsy report</a> after Mitt Romney's and Paul Ryan's defeat.</p> <p> </p> <p>Post-Romney/Ryan defeat, Republicans ordered an autopsy report on their '12 campaign season. The report, entitled the <em>Growth and Opportunity Project</em> exposed several large anachronisms and rifts in the party. To quote directly from the report: "These are voters who recently left the Party [sic]. Asked to describe Republicans, they said that the Party is 'scary,' 'narrow-minded,' and 'out of touch" and that we were a Party of 'stuffy old men.' This is consistent with the findings of other post-election surveys." The report continues, encouraging the "Party" to reconsider its position on immigration, gay marriage and corporate welfare, all positions the party has taken staunchly conservative and vocal positions on. The autopsy reporters don't outright criticize the party's backward politics but the message is clear: Change or get left behind.</p> <p> </p> <p>The autopsy extensively studied the relationship between young voters and Republicans, urging Republicans to not ignore young voters. In response, the Young College Republicans took it upon themselves to find out what it would take to staunch the young voter hemorrhage. Their <a href="http://images.skem1.com/client_id_32089/Grand_Old_Party_for_a_Brand_New_Generation.pdf">report</a> (<em>Grand Ole Party for a Brand New Generation</em>) is equally critical of the current status of the GOP and advocates as radical (if not more so) a transformation.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Seducing the youth</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>The Republican party suffers consistently from its inability to update their policies in sync with the social zeitgeist. While Democrats are conveniently positioned to write off any of its <a href="http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/joebiden/a/bidenisms.htm">Biden-esque</a> outbursts as impassioned, filled-with-the-spirit-of-civil-liberties idealization, Republicans’ outspoken foot-in-mouth occurrences submit the party to accusations of exclusivity, bigotry, and sexism. The social mantle that Republicans appear hellbent on upholding has wedded their policies with that of the oppressor, making moments like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Davis_%28politician%29">Rick Perry vs. Wendy Davis</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/todd-akin-provokes-ire-with-legitimate-rape-comment.html?_r=0">Todd Akin on rape</a>, or <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/25/nevada-republican-2014-will-be-great-for-us-because-minorities-wont-vote/">Pat Hickey on minorities</a> and young voters so injurious to the party's image and a reflex foe of the educated youth.</p> <p> </p> <p>Romney/Ryan lost the young vote by <a href="http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php">5 million</a>, an impressive number when considering the popular vote was decided by &lt; 5 million. In response to this deficit, the Republican party quickly pledged to rework the party's appeal and entice young voters back to the fold. From the autopsy: "This is not a unique take—the general view of Republicans is that Obama’s success with young voters is a product of some intrinsic “cool” he possesses. If the GOP can mimic that cool, the argument goes, then they’ll make inroads with young people." Something about "stuffy old men" learning how to "mimic that cool" from America's black president strikes a pleasant note on the funny bone. Coolness might be a Sisyphean feat for Republicans; however, young Republicans are confident their party can "make inroads" by amending some of their more antiquated policies. And for many young Republicans, this means a radical shift on social issues.</p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2Republicans%20%28DonkeyHote%20Flickr%29.jpg" style="height:323px; width:650px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Alex Smith, National Chair of the College Republican National Committee, was asked by party leaders to <a href="http://swampland.time.com/2013/06/07/once-strident-college-republicans-now-seek-moderate-tone-for-the-gop/">meet and discuss</a> committee findings as detailed in Grand Ole Party for a brand new generation. She reports that she found her party's leaders to be receptive, but hesitant to change their platforms at the risk of losing their core constituency. However, college Republicans, said Smith, quickly took to the new direction and echoed the desire for their party to practice tolerance in regards to social issues such as gay marriage, abortion and cannabis legalization. For these young Republicans, the party needs to explain "what we are for and not just what we are against." The Republican party tendency to self-define through negation (Republicans are often referred to as the "party of no") doesn't provide a clear message for young voters. Smith believes that by removing emphasis on social issues and introducing more diversity into the party while maintaining nonsocial conservative platforms (fiscal conservatism, namely), Republicans would begin to close the 5 million youth vote gap.</p> <p> </p> <p>Republicans received the autopsy in March 2013 and the College Republican follow-up in June, which resulted in widespread party dialogue about reworking the brand image according to the findings in both reports. Now, nearly half a year later and a year out from mid-terms, the Grand Ole Party status quo prevails.