John, I'm curious if there was any discussion about how we, the politically homeless, can reconcile with the Republican base that has gone MAGA? Trump didn't create the alt-right, but he did mainstream it and leverage it to take over the GOP, just as the far left woke-ists have taken over the Democrat Party. If we don't figure out a way to reach Trump supporters, at least the sane ones, the alt-right maga crowd will just continue the crazy train ride even after Trump eventually leaves the scene.
There were definitely dueling views on what the GOP will look like after Trump is eventually gone. Some believe the MAGA-fication of the party will carry on and potentially even worsen, while others believe that Trump leaving will, at minimum, begin a healing process for the party. I tend to believe the latter. I don't expect the party to suddenly snap back to Reagan Republicanism, but I do think some conservative principles will slowly be rediscovered and re-popularized... with some work. I think Trump is quite unique in his demagogic appeal, and that the spell he has cast on the GOP can't simply be transferred to other political leaders (at least at the national level) in an effectively sustainable way.
What a lot of speakers at the event did agree on is that we should continue to fight hard for conservative principles (with sound arguments), and offer a soft, welcoming landing to those who do break free of Trump's spell.
One good thing in our favor is that Trump is such a narcissist, he will not groom a successor to the maga movement. Any such person would draw his ire and derision as soon as they start getting more attention than Trump himself. So, the maga crowd will likely splinter into factions, some of which may "come home" to mainstream conservative politics.
Thanks for the glimmer of hope, John. Truly.
John, I'm curious if there was any discussion about how we, the politically homeless, can reconcile with the Republican base that has gone MAGA? Trump didn't create the alt-right, but he did mainstream it and leverage it to take over the GOP, just as the far left woke-ists have taken over the Democrat Party. If we don't figure out a way to reach Trump supporters, at least the sane ones, the alt-right maga crowd will just continue the crazy train ride even after Trump eventually leaves the scene.
There were definitely dueling views on what the GOP will look like after Trump is eventually gone. Some believe the MAGA-fication of the party will carry on and potentially even worsen, while others believe that Trump leaving will, at minimum, begin a healing process for the party. I tend to believe the latter. I don't expect the party to suddenly snap back to Reagan Republicanism, but I do think some conservative principles will slowly be rediscovered and re-popularized... with some work. I think Trump is quite unique in his demagogic appeal, and that the spell he has cast on the GOP can't simply be transferred to other political leaders (at least at the national level) in an effectively sustainable way.
What a lot of speakers at the event did agree on is that we should continue to fight hard for conservative principles (with sound arguments), and offer a soft, welcoming landing to those who do break free of Trump's spell.
One good thing in our favor is that Trump is such a narcissist, he will not groom a successor to the maga movement. Any such person would draw his ire and derision as soon as they start getting more attention than Trump himself. So, the maga crowd will likely splinter into factions, some of which may "come home" to mainstream conservative politics.