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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP Candidates Can't Rely on Trump's Base
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2018/3/20/131659/401GOP Candidates Can't Rely on Trump's Base
by BooMan
Tue Mar 20th, 2018 at 01:16:59 PM EST
I am beginning to wonder about something. When I take a look at the following graphic it tells me that a lot of right-leaning voters are beginning to feel like the country might run more smoothly with a Democratic Congress. Im not sure how else I can look at those numbers.
Yet, Im also supposed to believe the following:
Jeff Flake has become a cautionary tale. Lawmakers who are not retiring dont want to draw the presidents ire and the enmity of his core supporters. Most Republicans in Congress, even those facing tough reelection campaigns in places where Trump is not popular, are under intense pressure from their base to wholeheartedly support the president.
I understand not wanting to be singled out by the president, but perhaps theres something wrong with this picture. Either the base doesnt want congressional Republicans to wholeheartedly support the president or the base is shrinking so quickly before our eyes that it probably shouldnt be the first concern of GOP lawmakers who are seeking reelection. How else to explain that the GOP-held districts are now split on whether the GOP should retain their congressional majorities?
Another explanation is that the congressional preference question is too volatile to be meaningful.
We do continue to see polls that indicate both that the base is still with the president and that the president is vastly more popular than Congress, but Im beginning to suspect that believing in those numbers might be a strategic mistake. Just for one example, Trump is already killing the GOP with swing voters, and the base is already unhappy with Congress, so wouldnt standing up to Trump be more likely to win a candidate credit than going along with him? I dont think enthusiasm for Trump is transferable to congressional candidates.
In any case, a lot of this is in the context of whether the GOP Congress should put a bill on Trumps desk prohibiting him from firing Mueller. They think this would depress turnout. I think the public, even in Republican districts, would approve of the move.
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GOP Candidates Can't Rely on Trump's Base (Original Post)
babylonsister
Mar 2018
OP
The GOP is facing a massive problem...the country is moving left and Trump is their last gasp.
bearsfootball516
Mar 2018
#1
bearsfootball516
(6,376 posts)1. The GOP is facing a massive problem...the country is moving left and Trump is their last gasp.
GOP candidates find themselves between a rock and a hard place. They can A. appeal to the Trump base...which rallies Democrats to the polls and independents and moderates to vote Democratic. Or, B. they can distance themselves from Trump...which leads to the Trump base abandoning them.
Meanwhile, Millennials and Gen Z voters are voting dramatically Democratic at paces never seen before in the country's history, and GOP's voters are dying off.
The GOP is on the wrong side of history right now. They'll need to either adapt, or die.