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Republican race against time </strong></p> <p> </p> <p>A large consortium of Republicans’ core constituency falls under (or is fast approaching) the <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/23/1216898/-Demographic-winter-Republicans-ensuring-their-own-demise">65 and older demographic</a>, retirees concerned with the solvency of entitlement programs that identify with the socially conservative platforms Republicans touted for many years. Needless to say, these foundations are a bit fragile and don't strengthen the Republican party’s prospects in the future. The other core group, hardline Christians, hinders Republican rebranding by refusing to yield on subjects such as gay marriage or abortion. If candidates opt to pander to evangelicals (as many 2016 GOP hopefuls <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-12/politics/39210844_1_rand-paul-younger-paul-ron-paul">already have</a>) and aged Foxed News enthusiasts (ditto) then they run the risk of seeming too conservative to moderates, a voter demographic no presidential candidate can afford to ostracize themselves from.</p> <p> </p> <p>In addition, the Republican party must mind their donors and constituency. Since campaign donors and constituents predated both the autopsy and YCR report, changing social policy may mean losing campaign dollars and votes (something, frankly, many Republicans cannot afford). Like venture capitalists choosing a profit-turning startup over an undeveloped startup with higher potential, Republican representatives are more apt to opt for the pre-established constituency instead of risking a potentially high-yielding voter demographic (the Hispanic vote) at the expense of alienating their base. While continuing to rely on the core constituency and creative gerrymandering (an outdated term, maybe Bachmanning is more appropriate) suffices for Republican policymakers currently in office, it does a tremendous disservice to the generation looking to follow in their footsteps.</p> <p> </p> <p>And so, the Republican party finds themselves at a grim rebranding crossroads, where Inactivity seriously harms the future prospects of the party.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Republican Party, Tea-Stained</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>The largest thorn in the considerably pricked Republican party machine's side has to be the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement">Tea party</a>. The Tea party grew out of proposed budget cuts for Medicare in 2009 (or out of the ashes of Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign) and has morphed into a party that enjoys pitting the rights of the aged against the rights of the youth among various other snipe-style political stunts. Tea party members ape libertarian ideals of limited government and spending (yet they ardently fight for Medicare and senior entitlement programs) but otherwise lack any solid identity, posing more as a decentralized movement than a party adhering to a strict agenda. What the various splinters of the Tea party do agree on is governance in harmony with the Constitution and unspoken qualifications for membership: White, male, god-fearing, married and over the age of 55.</p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumcruz_0.jpg" style="height:325px; width:650px" /></p> <p>The Tea party is conventionally viewed as the small, more radical component of the Republicans, but lately, Tea party members are pitting themselves against the Republican establishment with candidates of their own and they have some significant financial backers. Now, Majority Leader Boehner and the established Republican party members face an additional obstacle when it comes to keeping up the longstanding prominence of the Republican party. Large corporations are <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/us/politics/in-alabama-race-a-test-of-business-efforts-to-derail-tea-party.html">stepping in</a> to assist with the battle against the rabid Tea party faction, but this rift within the party is sparking major concern in younger party donors who fear omens of a house divided. Now, as the party begins to show signs of volatility at the doorstep, many regular Republican donors are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/06/republican-donors-government-shutdown_n_4054958.html">balking</a> or hedging their bets</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Heritage action defects</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>Since the Reagan administration, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation">Heritage Foundation</a> functions as a policy influencing vehicle for conservative corporate agendas; it continues in this capacity today. As of late, the Heritage Foundation assumed a more conservative stance, attacking Republicans who were (purportedly) too close to the center and not representative of true Republican conservatism. To the surprise of no one, the Heritage Foundation and their advocacy branch, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Action">Heritage Action</a>, have recently aligned themselves with the Tea party, placing one of their most vocal members, ex-Senator <a href="http://blogs.ajc.com/jay.../12/.../jim-demint-tea-party-champion-leaving-senate/%E2%80%8E">Jim DeMint</a>, at the Foundation's helm in 2012.