Surveys consistently show that the GOP rank-and-file do not support the entitlement cuts that are so beloved by the CLs, the donor class, and a large portion of the leadership. The politicians have responded to this as follows:
- Change the subject to the culture wars and hope that tribalism will overcome economic self-interest.
- If that doesn’t appear to be working, just lie about your program on the campaign trail.
Donald Trump ran against entitlement cuts (Obamacare excepted) in 2016. He has, however, filled his government with proponents of those very cuts. What happens if the GOP wins in 2020, or even in 2018?
The answer is obvious: Trump’s ability to lie will become an enormous asset to the GOP congressional leadership. By the time he’s done, his fans will believe that those Medicare cuts aren’t really cuts at all–they were needed to protect us from socialism and rampaging minorities and to keep the program solvent.