Who’s the Next GOP's Bogeywoman?

When Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she is stepping down from the Democratic leadership position, the response by the vapid, classless, near brain-dead Republican leader, soon to be Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, was predictable. “We have fired Nancy Pelosi,” he declared triumphantly as he made it personal. Such statesmanship! Such grace!

That’s who he is. That’s what the Republican Party is.

Republicans as a matter of policy have had a long history of being anti-women from health care to raising the minimum wage to childcare to abortion rights and everything in between. The “grab ‘em by the p***y” former president offered the anti-woman crowd hope. Right wing media with the likes of Tucker Carlson and the late Rush Limbaugh have pushed the misogyny along.

Over the past few decades, the Republican Party bludgeoned Hillary Clinton with their misinformation and disinformation. The campaign against Ms. Clinton had been relentless and began in earnest before she was the First Lady.

Conspiracy theories sprung up like April dandelions. There was absolutely no stopping these baseless onslaughts. But thanks to social media, people believed she was running a pedophilia ring out of a D.C. pizza joint and other nutty stuff.

When Ms. Clinton ran for president in 2016 the GOP had laid such a foundation of negativity that it was almost impossible to overcome, even as she was pitted against a dimwit, narcissistic TV personality and lying conman. Her missing emails became the equivalent of a nuclear attack. 

Her role as Secretary of State under President Obama in the Benghazi debacle was investigated over and over again with nothing substantive to report. And who could forget Trump’s never ending moniker "Crooked Hillary "?

The Republicans also attacked Nancy Pelosi ruthlessly over the years. As is in the case of Ms. Clinton, the GOP couldn’t bear the fact the country had a strong, intelligent woman as a leader. This treatment emboldened the Speaker. She stood up to Trump on numerous occasions and embarrassed the former president with her antics at meetings and at the State of the Union Address.

So vitriolic the Republican Party has been towards, Ms. Pelosi, she was hunted down by the members of the violent mob Trump incited on January 6. “Oh Nancy. Nancy? Where are you, Nancy.”

And last month a nutcase broke into her home in San Francisco looking for her to kidnap and perhaps break her kneecaps and wound up banging her husband with a hammer.

A champion of women and children’s issues, Speaker Pelosi fought for legislation in an attempt to level the playing field for women. She constantly held her caucus together—no small accomplishment given the disparate ideological wings of the party. And the thing that provides her with a great deal of satisfaction has been the progress in seating a more diverse Congress.

“When I came to the Congress in 1987, there were 12 Democratic women.  Now, there are over 90.  And we want more!,” she said during her floor speech on November 17 where she announced her future plans.

Yes, the Republicans have pummeled the likes of Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi for electoral reasons. But make no mistake, the main motivation is fundraising. The GOP has probably raised billions over the years off of these two strong women by a base that is not onboard with strong women leading the country.

Now with Hillary Clinton out of the limelight for the most part and Nancy Pelosi serving out her term as a member of Congress and not the leader, who will be the next Republican bogeywoman?

Republicans have been going after Gretchen Whitmer,  AOC and other members of the "Squad."

Now all eyes will soon turn to Vice President Kamala Harris. She has already taken shots by the Republicans since her term, but will they intensify? It could be at their peril because attacking the first ever African American and female vice president in the manner they attacked these other powerful women may not be received well by suburban women, young people and independents among other groups.

It will happen though. It’s who they are.

GOP: Don’t Blame Trump, Blame Yourselves

The votes haven’t all been counted yet so that which party will control the House of Representatives remains unclear.  The Senate is officially blue, however. What is known is that the nearly unanimous expected “red wave” did not materialize. In fact, the only red seen is the color of the faces of those embarrassed pundits, right wing media, and other Republican cheerleaders who confidently predicted otherwise.

Instead of the “bloodbath” that Donnie Dipshit, Jr. declared on Twitter on election night, the Dems will likely hold the Senate and perhaps increase their position by an extra seat pending the outcome of the Georgia runoff on December 6. They have a steep climb to retain their majority in the House but the Democrats are still mathematically in it. Even if they don’t quite get there, the GOP will be in control but with the slightest of margins, which will give them political migraines for at least two years. Donald Trump, Jr.’s tweet did not age well.

