The Damage Trump is doing to the GOP
Republicans do not realize extent of the damage Trump is doing to the GOP. I think Republican leaders are so out of touch with average Americans they cannot see the harm President Donald J. Trump (R-New York) is doing to the Grand Old Party (GOP).
For instance, an acquaintance of mine recently voiced her intent to vote for an “unaffiliated presidential candidate.” However, just three years ago, the same woman was a die-hard Republican who took a strong interest in the GOP presidential primaries. In fact, she was backing the obscure candidate Dr. Ben Carson; now secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
My suspicion is that my acquaintance is far from alone. I suspect that there are millions of disillusioned conservatives out there who view now view all Republican politicians as sell outs.
Why Republicans Need to be Afraid of Trump
I have to wonder how many good Republicans and strong conservatives will stay away with the party rolling and playing dead for Trump. In particular, Trump’s sleaze is driving away a lot of cultural conservatives.
Moreover, Republicans who think the fizzling out of the Mueller investigation will end their problems will be sadly mistaken. There are lots of other Trump scandals; real and imagined, out there and Democrats and their allies in the media will capitalize on them.
In fact, I think aspects of Trump’s personal life; like affairs and prostitutes, could do serious damage in the public spotlight. Plus, there’s all the derogatory comments observers attribute to the President. For instance, how many votes will Trump will lose down South if audio or video of the Donald using the phrase “redneck;” calling the Bible bull shit, or mocking Christians, gets out.
Finally, there could be many other financial and legal skeletons lurking in Trump’s closet. In particular, the Trump Organization’s and the Kushner family’s dealings with China could really harm the President. How can Republicans attract votes in Ohio if Democrats produce evidence the President and his family took money from the Chinese government?
How Trump is Betraying Middle America and His Supporters
However, the greatest harm Trump is doing to the Republican Party is with his betrayal of middle America and his supporters. In fact, the Trump administration is proposing policies that will harm many Republican voters.
For instance, the President’s 2019 budget proposal recommends drastic cuts to Social Security Disability, Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs. Most dramatically, Trump wants to cut $64 billion from Social Security Disability, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare claims.
These cuts will cost Republicans votes because most of the people who rely on Social Security Disability are white and working class. Hence, many SSDI recipients are probable Trump voters. In addition, those who get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) have relatives who vote.
Moreover, the Trump administration wants to make it easier to cut off SSDI payments and spy on SSDI recipients social media, Medium writer David M. Perry charges. Hence Trump’s officials are proposing policies that will make life miserable for tens of thousands of likely Republican voters.
Unfortunately, Republican leaders do not see this because nobody who gets SSDI belongs to their country clubs or attends party fund raisers. However, people who get SSDI vote and they will remember who proposed cutting their benefits.
Trump Proposes Medicare Cuts
“As Republicans, if you think you are going to change very substantially for the worse Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in any substantial way; and at the same time you think you are going to win elections, it just really is not going to happen,” Donald J. Trump (R-New York), March 2013.
In addition, Trump’s administration is proposing $500 billion cuts to Medicare; America’s single-payer health insurance program for senior citizens, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare claims.
However, 59.7 million Americans were receiving Medicare Part A & B in 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid calculates. Specifically, 51 million of those people are senior citizens.
Under these circumstances, I have to ask does anybody at the White House bother to look at the crowds at Trump rallies? Why are they proposing policies that will harm their most important voters: senior citizens?
Okay, I realize that the President’s budget proposal is just a wish list that Congress will ignore. However, the White House is giving Democratic strategists vast amounts of ammunition with such suggestions.
In particular, there are millions of Americans who erroneously believe the President sets the federal budget. More than a few of those people will believe Trump can cut their parents’ meager Social Security payments.
How Trump is Damaging Republicans Future Prospects
“Should any political party attempt to abolish Social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history,” President Dwight D. Eisenhower (R-Kansas) 1954.
Republicans and Trump will be in real trouble if Democrats run somebody smart enough to raise the Medicare and Social Security issues. Hoping Democrats run somebody as stupid and as out of touch as Hillary R. Clinton (D-New York) is not a strategy.
Notably, Democrats could lock in the senior citizen vote for decades to come by making the three magic words “increase Social Security” their mantra. In particular, the millions of Baby Boomers living on nothing but Social Security will hear those words.
Add “increase Medicare” and Basic Income to the mix and Democrats will be unbeatable in many rural and white areas pundits label “Red.” However, former Republican officials will only blame Trump in 2025 when they are sitting around the country club bar griping about the latest tax increase in Washington.
Why Republicans will lose the Trump Voters
Moreover, Republicans will have only themselves because they mindlessly backed an incompetent president.
Republicans then stood by and let that president turn the budget process over to a small cadre of elitist brain-dead conservative ideologues who let the Koch Brothers do their thinking for them. Incredibly, those ideologues are proposing budgets that violate the President’s promises to his most important voters.
Donald J. Trump did Republicans a huge service by attracting the votes of the white working class. However, Republicans; and Trump himself, are throwing those votes away by not understanding who those voters are.
I have to wonder how many lost votes and elections it will take before Republicans realize the damage Trump is doing to their brand. Hopefully, it will not take require catastrophic losses to show Republicans the error of their ways.