Growing up in Princeton, New Jersey and now living in the Philadelphia suburbs, I’ve had plenty of occasion to observe and interact with “moderate” Republicans. It’s true that they’re dying out. Before he passed on, Arlen Specter became a Democrat. Christie Todd Whitman is an enthusiastic endorser of Hillary Clinton. But these folks were mostly okay with John McCain (if not his running mate) and Mitt Romney. And these Republicans in the Mid-Atlantic are generally highly educated tax-averse voters rather than culture warriors. For many of them, their parents fled crime in the cities and built a comfortable suburban life. Republicanism was a signifier indicating that you’d achieved the American Dream and that you were respectable. In the collar around Philly, the GOP absolutely dominated in the postwar era, to the point that many people joined the party just to have a chance at getting patronage jobs. It was basically the mirror image of the ethnic urban machines that doled out patronage to young Catholics from Poland, Italy and Ireland. When you got out of the city, you bought a split-level home in a nice development and joined the Country Club, and that meant that you had arrived.
This class of people doesn’t necessarily go to Fox News to hear about what’s going on politically. They still read the New York Times or the Philadelphia Inquirer or the Newark Star-Ledger, and they still read syndicated columns in more local papers. They are the natural audience for columnists like George Will and David Brooks, and I’ve heard them cite both more times than I can count.
Reading Will and Brooks today is a good measure of where Mid-Atlantic Republicans stand at the moment. Both of them are just caustic and blistering in their criticism of Trump.
Will compares the Republican National Convention to a Nuremberg rally and says:
Trump is a marvelously efficient acid bath, stripping away his supporters’ surfaces, exposing their skeletal essences. Consider Mike Pence, a favorite of what Republicans devoutly praise as America’s “faith community.” Some of its representatives, their crucifixes glittering in the television lights, are still earnestly explaining the urgency of giving to Trump, who agreed that his daughter is “a piece of ass,” the task of improving America’s coarsened culture.
And:
Today, however, Trump should stay atop the ticket, for four reasons. First, he will give the nation the pleasure of seeing him join the one cohort, of the many cohorts he disdains, that he most despises — “losers.” Second, by continuing to campaign in the spirit of St. Louis, he can remind the nation of the useful axiom that there is no such thing as rock bottom. Third, by persevering through Nov. 8 he can simplify the GOP’s quadrennial exercise of writing its post-campaign autopsy, which this year can be published Nov. 9 in one sentence: “Perhaps it is imprudent to nominate a venomous charlatan.” Fourth, Trump is the GOP’s chemotherapy, a nauseating but, if carried through to completion, perhaps a curative experience.
Meanwhile, David Brooks is just as harsh:
Politics is an effort to make human connection, but Trump seems incapable of that. He is essentially adviser-less, friendless. His campaign team is made up of cold mercenaries at best and Roger Ailes at worst. His party treats him as a stench it can’t yet remove.
He was a germophobe through most of his life and cut off contact with others, and now I just picture him alone in the middle of the night, tweeting out hatred. Trump breaks his own world record for being appalling on a weekly basis, but as the campaign sinks to new low after new low, I find myself experiencing feelings of deep sadness and pity.
Imagine if you had to go through a single day without sharing kind little moments with strangers and friends.
Imagine if you had to endure a single week in a hate-filled world, crowded with enemies of your own making, the object of disgust and derision.
You would be a twisted, tortured shrivel, too, and maybe you’d lash out and try to take cruel revenge on the universe. For Trump this is his whole life.
This is a whole new world, folks, at least my little corner of it. These guys are emphatically rejecting the idea that there’s anything respectable about being this kind of Republican. Trumpism doesn’t mean that you’ve arrived and that you’re respectable. It doesn’t mean that you’ve achieved the American Dream. It pretty clearly indicates the reverse of all of those things. Talking up Trump at the 19th Hole of the Chester Valley Country Club is a good way to get your children shunned.
If you want to know why Trump can do so well in parts of Pennsylvania and still get his clock cleaned, this is why.
And Will and Brooks are leading the way.
