Full disclosure, I voted for W in 2000, hated Al Gore, rooted against Hillary in the NY state US Senate race, wished Ted Kennedy would just die, hoped Tom Daschle would get ousted, thought Rush made more sense than Maxine Waters and 100% supported the Iraq War until the moment the statue fell. And, then...then the cold hard reality hit me. The GOP were scum. They milked that war for profit, turned a blind eye to the sodomizing of POW (if not even encouraged it), lied endlessly--basically pissing on our heads and telling us it was raining gold--and eventually ****ed up everything from the Iraq occupation to the American economy.
But, were they truly despicable back then though? Nah. Not yet. The GOP didn't cross that line until later. I'd say the party became puke-worthy during the election of 2008. And, the lead puke was named Sarah. The big haired bimbo was the harbinger of the Orange Buffoon. She was the mascot for Deplorables before anyone even thought to call them deplorable.
So, whenever was that exact night, during the fall of 2008, when Palin made her first nationally televised speech...that was the moment when the GOP became despicable. Can I get an Amen?
Palin in my book was a spaced out wacko. Why McCain picked her is beyond anyone's ability to fathom. But I wouldn't say the Republican Party became despicable in 2008. McCain, Romney, Thompson, Giuliani, others who went after the nomination were pretty main stream. At least by Republican standards. Even in 2012, you had the Republican mainstream vying for the nomination.
Now the GOP has had a history of having factions within it that weren't mainstream, out there on the fringe. Some even won nominations to the senate. All of them lost in the general though. Now what I think is despicable is the nomination of Trump as the GOP standard bearer. That was accomplished with approximately 35% of Republicans voting for him in a very crowded field. It really amazed me that the Republican Party would turn to an eight time party switcher who just became a Republican in 2012 with a long history of supporting liberal Democrats. Now on the other hand I also think it was despicable that the Democratic Party nominated Hillary. I suppose that means I think both major parties are despicable. I probably do come to think about. When the good of a political party over rides the good for the nation, yes, that qualifies as despicable.
Right now the GOP is having an identity crisis. I would say right now about half of the Republican Party members or those who identify themselves as Republicans have climbed aboard the Trump train. Another quarter support him as he is better than any democrat, especially a democrat named Hillary Clinton. This quarter is still in the train station, they haven't climbed aboard the Trump Train, but they aren't leaving the station and abandoning Trump either. Of the remaining 25% you do have the never Trumpers, those who oppose Trump, probably half of that remaining 25% with the other half willing to dethrone Trump if another Republican replaces him.
This isn't seen in Washington as those in congress, the house and the senate know Trump is president and carries the R label. Even if they oppose Trump, which I think many do. They are afraid to cross him, to come out in opposition to him publicly. To do so would probably lose the portion of the Republican voters who are avid Trumpers and thus their seat in congress, Washington.
I do think this midterm may bring about a realignment within the GOP. Help solve their identify crisis. It looks if the trends continue we will have a Democratic wave sweeping into Washington in November. For the Republican Party, the key to solving their identity crisis is which GOP congressmen and senators lose. Will it be those who are avid supporters of Trump or those who aren't. Does the GOP revert back to the party of Reagan, Bush, even McCain and Romney, the lifelong Republicans and their proper conservative ideals or does it turn into the populist, nationalist, nativist party of the eight time party switcher who is a Republican in name only because he carries that party's label..
Regardless of what happens, it will be most interesting.