Posted on 08/10/2015 3:45:16 AM PDT by lifeofgrace
The final Whig president of the United States was Millard Filmore in 1853. He marked the death of the Whigs, and the rise of the Know-Nothings. Today the GOP faces its own death, and the continued success of Donald Trump in the polls reflects the fact that the Republican Party is staring into its own grave.
The Know-Nothing party was formed in reaction to Irish Catholic immigration, and pledged to restore “Native Americans” to political power (and by that I don’t mean Hiawatha, but WASPs). Forming a party based on reactionary impulse is the death-rattle of a lost cause, and the Whigs became the American Party in 1854 after Fillmore’s term.
Donald Trump’s message resonates with many Republicans because he speaks what most of us know, and doesn’t hold his tongue or make excuses for our elected representatives’ failure to deal with immigration problems over the last three decades our failure to end the rise of Islamic terrorism, and our failure to keep the American economy growing.
But Trump’s promises are nothing but Styrofoam—light-weight and filling lots of volume. When heat is applied to Styrofoam, it evaporates, leaving a void. If nothing fills the void, the party will fall of its own weight. It’s nobody’s fault but our own if Trump destroys the GOP—and he very well could (take this seriously).
Trump’s only reaction to criticism is to play the know-nothing game: “I didn’t say that, and you’re a jerk.” Its one thing to be non-politically correct, and it’s quite another to use personal attacks as a primary method of dealing with all criticism.
When Trump told CNN’s Don Lemon that Fox News’ debate moderator Megyn Kelly “had blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her…whatever” there’s no way a reasonable person would interpret that to mean anything other than attributing Kelly’s question to her menstrual cycle—after calling Kelly a “bimbo.”
Trump’s remark goes beyond decorum and extends into gratuitous asshatery. Watch for yourself.
He said this in the midst of the biggest gathering of GOP candidates seen in one city, where each person gets to speak for a half hour instead of 4 to 10 minutes in a scripted “debate.” And Redstate Gathering host Erick Erickson said he didn’t want to share his stage with Trump unless he explained himself.
I have rescinded my invitation to Mr.Trump. While I have tried to give him great latitude, his remark about Megyn Kelly was a bridge too far — Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) August 8, 2015
Erick made the right call. Trump’s response:
“This is just another example of weakness through being politically correct. For all of the people who were looking forward to Mr. Trump coming, we will miss you. Blame Erick Erickson, your weak and pathetic leader,” according to a campaign statement.Trump is a direct result of the GOP’s inability to define itself as a party with a purpose. If the GOP is defined as “everything that isn’t Democrat” then it’s nothing more than the Whigs of 1854. Dead.
There are at least five solid conservative candidates who have real policies, who aren’t Stryofoam in the party. But if voters continue to fuel Trump’s ego-driven jags into personal attacks and obnoxiousness, his Styrofoam candidacy will continue to grow and increase the size of the void when it finally self-annihilates.
GOP, it’s time to grow up and look down into the grave that the Whigs fell into before our party goes the way of the Know-Nothings.
(crossposted from RedState.com)
GOP-RIP? I hope they burn in Hell.
The GOP is staring into a grave of its own making. Its nothing Donald Trump has done.
Just another eGOP type that prefers to lose so long as everyone thinks they are a nice guy.
He is a redstate writer, so he is one of Erick Ericksens menstrual kool-aid drinkers
I’ve never (that I can remember) run into you on the forum before.
But any man who quotes Jean Sibelius (my All-Time favorite symphonic composer) has to be, as they say, “A bit of all right!”
Shall we? Some Von Karajan conducting Tapiola -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrk6oMm2T-Y
As one commenter here said: "The Minutemen of Lexington and Concord vs. the court of Versailles."
Republican party leadership has got to go. Talk about Know Nothings.
We need an opposition party that OPPOSES something! We need the GOP elites to either grow a pair or get the hell out of the way!
Where are the Special Prosecutors? Where are the subcommitteees investigating every offense and broken law? And not even ONE charge of treason, on ANYBODY?
Whatever comes next has GOT to be better than this clown show.
Trump may very well be nothing more than a Hail Mary Pass, but it’s all we’ve got right now to fight these guys.
“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
> “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
I thought that was Orwell even before I looked it up
Cognitive dissonance.
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