The analogy of the Dems as the Cool Kids is pretty apt, which means the new "brand" of the Republicans would be the nerdy "other" kids that try to be nice to the cool kids, but in the end they get ignored and abused by the cool kids anyway.
I'm reminded of Bill Murray's speech in 'Meatballs':
"And even if we win, if we win, HAH! Even if we win! Even if we play so far above our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days; even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field; even if every man woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win, it just wouldn't matter because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk because they've got all the money! It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!"
My other suggestion for a new symbol for the GOP would be the turtle, which basically hides in its shell when things get tough. Plus, you have all of those baby turtles who get born on the beach and get picked off by seagulls and other predators - kind of reminds me of the dems, media, etc., on going after Republicans who speak up.
Oct 23, 2023·edited Oct 23, 2023Liked by NotFromTexas
This lack of leadership, direction and definition also influences the lack of participation and excitement at the town level. In CT, a blue, blue state there is no Republican representation in Congress. It also means there’s not much good thinking on the state level because there is no opposition. The Democrats control it all and we all know how lousy they are when it comes to fiscal responsibility. CT continues to bleed population like neighboring New York- the young won’t stay because the costs are too high, taxes are too high, housing is high and hard to come by - but the Democrats will not give up the money that the unions fork over to them, so that 3.5 million people are essentially beholden to 45,000 unionists and the Democrats are just fine with that and the Republicans seemingly have their hands tied for all sorts of reasons. That said, I have heard that our local Democrat party is also suffering from lack of participation and funding. That’s the only consolidation. No matter, Republicans need to step up and get us out of this morass.
"Sadly, the stewardship of virtually every institution in this nation compromised principle to remain in the good graces of the Cool-Kids clique as defined and constantly re-defined by what social media allowed"
"Any organization not explicitly right-wing sooner or later becomes left-wing."
You covered quite a large swath with this piece. At different points in my life I’ve probably experienced most of the feelings you express. I believe you have only touched on part of the problem.
You rightly express that Trump “exposed” the realities by winning in 2016. I think that’s correct but his victory and subsequent events that have followed since have exposed the voters who continue to put these people into office. Now that these negatives have been exposed, now what? Nothing has happened. 2022 was an election where a “red wave” should have occurred and that only happened in Florida. The Rs should have had a larger majority in the House but we’re lucky to scrape by with some tightly contested races.
The Speaker race has accentuated the problem. The base lit up the phones and Inboxes of their representatives for Jordan. What happened? He kept losing votes as the reps realized they didn’t have to pretend anymore. That culminated in the secret ballot where they told Jordan to “get lost”. Even the vaunted Trump endorsement didn’t work. They have no fear of either him or the base anymore. They realize all they have to do is talk about the Biden Crime Family and “vote Republican to save America”. To your point, they don’t care about majorities. They don’t have to govern and it pays well. When they do get a big win they can’t run away from it fast enough. See Roe vs Wade.
I have no idea where it goes from here. It’s plain the neocons are driving the bus right now and they only know forward with foot on the gas. There are some thoughtful leaders out there but unfortunately not in this country. The one truth that I have come to realize though is the only people that hate me more than the Dems are the Republicans. It took me years to figure that out but here we are.
The Grand Old Party (GOP) has long suffered from misalignment with its donor class and leadership holding completely different priorities from its voters and actually actual conservative members. The misalignment has been steadily widening for decades, but today, with some members openly calling on Republicans to align with Democrats just to keep the cash flowing, it’s clear the spine is broken.
***
The thing is, I don't honestly know where this ends. If you talk to old school liberals, we have the same complaints about the Democrat Party, only they have enough of their base that falls for small wins on the "culture" wars even if they lose on the larger issues liberals used to stand for: staying out of wars, corporate accountability, transparency, privacy, bodily autonomy, etc.
It's a big effing mess, is what it is.
Wonderful piece as always. And it looks like it's getting more active around here. Nice!
Excellent piece here NotfromTexas. I'm so glad to have learned about your substack.
IMHO, there should not be a "brand" for politics at all. When that came up from Devon Archer about selling the Biden brand, I about got sick. But the "republican brand" apparently is one of shame and remorse, and "how can we make the cool kids like us?", which is even more sickening. But as to this: "The question is: How do we, the people, make that happen?" really, how do we? There doesn't seem to be any answer to that question other than to burn it all down and start over from scratch.
As a white collar worker in flyover country, I couldn't agree more on pretty much everything you say here. I only wish I knew the answer of how to fix it.
"...have made frequent mention of the “Republican Brand” (whatever the hell that is)"
Whatever the Bulwark says it is.
"(or, if you are a reader of And So It Goes . . ."
Fine piece of product placement.
The analogy of the Dems as the Cool Kids is pretty apt, which means the new "brand" of the Republicans would be the nerdy "other" kids that try to be nice to the cool kids, but in the end they get ignored and abused by the cool kids anyway.
