Book: The Imposters

Tuesday Rachel had her producer Steve Benen on the show, he'd just written a book that "explains" the current Republican Party. During Obama's term they, under Mitch McConnell's "leadership," vowed to oppose anything he was for, even if it was a formerly-GOP position.

They were pretty successful in holding Obama to being becalmed.

When Trump was elected, his only objective seemed to be to reverse, tear down, overrule and undo anything Obama had accomplished.

This led to a "post-policy GOP" in Benen's terms. They're not about governing anymore, they're not advancing any policies. They're simply against anything and everything that came before Trump. They never transitioned from being "the opposition party" to being in charge. Governing is too hard... so why bother.

Inaction as a policy objective.

The results are starkly before us.

The book sounded interesting so I ordered it. Just arrived.

I suspect another factor, which Benen may or may not acknowledge, is that voters won't vote for GOP policies anymore -- government of, by and for rich old white men -- so they've had to disguise their agenda to get elected. And suppress voting by anyone but rich old white men.

Trump's understanding of economics, such as it is, comes from his business experience which relied on three elements:

• borrow heavily from anybody dumb enough to lend to you
  
• get bailed out by dad
  
• when the chips are down, declare bankruptcy and walk away from your debts
  

This is "The Art of the Deal" marketing genius he sold to the voters in 2016.

The "post-policy" stance of the current GOP explains why it is impossible to negotiate with them, impossible to make compromises, impossible to reach any bipartisan consensus. They're not interested in policy, they're not interested in legislation.

Mitch McConnell's GOP is still "the opposition party," the party of no, which served them so well during the Obama years. Whatever the Democrats are for, they're against. Even if it was their own idea.

Make political points. Stay in office. Rile up the base.

Governing is no longer part of the picture.

'Minimum government' means doing nothing. Rather than SHRINK government -- which is hard, and requires making decisions -- they'll just make sure it's stuck in the mud and DOES nothing.

Even during a pandemic. Even during a generational race awakening. Even during global warming. Even during the Holocene Extinction Event.

I've heard this metaphor before, but I still like it.

Quote :

The President embraces rhetoric that sounds more like refrigerator poetry than policy analysis.

During his eight year term, Obama was forced to limit his agenda to easily-bipartisan treaties and legislation, in the hope that he could SHAME the Republicans into voting for their own legislation even if Obama was now the sponsor.

For the most part he failed.  McConnell refused to pass anything, refused even to bring anything to the floor for debate or a vote, if Obama was in favor of it.

That should have made the Republican Party irrelevant, and unable to win elections.

But as we now know, it had the opposite effect.

I cannot fathom why.

I have one complaint about Benen's book.  He keeps referring to Trump as "the Republican" -- presumably so he doesn't have to use his name in every other sentence -- but Trump was a registered Democrat until 1987, and again 2001-2009. He was a registered Reform Party 1999-2001.

One of the recurring themes in the book is that DJT will say something stupid, off the top of his head, just to get a reaction or to see how it plays.  If it's not well-received he'll deny ever saying it -- despite evidence -- and if caught by the evidence will pivot to saying he was only kidding.

He did it again last week.  He said John Bolton should be bombed because of his book. He said COVID testing should be scaled back so the growth in positive results halts.  He was dead serious both times.

Now his people say "he was only kidding."

Trump is grandpa at Thanksgiving whom nobody wants to talk to, because he talks crazy and smells like a full diaper.