“Nothing succeeds like success.” “Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” And “nobody knows you when you’re down and out” (according to Eric Clapton, at least). And yet, the GOP appears to be immune to these sort of commonsensical clichés. Donald Trump is now the definition of a loser: a one-term president who lost both the House and the Senate. But instead of being chastened by him, Republicans are chasing him.
Nobody was clamoring for more Jimmy Carter in 1981 or more George H. W. Bush in 1993. Instead, the goal is usually to read the room and get on with it, already. Not even Al Gore or Hillary Clinton—presidential losers who actually won the popular vote—inspired any serious efforts to draft them into another race.
In the wake of Mitt Romney’s 2012 loss, GQ asked me for a song that summed up my feelings about the end of the campaign. My response? “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away),” by Mötley Crüe. It was pure snark, but most Republicans I knew—even the ones who had championed Romney—understood (and shared) the sentiment.
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In the spring of 2013, the Republican National Committee came out with their famous “autopsy,” which was billed as the “most comprehensive post-election review” ever made after an electoral defeat. Republicans would go on to ignore almost all of the document’s important recommendations (like becoming a kinder, gentler, more inclusive party). But at least there was a short-lived attempt to learn from the loss. The same can’t be said for 2020, when the only lesson derived from Donald Trump’s defeat seems to be to give me more of that!
It’s hard to imagine anyone would quibble with this analysis. If so, the first piece of evidence to support it is that only five GOP senators think Trump’s impeachment trial is constitutional. Five. If you want to know which side knows they are winning and which side knows they are losing, just look at Senators Pat Toomey and Rob Portman—generally thought to be serious, center-right leaders—who have recently announced they won’t run for re-election. (Note: I’m grading on a curve here; Portman wasn’t even one of the five to vote against the motion saying that impeachment against Trump is unconstitutional.)
The remaining sane Republicans who aren’t ready to retire have concluded that their only means of survival is to acquiesce. Marco Rubio recently called the idea of impeaching Trump “stupid.” And former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who clearly has presidential aspirations, said we should “move on” and “give the man a break” The man in question, of course, is the guy who incited a riot of people who wanted to kill his own vice president.
Institutionally, the inmates are now running the asylum. Liz Cheney is facing censure from the Wyoming Republican Party. The Hawaii GOP sent out a tweet calling QAnon believers “patriots.” The Oregon state party sent out a tweet calling the Capitol insurrection a “false-flag” operation. The Texas GOP used the Q slogan, “We are the storm.” And the Arizona GOP officially censured Cindy McCain, Jeff Flake, and Gov. Doug Ducey—you know, the only Republicans who have actually won statewide elections in the state—for daring to criticize Trump (who lost their state). In some instances, there has been pushback.
For example, the Hawaii tweet was deleted, and the official who sent it has resigned. But, generally speaking, they’re letting their freak flag fly. This is even true at Fox News, the GOP’s media arm, where Chris Stirewalt, an election forecaster on the decision desk at Fox News, was fired after (correctly) calling Arizona for Biden. Meanwhile, Maria Bartiromo, one of the most Trumpy Fox Business hosts, is auditioning for the 7 p.m. spot at Fox News. You don’t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.
In contrast to the retiring senators Toomey and Portman, consider the Republicans who look to be aggressive and ascendant. Former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been endorsed by Trump for her gubernatorial race in Arkansas. In what could turn out to be the ultimate poetic justice, Ivanka Trump is rumored to be interested in primarying Rubio in Florida.
Meanwhile, lesser presidential daughter-in-law Lara Trump seems likely to jump into the North Carolina Senate race. Meanwhile, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz went on offense, traveling to Wyoming on Thursday to attack Cheney. And although disturbing revelations keep trickling out about Georgia’s QAnon congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, the odds seem much greater that the GOP will punish Cheney for saying that Trump incited an insurrection rather than punishing Greene for her insane tweets and remarks.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but it bears repeating that Donald Trump’s Republican Party managed to lose the presidency, the Senate, and the House. Likewise, important states like Arizona and Georgia not only flipped from red to blue at the presidential level but also accounted for the net gain of four Democratic senators. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of voters are reportedly dropping their Republican affiliation in the wake of the Capitol insurrection. And, again, only five GOP senators are immune to Trump Fever. When are we getting a vaccine for that?
The usual disclaimer—past performance may not be indicative of future results—applies. Indeed, during normal times, history suggests that the GOP should have very good mid-term elections in 2022. But recent trends also suggest that a) the GOP will continue to radicalize, and b) this will cost them at the ballot box—even if that just means winning fewer seats than they might otherwise have won. When this inevitably happens, there is no guarantee that the market will work and the GOP will respond to incentives and correct itself. We are seeing that play out in real time. These are not rational actors, and their incentives are at least as perverse as their behavior.
Not only is the GOP going mad, they are also clinging to a failed political leader and a losing electoral strategy. And if you think my calling them insane is too harsh, remember that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
In 2016, we might have thought this strategy to be “crazy like a fox.” Today, it just looks crazy... like Fox (News).
This is not your father’s Grand Old Party. It’s the GOP gone wild!
