With this poisonous legacy in place, where does the GOP go now? Here are the possibilities:
- BECOME A RESPONSIBLE CENTER-RIGHT PARTY: After they won House seats in what a majority of Republican voters think was a rigged election in 2020? Don’t hold your breath.
- KEEP GAMING THE SYSTEM: Keep the unpopular ideas about regressive tax cuts, deregulation, and the culture war, but rely on the Electoral College, gerrymandering, and mild measures of vote suppression to remain relevant.
- ILLIBERAL DEMOCRACY: A more extreme and authoritarian version of #2. Ratchet up the vote suppression and gerrymandering, start imposing censorship, and further politicize law enforcement and the judiciary. With this degree of control, blue victories in national elections become impossible.
- OUTRIGHT FASCISM: The militias are brought under control and become an active wing of the party under the command of a charismatic leader.
The most likely outcomes at this point are #2 and #3. The only one that can be dismissed is #1, at least until the GOP experiences the kind of horrendous electoral defeat that did not occur last year.