What Is The GOP, Anyway?

Written by Frank Li

More than two years ago, I clearly defined the Democratic Party as the party of new slavery (The Democratic Party is the Party of New Slavery!). That definition has proven to be even more accurate today, as Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, has attracted tens of millions of Americans who vote with their hands out, while Hillary Clinton keeps running more and more left in an effort to out-Bernie Bernie.

Defining the GOP (i.e. Republican Party), however, is much more difficult. I have delayed it until today. Simply put, the GOP today is the party for nothing, which, by the way, is still better than the party for new slavery! Hear me out …

1. Old GOP

The old GOP, last represented by Ronald Reagan, had an agenda of only three major items:

1. Minimal government.
2. Free enterprise with low taxes.
3. Strong military.

These three items might have been contradictory at times. For example, a stronger military requires a bigger government, because military, including the VA system, is a big part of the government.

2. Today’s GOP

Today’s GOP consists of at least three big factions as follows:

1. The old GOP: This group is significantly smaller now than it was in the Reagan years for many reasons, not the least of which is the Iraq War.
2. The TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party: It includes many of the “producers” in America, especially those who oppose bigger government and more socialism. It is adamantly against the current President and his “share the wealth’ schemes.
3. Evangelicals: Church and state are inseparable to them, similar to some Muslims in the Mideast. For more, read: The Bible vs. the Constitution.

As a result, today’s GOP stands for almost everything on the right, which actually means standing for nothing, especially with regard to the Presidential race (53% South Carolina voters feel betrayed GOP)!

There is no better example to illustrate today’s GOP than by looking at the six recent GOP Presidential candidates.

3. Six recent GOP Presidential candidates

The image below highlights my view of the factions the candidates chiefly represent.

Only two of them are worth further discussion, as they both stand for something more than the old GOP, without being “radicalized” by b) and c). More importantly, one of them will likely be the GOP nominee.

1. John Kasich: He is a moderate who actually not only has a chance to win the general election by attracting many independent voters in the middle, but also can lead and govern as the President!
2. Donald Trump: He is more of an independent than of a typical Republican, with many un-GOP positions. For example, his opposition to the Iraq War and his dislike of former President George W. Bush are, I believe, very attractive to the independent voters in the middle. Unfortunately, he has also alienated many independent voters by going too far right (e.g. on Mexico and Muslims) in order to secure the GOP nomination.

For more, read: 2016 GOP Presidential Candidates: Style over Substance!

4. Discussion

Given the complexity of today’s Presidential politics, many voters are focused on only one or two issues in the end.

For Democrats, it is simple and straightforward: hand-outs.

For the GOP, it is a bit more complicated, such as guns, abortion, or even Obamacare. So when you stand for everything on the right, you end up standing for nothing, especially with regard to the Presidential race. For example, in the GOP primary election currently under way, several candidates divide the votes and push each other further to the right. As a result, the eventual GOP nominee would have alienated so many independent voters in the middle that he would have little chance of winning the general election!

Here is what I mean by “nothing” for the GOP:

1. No big change is ever possible without the American Presidency.
2. The GOP may never win the American Presidency, if it misses this one in 2016!
3. The GOP is in the process of missing this one, unless the nominee is John Kasich. For more, read: The GOP Primary Race: How Best to Proceed?

In contrast, Democrats’ simple, and no-brainer, hand-outs strategy is not only easy to understand, but also enormously attractive to many voters, especially the young and clueless!

5. Closing

While the GOP keeps re-defining itself, the Democratic Party will simply stay the course by keeping the American Presidency and spending America into bankruptcy. For more, read: Democratic Socialism vs. Democratic Imperialism.

Finally, let me conclude this article with a video about Muslims …