The central paradox of today’s GOP is that it both whines and swaggers. The paradox, however, is easily explained. The party swaggers because it is run by and for testosterone-drenched white men; it whines because they know they are losing, as a result of demographic and economic changes.
In this landscape, Donald Trump, with his allegations about voter fraud and the rigged election, fits perfectly. You would think that the GOP would drop someone who had just lost an election by seven million votes, and probably directly cost them the Senate, like a hot potato. Instead, he is serving as a stand-in for their grievances about the changing world. They are embracing him as a loser instead of running away from him.
It’s a dangerous picture, because it leads to attempts to enshrine minority rule, either by breaking or gaming the system. There are no other obvious alternatives except mass surrender.