Posted on 10/29/2016 5:43:33 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Republicans Rode Waves of Populism Until They Crashed the Party
Oct. 26, 2016 10:32 a.m. ET
Donald Trump seized on GOP’s failure to change enough to accommodate four decades of newcomers; a post-election split?
By Gerald F. Seib and Patrick O’Connor
When Donald Trump rode down an escalator at Trump Tower to launch his presidential campaign in June 2015, he began galvanizing a populist version of the Republican Party.
But he didn’t create it.
The GOP that carried Mr. Trump to the presidential nomination was formed by waves of new voters who washed onto Republican shores in the last four decades: George Wallace Southerners, Ronald Reagan Democrats, Pat Buchanan pitchfork populists and tea-party foot soldiers.
The Republican establishment was happy to have the votes of these newcomers, many from America’s working class, and accommodated their cultural preferences on social issues from guns to abortion to gay marriage. What the establishment didn’t do was adjust the GOP’s economic approach to match the populist impulses-or even seem to consider such a shift necessary.
Mr. Trump did. After entering the presidential race with just 3% to 5% support in national polls, he amplified the belief among millions of Republican newcomers that free-trade deals did more harm than good. He defended Social Security and Medicare benefits. He relentlessly voiced the fear that immigration shreds the economic and cultural well-being of the middle class.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
“Now GOPe is about to be swept away by tidal waves.”
I’m ready for it. Drain The Swamp, Mr. Trump!
Now it's time to kick the worthless bums into the garbage dump of history...
Unless of course they have committed crimes in which they'll be kicked into jail!
It’s not just any old immigration, but uncontrolled immigration (and news flash: Mexico turns out to care too — the fact that they would have doors on their side of the Wall is how Trump sold the president of Mexico on the idea).
And free trade? Well, how free in the long run can unbalanced trade be.
D.C. has been increasingly corrupt for nearly 30 years with incremental decline in every direction. The D.C. crowns of corruption and their disciples of deceit brought this on themselves.
Americans have been waiting for a leader like Trump for decades.
The authors forgot to add the Perotistas.
The Wall Street Journal helped create this populism with their backing of vile trade agreements & suicidal open borders polices. They can rot.
The times they are a-changing.
Wall Street has gotten unaccountably rich while actual salaries are in the doldrums.
Not really. The people spoke out and kicked what was it 700 democrats out of their seats. The globalist rhinos decided to do what they want no matter what they had promised in the election. Now the people are tired of being lied to and taking a different direction.
Drain the GOPe swamp.
2/3 of Republican voters thought the party had “betrayed” them before Trump entered the race. It’s what happens when you make promises have no intention of keeping over and over.
Main St. has paid the price for these trade deals & open borders.
Oh hogwash. 20 years ago the GOP itself was a whole different animal. It has been corrupting itself more and more every year. It is not that the population changed. The GOP did. And people are sick of it.
The GOPe made the mistake of thinking their Dedicated Conservative bloc would be as lethargic as the Democrats’ most faithful voting bloc, Blacks. It worked for a while, but it became obvious to conservatives that GOPe “conservatism” was only visible during election season and disappeared as soon as their Senators and Congressmen returned to D. C. It frayed during the Bush years and became unbearable during the candidacies of McCain and Romney. It’s time that a Disruptor shakes things up across the board. Donald J. Trump qualifies for that role.
Yeah... people’s money has rushed, like fools, into these things. What has been happening is that, in essence, places like China and Mexico are being sold an ever increasing share of the USA itself — not things that the USA has grown or made.
This is not sustainable, and all tariffs do is slow it down. The picture needs to look like barter.
The Republican base found out, the hard way, that their leadership was stringing them along for the ride. They talked well at election time, then stabbed them in the back when real action was desired.
The article assumes that the party *is* the old “progressive” Republican backstabbing leadership. It is not. The party is the party membership. The leadership is supposed to be for them, not the other way around.
They were more corupt
At least the Rats fight for something
THe GOP was just an old boys party
We were the suckers
The first Bush Ronald Reagan’s biggest mistake
The GOP has bought more and more into the Dem lullaby.
At its root, populism is a belief in the power of regular people, and in their right to have control over their government rather than a small group of political insiders or a wealthy elite. The word populism comes from the Latin word for "people," populous.
TRUMP GETS IT!!!!! for the people by the people...............
( After entering the presidential race with just 3% to 5% support in national polls), he amplified the belief among millions of Republican newcomers that free-trade deals did more harm than good. He defended Social Security and Medicare benefits. He relentlessly voiced the fear that immigration shreds the economic and cultural well-being of the middle class.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.