What hath the Republicans wrought: Will Trump's insanity finally rip the party apart? [View all]

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What hath the Republicans wrought: Will Trump's insanity finally rip the party apart?
Whatever happens in Georgia, Trump's conspiracy theories have created a deranged third force the GOP can't control

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
DECEMBER 4, 2020 2:07PM


(Salon) Over the past few years both the media and Democratic officials have often reported that certain Republicans say on background or in private that they really can't stand Donald Trump. Veteran reporter Carl Bernstein even named some names a few days ago. Some people in the media and political classes would apparently prefer that the public see the Republican establishment as terrified of Donald Trump's base rather as than the cynics they are, eagerly taking advantage of Trump's chaos to advance their agenda.

Trump's post-election flights of lunacy provide an excellent case in point. While "mainstream" Republicans covertly whisper in Joe Biden's ear that they know he won the election, and assure him that they find Trump's twaddle about "rigged" votes and what have you terribly uncouth, they remain quiet in public, ostensibly because they want to let Trump have his tantrum and run out the clock, at which point we will pretend that all this unpleasantness never happened. This is, of course, nuts. President-elect Biden and every other Democrat who goes before the cameras to reassure Americans that the Republicans understand that Trump is off his rocker and that as soon as he's gone we'll all get back to normal are enabling them to continue the sabotage of our democracy. Democrats have no obligation to cover for Trump's accomplices and they need to stop doing it.

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Republicans are counting on Trump fading away quickly while they continue to take advantage of the system he has broken. It's a risky play. The conspiracy theories have become so byzantine and surreal that it won't be easy to appease the mob, not even with extreme measures like outlawing early voting or voting by mail. Trump's followers are being whipped into a frenzy, and it's starting to blow back on the GOP.

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Republicans are reportedly very nervous about Trump's planned super-spreader rally in Georgia on Saturday because he's likely to dwell on the "rigged election" instead of focusing on getting out the vote for Loeffler and Perdue. It will be a huge surprise if Trump doesn't just let his freak flag fly. It's his first rally since the election and he's hardly been seen on TV at all. He's dying for an audience. It's the air he breathes. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2020/12/04/what-hath-the-republicans-wrought-will-trumps-insanity-finally-rip-the-party-apart/