Every moment they spend attacking Trump is a moment they do not spend advancing an alternative. Gingrich was brilliant, as the country was not thrilled with Clinton in 1993, and he used the “Contract with America” framework to win over people who wanted to hear an alternative. That paid off big in 1994.
“Every moment they spend attacking Trump is a moment they do not spend advancing an alternative.”
Very good point. They don’t have an alternative. The problem being that their base is so large and “diverse” that they can’t come up with an alternative that will not piss off some large portion of their base. What do the purple hair nose ring types have in common with the Muslims, the blacks, the Hispanics? I watched this ultra-liberal white woman on YouTube who had driven eight hours to attend a big party rally and was kept out because the way she wore her hair was a cultural appropriation. She was so done with the Democrats.
“Contract with America” framework to win over people
History, Yes, Gingrich played a role. But the primary role was the religious right pro-lifers who registered to vote millions of people who had not previously participated in the electoral process because they did not want to be involved in such a dirty activity.
Those voters never voted prior to ‘94. The US Senate sold them out in ‘95-96 and they did not vote in ‘96. The #1 goal of Karl Rove was to convince enough of them to vote in 2000 that Bush jr could win, which Rove did succeed in doing.