But Junior was not alone. No Republican (or Democrat for that matter) predicted this shocker.  To be clear, the polls leading up to Election Day (now Week) indicated that inflation and the economy was the number one issue and that would, as well as historical precedent, gerrymandering and the unpopularity of the president, be a burden on the party in power.

It didn’t.

Rather, the Republican controlled Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case that essentially overturned Roe v. Wade angered women and young people. Democrats also realized how our democracy was on the ballot as hundreds of election deniers and conspiracy nuts were running for offices at all levels.

They voted in great numbers their fury at the SCOTUS ruling and in the need to protect democracy. Republicans incorrectly assumed that Dobbs was sufficiently distanced in the rear-view mirror, as well as the horrors of January 6 and that the energy would fade. The predicted red wave would wash over the country; just a lot of embarrassment and finger pointing resulted instead.

Then there was the Trump effect. The former president was not on the ballot, but he might as well have been. He encouraged potential candidates at all levels who were mini-Trumps and who bended their knees to him to run in primaries. To be sure, these weren’t the best candidates the Republican Party could have recruited, e.g., Herschel Walker. Cringing at this roster, party leaders crossed their fingers that the red wave would be too strong, and that inflation would trump the inexperience, incompetence and extremism that the mini-Trumps possessed.

Most lost their elections, not just in Congress but gubernatorial races, state legislatures and secretaries of state candidates were defeated. There were some victories, of course, but not enough to propel a red wave.

So, with eggs on their faces, the humbled and humiliated Republican establishment has finally begun to recognize that Donald Trump is an albatross. After all, he has been linked to Congressional losses in 2018, lost the presidential race and Senate in 2020 and now may have contributed to thwarting the red wave.

With Governor Ron DeSantis’ crushing victory in Florida, he instantly became the new darling of the party in some quarters. Seeing a replacement for Trump as the leader of the party on the horizon, some Republicans and right-wing media, such as FOX News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post have cast the loser label on Trump and are edging away from him. They are blaming him for the failure to capitalize on rising prices and an unpopular president.

Certainly, much of the blame should be leveled at Trump. He chose, endorsed and appeared at rallies on behalf of loyalists to him rather than qualified, competent candidates. Mehmet Oz’s defeat to John Fetterman in Pennsylvania that swung a former Republican seat into the Dem column was the singular most crushing example. Herschel Walker will be next come December.

However, the Republicans have themselves to blame for allowing Trump to go unfettered around the country choosing these people. Even Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, cringed at the lack of “candidate quality”. 

It started during the 2016 primaries when Trump made frequent racist and misogynous comments. He degraded John McCain and a Gold Star family, made fun of a disabled reporter and proceeded from there while president to the disgusting remarks surrounding Charlottesville where both sides including Nazis and KKK members contained “very fine people.”

Then there was the deadly violent insurrection in which Trump summoned and incited a mob to prevent the constitutionally mandated certification of votes at the Capitol on January 6.  Additionally, he participated in a fake elector scheme and in effect, tried to launch a coup.

After initial outrage by some Republicans to these events, they tried to whitewash them and hope that time would pass and that the insurrectionists were to be seen as tourists having a bad hair day. Heck, they wouldn’t even go along with a bipartisan commission to investigate the insurrection.

Thus, they let Trump with his 74 million votes he garnered to run the party. At the second impeachment trial that focused on Trump, Mitch McConnell could have easily whipped votes to convict Trump (he put the blame squarely on Trump during a post-impeachment speech) so that he would be automatically disqualified to run for federal office again. He wimped out.

Image: cartoonmovement.com

Now, the new dilemma for Republicans is Trump’s impending announcement to run again for president in 2024. They don’t want him to make such a declaration at least until the December 6 runoff. But Trump needs to act fast because he knows, as well as many legal observers, that indictments will be handed down in short order. He wants the cover of being a candidate to claim the indictments are partisan. It appears that’s his only defense.

The Republicans’ empowering him because of their fear of his base and allowing Trump to run loose to hand pick his sycophants in these midterm elections is the price one pays. It’s like allowing an unrestrained dog to roam your house only to find that he chewed on the furniture. Do you blame the dog or yourself for providing him the opportunity to do what dogs do?