</p> <p> </p> <p>To add to Boehner's Republican woes, the Heritage Action has resorted to <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/the-fall-of-the-heritage-foundation-and-the-death-of-republican-ideas/279955/">smear campaigns against Republicans</a> that haven't observed the Heritage's metric for adequate conservatism, especially in regards to Obamacare. More than 100 house Republicans found themselves in the Heritage's crosshairs, an act which, for many GOP staffers, borders on party insurrection.</p> <p> </p> <p>However, not all Republicans suffer under Heritage Action's bullying. According to the Heritage Action scorecard, several hyper-conservative Republicans receive top marks. On top of the scorecard sits Tea party mascot Senator Ted Cruz, with a perfect score (4 percentage points higher than the other 2016 hopeful, Rand Paul). Whether Sen. Cruz dictates the Heritage Action's scorecard or Heritage Action dictates Sen. Cruz is fodder for Maddow, but what does rate, however, is the serious backing given to an oft-swatted gadfly like Sen. Cruz, a political figure whom many write off as a charlatan without any presidential contender clout (of course, many others point at the showdown between Cruz and Boehner as the reason for the expensive government shutdown).</p> <p> </p> <p>Heritage Action's power play is another omen of inner-party strife. Not only is the Tea party threatening to bring down the Republican establishment from within, one of the Republican party's most famous and most influential backers has defected to join the ranks of their destroyers. The Heritage/Tea party assault turns rebranding into a gamble if one considers that a Republican rebranding (and inevitable break from the Tea party) may result in losing their core constituents to Cruz and company, effectively splitting the conservative vote. It's quite the dilemma: How can Republicans avoid losing their base to their more conservative counterparts and still garner enough support to overcome the Democrats?</p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumteaparty%20%28Jackie%20M%20Barr%29_0.jpg" style="height:600px; width:404px" /></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Is this goodbye?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>What remains certain as Senator Ted Cruz props himself up during the 21st hour of his filibuster, preparing his anti-Obamacare closing statements and basking in the ire of his party members, is that the Democrats are in control. Blame for the government shutdown shifted onto the Republicans and while Democrats quietly toe their party lines, Republicans are venturing dangerously close to a boiling point. Although the Democrats aren't without their flaws (unpopular movement against Syria and NSA leaks have flung the Dems into their share of political imbroglios), the Republican party is too immersed in suturing their own inner-party rifts to benefit from Democratic failures.</p> <p> </p> <p>Five months after the two reports were released and the Republican party finished licking their 2012 wounds, the GOP has not adjusted to the prognosis of their advisors, strategists and youth. Instead, Boehner seems to be steering his party into the center of the square, with the Tea Party and Heritage Foundation pulling on the party's legs and old donors and youth pulling on their hands. If the Republican party doesn't find some way to fight those that pull and reassemble the troops, they may find themselves quartered.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong><br /> <em>Tyler Huggins is a contributing writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Photos: House GOP Leader (Flickr); Donkey Hote (Flickr); Jackie M. Barr (Flickr).</strong></em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republican-party" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republican Party</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/gop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">GOP</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/romney-2" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">romney</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/paul-ryan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Paul Ryan</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/abraham-lincoln" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Abraham Lincoln</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ronald-reagan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ronald Reagan</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/george-w-bush-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">george w bush</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/john-boehner" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">john boehner</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ted-cruz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ted cruz</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tea-party" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Tea Party</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Tyler Huggins</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:26:12 +0000 tara 3884 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/3210-rise-and-fall-republican-party#comments