As I’ve noted many times before, a stable liberal democracy requires a reasonable and constructive center-right party, and today’s GOP isn’t it. How would the party have to change to meet my standards, and how do we get to Point B from Point A?
As to the first question, here is the list:
- The GOP has to break from its anti-democratic, authoritarian wing;
- The GOP has to stop demonizing blue America and relying solely on its base in order to win elections; and
- The GOP has to give up the notion that tax cuts are always the answer, regardless of what the question is.
The only way the party will reform itself is if it continues to lose elections, preferably by large margins. There is a glimmer of hope on that point after the midterms. There is no sign, however, that Trump has lost his hold on at least a substantial portion of the reactionary base. Until that happens, there is little reason for optimism about the health of either the GOP or our political system.