It’s on you, Republicans, not Trump.

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I was in the minority, but back in May, I wrote a piece describing why the doom of the Democrats may be avoided in these midterms. You can read it here.

The Dems' Secret Weapon

It was the phrase heard around the world: “Legitimate Political Discourse.”  The violent and deadly January 6 insurrection was deemed unanimously by the Republican National Committee as “legitimate political discourse.” Wow!

Does this compare with Mitt Romney’s “47%” gaffe in which he said during a fundraiser as candidate in 2008 that 47% of the population is made up of people who believe they are “victims,” and are “dependent on government.”? That statement, which was untrue, was interpreted to mean that almost half the country were freeloaders. He lost.

Or is it as unifying for the opposition when Hillary Clinton said half of Trump supporters belong in “a basket of deplorables.”? That spawned t-shirts and other merchandise bought and worn by Trump supporters proudly proclaiming that they are deplorable. She lost.

Only time will tell if the RNC blunder will impact the political landscape. But it may have been the gift the Democrats sorely needed to help mitigate a potential disaster in the midterms.

With this characterization of January 6, the Republican Party should be branded as the party that condones political violence. Democrats must capitalize on the GOP flub. Plus, the censure of two Republican congressman—Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger—for sitting on the Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection and events leading up to it has caused a fissure within their own ranks.

Leaders like Mitch McConnell and Mike Pence acknowledged the legitimacy of the 2020 election and want their party to look forward and concentrate on the midterms rather than obsessing over an election that was lost.

Last year’s attack on the Capitol “was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next,” McConnell said.

"With this characterization of January 6, the Republican Party should be branded as the party that condones political violence." 

Others who are tethered to Trump’s big lie want to keep litigating the election. Sooner or later there will be an explosion.

The divergence in strategy will power the primaries between Trump cultists and other Republicans. Money will be spent on ads fighting each other that will leave less to be directed against their Democratic foes. Moreover, negative ads used against one another can be gleaned by Democratic candidates for their own advantage. And if Trump-backed candidates win, they are likely to make them defeatable in a general election because they will be so scary.

To be sure, the midterms can be catastrophic for Democrats regardless of Republican in-fighting. The historic nature of midterms does not bode well for the party that is occupying the White House during the first term. President Biden’s approval numbers have been dismal. Then you add in the political effects of Covid, increased inflation, higher gas prices, supply line issues, the inability to pass the blockbuster legislation package called Build Back Better, and other factors that lay at the feet—unjustifiably in most cases—of the current administration.

The GOP is oozing with confidence that they can re-take the House for sure and stand a good chance of capturing the Senate as well. For the reasons above they should feel giddy about their prospects.

But the Democrats have a secret weapon that won’t be a secret much longer: the Republicans themselves.

Republicans would be wise to drop Trump like his torn-up presidential documents into the toilet.
Though his base remains steadfast in their support, that fealty is beginning to leak fumes.  The Republican crazies like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Matt Gaetz, Madison Cawthorn and other Trump worshippers are going to help as well.

Another dynamic is the Supreme Court selection and confirmation process to fill Justice Breyer’s seat. This could be most critical politically in terms of the midterms and beyond. Joe Biden pledged to fill any vacancy with an African American woman, which would be the first such selection to the high court. It would add to his already historic endeavor with his choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate who ultimately became the first African American and Asian American Vice President.

Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Image

Having a Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court would, of course, stoke the base, which has soured on the President to a significant degree. In addition to the resurgence of enthusiasm that is expected from the nomination, it puts the Republican Party on a tightrope without a safety net.

No matter which person is nominated, she will undoubtedly be very qualified for the lifetime post. As they are prone to do, Republican senators will do their very best to stonewall the nominee, partake in rough questioning at the committee hearings and probably accuse her of being a socialist or radical—their go-to monikers.

However, in doing so, they could zealously appeal to the racist elements of the base and run the risk of appearing racists themselves. That will not only motivate the Democratic base but also turn off independents who the GOP is counting on in the fall.  The Dems could run on that alone.

