The Republican Party, sometimes also referred to as the GOP (“Grand Old Party”), is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Along with its main historic rival, the Democratic Party. The GOP was founded in 1854 by opponents of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Which allowed for the potential expansion of chattel slavery into the western territories.
The party supported classical liberalism, opposed the expansion of chattel slavery, and supported economic reform. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president. Under the leadership of Lincoln and a Republican Congress, chattel slavery was banned in the United States in 1865. The Party was generally dominant during the Third Party System and the Fourth Party System. After 1912, the Party underwent an ideological shift to the right.
Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the party’s core base shifted. With Southern states becoming more reliably Republican in presidential politics. The GOP was strongly committed to protectionism and tariffs at its founding but grew more supportive of free trade in the 20th century. (Wikipedia)
Fast forward to 2021:
The Republican Party has morphed into something that is almost unrecognizable.
The whole country was waiting for the arrival of January 20, 2021. President Joe Biden’s inauguration, because they were so anxious to see Trump go. People were waiting to breathe a collective sigh of relief believing that would be the end of 45’s “reign of terror.” But it was not the end.
Basically, Trump has changed the Republican Party in ways that would be unimaginable years ago. It has become the Trump party, and even though Trump is technically no longer in the White House; he still holds some type of control over Republicans.
“Moscow” Mitch McConnell, who for a hot moment seemed to capitulate and consider the notion of impeachment, has since backtracked. In fact even though it has become apparent that the failed coup of January 6, of which it is now known, may have been an “inside job,” and was helped by Trump. Republicans are still afraid of Trump.
Though the evidence is overwhelming that Trump was an instigator; the Republican Party is reluctant to impeach him.
It may seem unbelievable that someone who is no longer in political office would hold sway over people in Congress the way Trump has done, and it is safe to say that we have not seen the end of Donald Trump and his influence on the Republican Party.
One of the more bizarre outgrowths of the situation is the election to office of a QAnon clone to the House of Representatives, Georgian Marjorie Taylor Greene. She is an unabashed bigot with very dangerous ideas. For example, she said Muslims don’t belong in government. Donald Trump has called her a “future Republican Star.”
QAnon has very controversial beliefs, and they consider Trump somewhat of a Messiah of sorts. But QAnon’s beliefs are so out of the box that it seems as though the ideas have come out of the twilight zone.
With this said, it will be interesting to see the direction the Republican Party takes in the near future. It has come out as overtly racist, even though it always had that proclivity. But the emergence of people like Greene is bringing what was just beneath the surface into the obvious mainstream.
The Republican Party is showing in its current behavior that it does not really care about the American people. They’d rather see the U.S. crash and burn than do what is right for the country.
A lot of Americans, especially white Americans, are probably surprised about this turn of events. They have been in denial, those who have not listened to what Black Americans have been saying forever.
The racism has never been hidden from Blacks. But now, in this new era of a radical Republican Party, people are shocked to see that the Republicans are willing to sacrifice America for selfish ends.
A pandemic is raging and the economy is in a precarious position, yet the GOP is playing fast and loose with Americans. Trump has opened what he calls the Office of the Former President, and it is clear that he has no plans to relinquish power. He is still trying to call the shots.
What is certain is that if the Republicans don’t manufacture courage, it is questionable as to whether the Union will survive. A Luta Continua.
