Opinion: The lasting threat is not the ‘next Trump,’ but the MAGA base

LA Times ^ | 7/9/23 | Miles Taylor

[DallasBiff]

Party machinery, underway since 2021, will make it easier for the “next Trump” to emerge. But what will actually propel such a figure into the White House is the transformation of the GOP base.

The increasingly reactionary views of grassroots Republicans virtually guarantee that the movement will maintain its dominant influence on the party for the foreseeable future.

A yard sign I saw in rural Pennsylvania during the 2020 presidential campaign tells the story. Planted in front of a house was a homemade poster with the words “RONALD REAGAN IS A LOSER.” President Reagan’s face was crossed out with an X, with Donald Trump’s smiling face next to it. Presumably this was a Trump supporter, but why attack Reagan? The 40th president was beloved by Republicans, not on the ballot, long dead and certainly not a threat to Trump. The last assumption is where I was wrong.

[Bonemaker]

“The lasting threat is not the ‘next Trump,’ but the MAGA base”

The pilgrim got something right!

[Bonemaker]

“Sorry Miles...the threat is YOU.”

The Miles of the world are the prey.

[cowboyusa]

Things that never happened for 10⁰.

[Eleutheria5]

Make good on your threats and move to Canada, where they know how to deal with uppity peasants. We’re comin’ for ya! YEEEHAW!

[hinckley buzzard]

Right, I love it when liberal-leftists use communist jargon from the 1950s.

[KarlInOhio]

So now the biggest threat to democracy is the people having a say in government? Oooooo-kaaaaay.

Oh, wait, it is the biggest threat to "Our Democracy"®™. Not to be confused with actual democracy.

[Reverend Wright]

” The GOP Leadership figured that the base was too stupid to realize that the GOP Leadership made the WRONG CHOICE...and now they pay. “

---

After they leave office, the GOP “Leadership” will be employed by GOP business interests, not MAGA voters.

That is the incentive problem which leads to constant betrayal of voters. And it is a feature of “conservative” politicians in every country in the West.

[Candor7]

transformation of the GOP base>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yes we have won the GOP over from elitist country club RINOs who have been keeping a status quo with the Dems for many years so they can line their pockets with pork ( bipartisanship at all costs).

Now we have a party that represents the People and that applies, protects and defends the Constitution as written. This is extremely bad news for the hefty lefties at the LA Times.

The LA Times sees the end of its establishment of Sodom and Gommorah as a replacement for our national civil society of freedom and free market economy.

MAGA defines their failure.Celebrate my FRiends.

[Gaffer]

I remember the Tea Party and Club for Growth et al. Jenny Beth Martin and her TP was a scam, IMO to enrich herself and do nothing but ‘talk’ about helping good candidates but actually paying almost nothing. Same for CFG. One report on them indicated that they spent the majority of their contributed funding on ‘management, salaries, administration, etc.’

[AndyTheBear]

Talkng the Tea Party base, not about leaders who scammed them.

[mewzilla]

They’re saying the quiet part out loud.

That meme was spot on.

They’re after Trump because he’s the only thing standing between us and Deep State.

[mewzilla]

From five years ago...

Donald Trump’s ‘they’re after you’ tweet says it all: Goodwin

[Gaffer]

Understand, but those leaders were pretty reprehensible and are/were much more responsible for bad actions than Trump might be for MAGA. I was always for Tea Party sentiment but not for the organizations. I’m just glad Trump came along and made MAGA as their replacement.