Sounds like Trump is getting his goon squads all primed to do a little “oversight” in those “other communities” there in Philly.
Donald Trump warns that `other communities’ are poised to steal the election
Just curious, are all your posts cross-posts these days?
Not quite, but mostly.
It must get pretty crazy over at WaMo come election, thanks for not forgetting us.
Will says:, “Trump is the GOP’s chemotherapy, a nauseating but, if carried through to completion, perhaps a curative experience”
Does he not know that on November 9 the body of his Party will be cold, stiff and dead? And that it is right now in the final stages of being taken over by the Trumpian body snatchers? On that day, the features on the body might look familiar to him, but I think he will find that what resides inside it will want nothing more than to bite his face off, rip out his throat and dismember him.
Just like a zombie.
There will be no second autopsy for his beloved GOP.
A subject for many future posts.
“Just like a zombie.”
Or a vampire, in which case it will be more intelligent, but still want to drink his blood. Either way, we agree that the GOP is an undead party.
Before we get too choked up about Erick Erickson’s misfortunes, let’s remember his contribution to our civil discourse.
I am fully cognizant of Erickson’s record.
Doesn’t mean I am pro-parentless children.
Kind of sad that you had to make this point.
When my kid was small, I went through a period of being close to totally disabled by a medical condition. It was hell for my family. Luckily I had a successful surgery that allowed a nearly full recovery. Point is, I can empathize with Erickson’s situation.
There’s a Buddhist meditation style referred to as “metta practice” in which the meditator wishes for people to be happy, to be well, to be safe, to be peaceful and at ease. (There are various ways to phrase all this.) The meditator starts by wishing these for himself and then moves outward, eventually getting to people with whom he has conflicts. That last step is really tough.
Well, he is just another example of the sad irony that some people never seem to get it until the clock has pretty much run out.
Just add him to that list.
The useful idiots took over their party. And now the very important people want it back. Hence David Brooks’s rants. Hence George Will leaving the GOP. Once the useful idiots are stuffed back in their box, the important people can go back to patting each other on the back for being the wonderful people they are. All this vulgar talk, we’re going to have to ask you to leave the Club grounds sir. The valet is getting your car right now. Your kind of talk isn’t welcome in our Country Club.
Will’s column was kind of unbelievable, if you haven’t read it you should. I mean the guy is an oil industry shill of the highest order, but damn.
The WHOLE column is quotable.
Both Will and Brooks are busily ejecting clouds of ink to obscure the fact that they’re stripping off and burning their lab coats, notebooks and mad scientist goggles, fervently hoping we don’t notice that their decades long careers in mainstreaming the worst impulses of the GOP base helped create this shambling monster now ravaging their castles with the pitchfork and torch-wielding villagers at the monster’s side.
Sadly it’s completely unlikely this will cost either of them their lifelong sinecures in the Liberal Media
So unfortunately true
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Aw, poor little Willy is having a tantrum ‘cuz his little country club Ronnie RayGun Party fall down go boom.
Waiter! I’d like another order of schaden to go with my freude
Most of the moderate GOP I grew up with left long ago. I don’t think many are left.
WSJ:
Before debate: +14 2 way +11 4 way
With one night of debate: + 9 4 way
With one night post debate it looks like Trump brought some GOP woman home. Clinton was +25 before the debate pre-debate, + 12 after the debate among women.
Clinton’s margin among non-white voters went up 8.
This may be all noise.
In my little world, it seems like all of the lean non-Trump Republicans have just moved solidly against him since the debate. Guy was just floored at Trump attacking Paul Ryan in the office this morning. And, to be honest, they seem saner than some on our side of the aisle, who can’t let go of the Hillary conspiracy literature.
This fire Clinton people feel the need to direct at Sanders people, implying our issues with Clinton somehow are tied to Fox News, is interesting.
I didn’t mention a thing about Sanders people. This fire you feel to bring it up is very interesting.
You brought it up.
Article on women voters.
538
He says it’s a little too soon for the tape to play.
.
