The Neo-Republicans Keep Widening the Chasm

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon

Today's Republicans are not the Republicans of the Reagan and Bush era. Today's Republicans are not the Republicans of the McCain and Romney era. The Republicans of the Trump-era have mutated the party into a new Republican party — a party I have come to call the Neo-Republican party. 

The mutation began before Trump was elected president, I'll grant you that. In the early part of the last decade, the traditional Republicans began losing primaries and replaced by members of a branch of the Republican party called the Tea Party.

Sensible Republicans; moderate Republicans who had worked with their Democratic counterparts for years were being labeled as oit of touch and obsolete. They were loyal to the party, they believed in the tenets of the Republican party, and they introduced and passed legislation they believed would further the Republican party and their supporters.

They would slowly and steadily be replaced with Tea Party members who were more interested in riling up crowds and pounding on podiums. Shouting and theatrics became more important to the message they were trying to deliver — the style became more important than the substance.

This strategy proved wildly successful. The masses had felt as if they'd been largely ignored for years. Politicians were once a part of a group of elite, wealthy individuals. If you wanted to hold political office, you had to be a part of the American nobility. You had to have money, connections, and the support of the political machine. The common every-man was always on the outside looking in.

The social structure of politics began to change. Somewhere along the way, politics was demystified. Maybe social media and the 24 hour cable news cycle gave everyone a peek behind the curtain and we all realized there was no nobility to politicians — they were just regular people, and that opened the door for the every-man to get elected to office.

Left and right, Democrat and Republican politicians who graduated college and had graduate degrees, lawyers, people who had studied political science and international relations, people with diplomatic and public policy experience were replaced with people who hadn't attended college, much less graduated. Inexperience and "not being a politician" became assets rather than liabilities.

And that led to the most improbable of improbabilities. A self-proclaimed non-poltician was elected to the highest office in the land. 

Defying all of the political pundits' predictions, Donald Trump was able to convince enough people to vote for him, and due to the fact that the popular vote gives way to the archaic electoral college, despite getting three million fewer votes than his opponent, he became the 45th President of the United States.

And here's the sad part — the man who ran as the Republican candidate bore very little resemblance to an actual Relublican. He just stood in front of his crowds, banged his fist on the podium, and without a professional political team, strategy, or platform just made it all up as he went along. He brought reality television, and the circus that comes with it, to the campaign trail White House.

And just like that, the Neo-Republican were born. There's no argument Trump had made the Republican party is his. Through attacks, threats, and manipulation, Trump was able to get Republicans to fall in line. And those who decided to speak out against the president were ostracized, made pariahs, or they retired from politics altogether. Politicians who Trump had insulted and disrespected became some of his staunchest supporters. It seems as if people like Ted Cruz forgot all the horrible things Trump said about Cruz's family and sold out, quickly falling on bended knee to kiss Trump's ring (as well as other parts of his anatomy). Trump has his tentacles so tightly wrapped around the Republican party, even after suffering impeachment and a devastating loss (something every one-term president tries to avoid), he is still pulling the strings. Somewhere in his delusional mind, he probably thinks he can recapture the presidency in 2024, something that has only ever happened once in American history. Grover Cleveland was able to be elected to two non-consecutive terms in the late 1800's, to be the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.

And once Trump was elected, he continued his rule through tyranny, fear, and hate. Before becoming president, he attacked African-Americans and women. During his candidacy, he continued his assault on Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and Latinos, Muslims, and the disabled. He constantly made statements and made posts on social media spreading disinformation and attacking anybody who dared criticize him. Most of his presidency was spent fighting with his opponents and doing what he did best — dividing.

The Trump Legacy

His legacy will always include widening the divide between the political parties. When he finally came around to coming up with a platform, he shaped it around attacking the previous president and wanting to undo what the previous administration did. In addition to wanting to build a wall and ban Muslims from entering the country, it appears he just wanted to unravel everything President Obama did.

Why did the presidency become undoing what the previous administration did instead of looking forward to implement an agenda you believe will serve the people? Adams didn't undo what Washington did. Nixon didn't undo what Kennedy and Johnson did. Nixon didn't try to repeal the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Clinton didn't try to undo what Reagan and Bush Sr. did. They just tried moving the country in the direction they felt it needed to go.

That chasm Trump encouraged spread to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. With a few exceptions, Democrats and Republicans have essentially decided to refuse to work with one another. The gridlock has gotten worse. Congress has essentially ground to a halt.

Congress could not even agree to open a bipartisan investigation into the violence at the Capitol. The Capitol insurrection was something that literally unfolded before our eyes on live television. One Relublican Congressman said the attack on the Capitol was nothing more than a normal tourist visit. 

And again, that's what the Neo-Republican party has become — a vehicle for spreading misinformation, hate, and dividing the nation. And yes, Democrats do their fair share of dividing as well. The Democratic party is not innocent in this matter. However, the Democrats had not been ths majority, nor did they hold the White House. Leaders have to lead, and it appears the Democrats are just following the Republican lead.

Thats what Republicans continue to do. This morning, one of my friends on social media commented on Representative Dan Crenshaw's social media page. Before I continue, I just wanted to point out Crenshaw, a Representative from the Houston area, served this great nation as a member of the Navy's elite Seals. He was wounded in battle, and was awarded two Bronze Stars in addition to his Purple Heart. I am not attacking him for his service. I am criticizing his political career. His social media page contains relatively little information about legislation he has sponsored. That's probably because the majority of the legislation he's sponsored has to do with ending lockdowns, ending mask mandates, and finding out how COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed. Instead of talking about increasing broadband internet, almost every post he makes has to do with attacking the Democrats, insulting Democrats, and increasing the widening rift between the two political parties.

And again, that's what his supporters expect. That seems to be the new formula. Don't bother people with details of legislation you sponsor, that doesn't fit in the modern attention span. Just keep attacking the Democrats and people will donate money to your campain and the Republican party. As long as you can keep attacking those who disagree with you, you'll keep those campaign funds rolling in.

And there it is. From the day someone is elected to office, they're already planning their next fundraiser. There's already planning their next campaign. The way the elections are setup, there's very little governing and legislating going on and just a whole lot of campaigning and fundraising. And that's the problem. Politicians become professionals in a hurry and focus on money rather than serving their constituents.

I fear the Relublican party has completely de-evolved into a party of lunacy, conspiracy theorists, alternative fact believers, and false narrative spreaders.

Again, the Democratic party is not the noble institution the Relublican party isn't. For every Marjorie Taylor Greene there is an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The public has clearly bought into the hatred and the vitriol. Republicans have been conditioned to hate Democtats and Democrats have been conditioned to hate Republicans. If you dare make a comment on social media criticizing one or the other, you're quickly called names and labeled a liberal, or a snowflake, or something else the "opposition" feels will insult you or get a rise out of you. I always laugh at these people because I am an Independent down the line. I don't think people should be defined by a set of political ideals. I do not subscribe to one party's political ideology. I take some from column "A" and some from column "B." Some people ask why it is I only seem to attack Republicans. I tell them it's because the Neo-Republicans are the ones who make criticism the easiest. I mean, there are people who still believe Trump will be reinstalled as president during President Biden's term. I mean, those people are just begging to be criticized (and for the record, a former president is not in the presidential line of succession).

As long as people keep believing politicians and fighting with those who disagree with their politics and beliefs, these candidates who inspire and promote fear will continue to drive a wedge between the people of this great nation.

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