Readers: The entries in this blog are built around the assumption there will be a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution, a list of earlier revolutions and the author, Entry #1. 

Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether a revolution in the US is possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US.  Entry #400 was the most recent “sense check.” 

ENTRY #410 BEGINS: Entries #407-#409 focused on the need for and how to begin rebuilding the Republican Party. Legislation proposed or enacted by several states has left little doubt about the need for a new Republican Party.

After losing the 2020 presidential election, did Republicans throughout the US focus on offering new ideas to attract voters?  No!  Instead of expanding the appeal of the Party, Republicans made being a Republican even more illogical for all but the hard right.  Since the election, Republicans have focused on making voting more difficult.  Well, making it more difficult only if you’re not white.  As if restricting voting weren’t enough for Jim Crow, the Georgia legislature passed and the Governor signed a bill that allows the legislature to discard election results in Georgia counties that the legislators don’t like.

Oh, that county voted for a Democrat?  Well, there must be fraud in that county so let’s throw out the results and declare the Republican the winner.  Henceforth, we Republican legislators think it is our right to decide who wins and who loses elections in Georgia. You voters, especially “those people,” are not worthy of deciding.

And while we’re at it, why don’t we make it a crime in Georgia for you to share some water with one of “those people” who is standing in line to vote.  Gee, we almost forgot.  Want an absentee ballot?  Let’s make getting an absentee ballot more difficult, especially if you live in the wrong neighborhood.  And then let’s restrict the number of drop-off locations. 

If you decide to protest, even the most mild of protests, we’ll arrest you.  You know, we legislators had to arrest that Black state representative who knocked on the door while the esteemed Georgia governor was signing this necessary legislation.  You know, don’t you, she’s a terrorist!  She’s more dangerous than any of the patriots who tried to save the country by invading the US Capitol January 6.  I, mean, she wasn’t armed but she had that look of evil in her eye.  She could have killed everyone in the room with a single swipe of her hand.  She deserved to be arrested, handcuffed and booked.

Like many citizens, I was frustrated, but not surprised by these actions in Georgia.  I also was prompted to ask myself, “Who was the last Republican president that had some ideas to improve the country for everyone?“  Trump? No. Bush 43? No. Remember Bush 43 try to privatize Social Security. Bush 41? Maybe but nothing stands out.

Reagan? No. Reagan was all about tax cuts for the wealthy and trashing those mythical welfare queens. Remember, according to Reagan, government is not the solution; government is the problem. Gerald Ford? OK guy but he was really in cleanup mode as president. Most of his accomplishments were as Speaker of the House.

Whoa Bubba, Now, we’re back to Nixon.  Yes Nixon, the Republican president who resigned in disgrace and was pardoned by his successor.  As bad as Nixon was for lots of reasons, he also signed legislation creating the Environmental Protection Agency. He proposed affirmative action in the Federal government and began diplomatic relations with China.  Much of the US population benefitted from those actions. 

One has to go back to Eisenhower for a legislation by a Republican that benefitted the vast majority of Americans and fundamentally changed society – creation of the Interstate Highway system. 

Given the nearly 50-year lack of Republican presidents shepherding meaningful legislation that benefitted the populous, why should anyone be surprised about the behavior of today’s Republicans? The problem for Republicans is the core of the Party is old white guys who spend the day watching Fox.  These guys are dying and the younger generations aren’t buying the same line of BS.

Given the obvious outcome of this approach, has the attitude of Republican leadership been to try and change the message of the Republican Party? Try and make the message more consistent with Eisenhower and Nixon? No, let'[s not change. Let’s just double down on voter suppression of anyone who doesn’t watch Fox or isn’t white.

A good timely example is Republican’s opposition to the Biden administration proposal to radically upgrade travel and communications infrastructure in the US.  The proposal has widespread approval ratings among the voters, with some polls indicating 50% support among Republican voters.  So, what does Mitch McConnell, ranking Republican in the Senate proclaim?  The hell with what voters want. I, Mitch McConnell, king proclaim no Republican will support this proposal.   Mitch, here’s a piece of advice, go see a proctologist and have your head relocated to the proper spot on your body.

The strategy of McConnell and the Republican Party on the infrastructure proposal, climate change and many other proposals that could benefit a wide swath of the US population is like trying to bail out a leaky boat with a coffee cup. The problem is the leak continues to get bigger. You might stave off the inevitable for a while, but the boat is going to sing sink. 

Republican actions are also likely to increase the likelihood and even intensify the Revenge Revolution. People who are suppressed are not going to stand by idly by, especially if they’ve experienced not being suppressed.  Just in case you Republicans haven’t heard, Jim Crow left town.

You Republicans also are starting to lose the business community. Major League baseball announced the 2021 All-Star game will be relocating outside Georgia.  Companies with HQ in Georgia and Texas, which is in the process of passing Georgia-like legislation, have publicly stated strong opposition the vote-suppression measures.  Among a long list of companies are Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Dell Computer and a growing list of others.

As far as members of the working class who supported Trump and Republicans, Biden has done more for the working class in less than 3 months in office than Trump did in four years. At some point, and I thought it would be a long time ago, the working class is going to wake up and realize how little the Republican Party has done for them. An egregious example of how Trump and the Republican Party screwed the little guy is detailed in a NYT article titled “How Trump Steered Supporters into Unwitting Donations.”

So, who’s going to be left in the Republican Party?  Some old white guys and the younger white supremacists.  Principled Republicans have no place to go and Republican leadership in Congress is unwilling to recognize reality.  Democrats need to reach out to the more principled Republicans. Most Republicans in Congress are likely to resist the offer, but at some point the Romney‘s, Murkowski‘s and Collins’ of the world will begin to acknowledge and accept their responsibility to form a new principled Republicans Party and that Democrats can help, even if behind the scenes.

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