My state’s blue in that top map, red in the bottom one. I say let’s just let them run things. I’d give up my franchise if it took my embarrassing cohort out of the picture in the process.
Will let Harry take it from there:
GDI,
You beat me to it.
.
So I’ll go with this.
I found one too!
.
Yeah, post debate numbers in that survey were better for Trump. I don’t doubt the full on Breitbart was a jolt.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that Will and Brooks and a fair fraction of the other accoutrements which decorate the confection we have come to know as the ‘establishment’ of a certain political party are all going to be hosed off the side-walk along with the puke, blood and tears before this is all over; it seems almost quaint to be discussing them already.
The GOP died the day the Devil’s bargain between their ‘base’ and the Chamber of Commerce was severed. We are watching something new and I sincerely hope it dies in its birth. If the ugly face of fascism doesn’t urgently jerk us back into lucidity and social responsibility we’re in for a rough time. We’ll see.
Glad to see the Will and Brooks simulation of sanity.
In the southeastern corner of the country, McCrory and Burr have handcuffed themselves to the Donald even after the bus tape. And it seems that more funds are going from Democratic sources to support Deborah Roas. Roy Cooper still is polling ahead. Some support of the opponent of Virginia Foxx would be useful if only to scare the dear lady who has been uncharacteristically quiet. Also opposition support to Robert Pittenger’s opponent would be useful.
Nikki Haley, an ethnic Sikh, never endorsed Trump at all. Not sure were Tim Scott, running for re-election came down in this difficult year for him.
In Georgia, Johnny Isakson succeeded in getting Democratic endorsements. WTF.
How Trump survives a loss.
Daniel McCarthy, American Conservative: After Trump vs. Clinton
Another reason there is an imperative to run up the margins as high as possible.
The post-Trump strategy seems to be to wait for a Clinton eff-up with Russia, Syria, or the Middle East and pile on to take advantage of the desertion from Clinton like the McCarthy campaign and RFK campaigns took out LBJ and Nixon was able to win. They see themselves in the Nixon after Goldwater scenario. To return to sanity, that sort of direction must be cut off even as sanity is restored to the national security extablishment.
As if sanity could ever be restored to the National Security guys. You are never going to convince people who think they are heroes.
It’s great that Brooks and Will are attacking Trump, but nobody cares what either one thinks outside the Beltway.
Again, aside from trade, Trump is running as a standard-issue Republican. He’s just more open about being a scumbag. So the pearl-clutching these asshats have engaged in is ridiculous.
Talking up Trumpism may get you shunned, but it doesn’t mean you’re not living the dream in an economic sense. Again, we have data on this. Trump’s voters aren’t guys down at the union hall in Toledo making $20/hour. They’re dirtbag racists in Birmingham working in the construction industry making $100k/year. For those who read sports blogs, they’re basically what PFTCommenter parodies.
They’re not going to be welcomed at the private country club, just as Trump’s not embraced by the cocktail party attendees on the Upper East side. But it strikes me that what really bothers Will and Applebees Salad Bar up the wall isn’t anything to do with policy or hatred. It’s that Trump actually says the things they’ve long believed you’re supposed to dog-whistle in order to get the yokels to vote for your tax cuts.
They’re mad that he tore the facade down.
Good point.
Now just playing with your idea: they are just mad at Trump because he went all little Toto on the curtain and showed America what was really there.
What you said.
All George Fucking Will and David Fucking Brooks are doing is engaging in what the blogger Driftglass calls Republican Detachment Disorder.
They want everybody to think “I never had anything whatsoever to do with this madness during my career as a GOP functionary or water carrier. And I’ve never heard of this Limbaugh guy either!” They try to liken the Trump Phenomenon just suddenly appearing one day like a mushroom cloud over the offices of the RNC. They had no problem passively letting the likes of Malkin, O’Reilly, Beck, Hannity and the rest work long and hard on weaponizing the stupid and when it’s blown up in their face, well…the result is Republican Detachment Disorder.
George is just frustrated because the Cubs lost in the 13th last night and couldn’t put SF away.
I can relate. It was a frustrating game.