I'm reminded of Bill Murray's speech in 'Meatballs':
"And even if we win, if we win, HAH! Even if we win! Even if we play so far above our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days; even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field; even if every man woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win, it just wouldn't matter because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk because they've got all the money! It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!"
My other suggestion for a new symbol for the GOP would be the turtle, which basically hides in its shell when things get tough. Plus, you have all of those baby turtles who get born on the beach and get picked off by seagulls and other predators - kind of reminds me of the dems, media, etc., on going after Republicans who speak up.
Boom shocka locka !! So brilliant. Love the Turtle comment.
This lack of leadership, direction and definition also influences the lack of participation and excitement at the town level. In CT, a blue, blue state there is no Republican representation in Congress. It also means there’s not much good thinking on the state level because there is no opposition. The Democrats control it all and we all know how lousy they are when it comes to fiscal responsibility. CT continues to bleed population like neighboring New York- the young won’t stay because the costs are too high, taxes are too high, housing is high and hard to come by - but the Democrats will not give up the money that the unions fork over to them, so that 3.5 million people are essentially beholden to 45,000 unionists and the Democrats are just fine with that and the Republicans seemingly have their hands tied for all sorts of reasons. That said, I have heard that our local Democrat party is also suffering from lack of participation and funding. That’s the only consolidation. No matter, Republicans need to step up and get us out of this morass.
I vote for the dung beetle. Still reading, but I had to throw that out there.
"Sadly, the stewardship of virtually every institution in this nation compromised principle to remain in the good graces of the Cool-Kids clique as defined and constantly re-defined by what social media allowed"
"Any organization not explicitly right-wing sooner or later becomes left-wing."
- Conquest's 2nd Law
https://www.isegoria.net/2008/07/robert-conquests-three-laws-of-politics/
You covered quite a large swath with this piece. At different points in my life I’ve probably experienced most of the feelings you express. I believe you have only touched on part of the problem.
You rightly express that Trump “exposed” the realities by winning in 2016. I think that’s correct but his victory and subsequent events that have followed since have exposed the voters who continue to put these people into office. Now that these negatives have been exposed, now what? Nothing has happened. 2022 was an election where a “red wave” should have occurred and that only happened in Florida. The Rs should have had a larger majority in the House but we’re lucky to scrape by with some tightly contested races.
The Speaker race has accentuated the problem. The base lit up the phones and Inboxes of their representatives for Jordan. What happened? He kept losing votes as the reps realized they didn’t have to pretend anymore. That culminated in the secret ballot where they told Jordan to “get lost”. Even the vaunted Trump endorsement didn’t work. They have no fear of either him or the base anymore. They realize all they have to do is talk about the Biden Crime Family and “vote Republican to save America”. To your point, they don’t care about majorities. They don’t have to govern and it pays well. When they do get a big win they can’t run away from it fast enough. See Roe vs Wade.
I have no idea where it goes from here. It’s plain the neocons are driving the bus right now and they only know forward with foot on the gas. There are some thoughtful leaders out there but unfortunately not in this country. The one truth that I have come to realize though is the only people that hate me more than the Dems are the Republicans. It took me years to figure that out but here we are.
What I wouldn't give for one party that wasn't bought and paid for. I was reading an article on Fox News by Chris Bedford (https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/house-speaker-fight-reason-kevin-mccarthy-hasnt-been-replaced).
***
The Grand Old Party (GOP) has long suffered from misalignment with its donor class and leadership holding completely different priorities from its voters and actually actual conservative members. The misalignment has been steadily widening for decades, but today, with some members openly calling on Republicans to align with Democrats just to keep the cash flowing, it’s clear the spine is broken.
***
The thing is, I don't honestly know where this ends. If you talk to old school liberals, we have the same complaints about the Democrat Party, only they have enough of their base that falls for small wins on the "culture" wars even if they lose on the larger issues liberals used to stand for: staying out of wars, corporate accountability, transparency, privacy, bodily autonomy, etc.
It's a big effing mess, is what it is.
Wonderful piece as always. And it looks like it's getting more active around here. Nice!
Oh, and always, thank you so much for the shoutout!
Excellent piece here NotfromTexas. I'm so glad to have learned about your substack.
IMHO, there should not be a "brand" for politics at all. When that came up from Devon Archer about selling the Biden brand, I about got sick. But the "republican brand" apparently is one of shame and remorse, and "how can we make the cool kids like us?", which is even more sickening. But as to this: "The question is: How do we, the people, make that happen?" really, how do we? There doesn't seem to be any answer to that question other than to burn it all down and start over from scratch.
As a white collar worker in flyover country, I couldn't agree more on pretty much everything you say here. I only wish I knew the answer of how to fix it.