In addition, the House Select Committee on January 6 will be holding hearings in a matter of weeks that will last for months revealing the causes of the events of January 6, who planned the insurrection, who paid for it and other details. It will also cover the attempted coup by Trump and his aides to retain power against the will of the people.

Some of the hearings are expected to take place in prime time and the nation can learn of the insidious plot to destroy our democracy. It promises to be compelling. None of these revelations will help the Republicans, especially those who are pro-Trump.

That brings us to another secret weapon the Democrats have at their disposal: Donald Trump himself. Though not on the ballot in 2022, the Democrats should still treat him as if he was. Trump will be challenged to navigate the myriad legal messes he’s in and that won’t be easy. A criminal indictment here and there could shake up the entire political landscape. Keep your eyes on Georgia.

Trump continues to be unhinged about the 2020 election in which he cannot bring himself to accept defeat. The big lie that the election was stolen from him is an utter disgrace and an embarrassment to the nation. But he is unrelenting. Sooner or later, you would think his people would be tired of his con game. But will they?

Unquestionably, the Democrats face enormous challenges in the midterms including Republican-led gerrymandering and voter suppression. You would be naïve to think there would be a positive outcome. Yet, between Republican overreach and obstructionism, divisions within the party, perceived racism if they attack the Supreme Court nominee and the continued gross behavior of Trump, you just don’t know for sure.

A lot can happen between now and November, but the GOP itself seems to be the Dems’ best weapon and hope.

The Republicans’ Descent into the Party of Hypocrisy

The Republicans call themselves the “Law and Order Party.” Yet House Republicans overwhelmingly opposed the punishment of one of former President Trump’s thugs Steve Bannon for spitting on a lawfully issued subpoena to testify before the January 6 House Select Committee.

They like to call themselves the “Party of Patriotism.” But mostly all Republican officials and a vast majority of the party’s membership deny the results of the free and fair 2020 presidential election following the demands from their cult leader Donald Trump. They not only publicly believe Trump’s Big Lie but they have continued to propagate it.

These folks don’t want the facts from the run-up of the January 6 insurrection—the largest attack on our citadel of democracy in centuries—to see the light of day lest that would affect the midterms in 2022. Note that Republicans who were elected and re-elected last November had no such concerns of “voter fraud” in their own races stemming from the same ballots!

They like to say how much they revere the American flag. Of course, many do. But they seem to have no problem that such flags and their attached poles were used as weapons during the insurrection on January 6, 2021that was incited by Trump to prevent the certification of the presidential election.

In that regard, they call themselves the party that supports the police—the Blue Line, Blue Lives Matter, etc. Yet again, when hundreds of police were attacked by lawless criminals using an array of weapons on January 6, the Republicans in both houses succeeded in preventing the establishment of a nonpartisan commission to investigate the domestic terrorism as the FBI characterized it and have tried to delegitimize the January 6 committee.  They also overwhelmingly refused to award medals to police heroes who put themselves on the line during the Capitol riot.

The GOP prides itself as the “Party of Fiscal Responsibility.” But wait, under President Trump the national debt ballooned to nearly $8 trillion, the highest in our history.

The Republicans are all about freedom and liberty. Very cool. Nonetheless, dozens of Republican controlled state legislatures have passed or are in the process of passing laws that impose major roadblocks to voting. Much of these laws are targeting Blacks and people of color thus denying or at least impeding their freedom to vote. Republicans in Congress have stymied voter protection laws. So much for freedom.

They see themselves as the “Party of Family Values.” But they balk at or mock Democratic attempts to provide child care, health care, nutritional services and economic relief to working families—all measures that would strengthen and keep families together.

Republicans consistently maintain that they are the “Pro-life Party.”  Whether it’s the GOP elected officials or their voters, they have eschewed wearing masks in public spaces and peddle misinformation about proven vaccines intended to curb serious illnesses and deaths attributed to Covid-19. They overwhelmingly support the death penalty, too.

And don’t get me started on their being the “Party of Morality.” This article would triple in size if I delved into that topic.

To be clear, some of these examples of hypocrisy began before Trump.  But Trump is the Republican Party. He has taken hypocrisy to new depths.  And the hypocrisy will continue during the Republicans’ ongoing quest for autocracy while our democracy will melt away like an Arctic glacier.