The Self-Immolation Of The GOP And What It Means For 2A :: 01/06/2021

As I write this, it looks like Raphael Warnock has won a U.S. Senate in Georgia, while the race between Republican David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff remains too close to call. Who’s to blame? Fingers are being pointed at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for thwarting a vote on $2000 stimulus checks shortly before Election Day, Kraken theorists like Lin Wood and Sidney Powell who encouraged voters to stay home, President Donald Trump for bashing the Republican governor and secretary of state while also embracing the idea that the presidential election in November had been stolen and the voting process could not be trusted; as well as Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger themselves, for allowing the fraud to continue with the Senate elections.

In truth, there’s enough blame to go around that the various parties will simply keep pointing the finger at others rather than accept any responsibility themselves. In my opinion, though, the lion’s share of the problem rests at the feet of the president and those supporters of his who encouraged Georgia voters to stay home and not cast a vote.

If Democrats do end up taking both seats, which seems likely, the results of the Senate elections are going to have a huge impact on the chances of anti-gun legislation (more on that in a moment). Before the first background check or gun ban bill is even heard in committee, however, the Senate chamber is going to be the scene of the next act in the self-destruction of the Republican Party, and that too is going to have a huge impact in our ability to defend against some of the expected legislation.

President Trump has made clear that any Republican who doesn’t try to challenge the results of the Electoral College is going on his enemies list, and son Eric made the threat even more explicit on Tuesday night.

This guarantees that over the next couple of years the Right is going to be waging two political wars; one with Democrats and one with itself. I won’t attempt to predict exactly how the fight will play out (at least not in this post), but as Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” A Republican civil war is coming, but I cannot tell you how long it will last. Politically speaking, both sides are likely to lose, at least as long as Democrats maintain their own fragile coalition.

I truly believe that if Donald Trump had won a second term, the Left would be in roughly the same place as the Republicans are today. The divide between the progressives and the socialists, already on display in the criticism of Biden’s establishment cabinet picks, would have caused the party to fracture in the stress of an election loss. Virginia congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be fighting for the future of the party, with AOC vowing to fundraise for socialist candidates in every Democratic primary in 2022.

The biggest difference if the script was flipped is that Joe Biden doesn’t hold as much sway over Democrats as Trump does over Republicans (or at least a good chunk of them). Sleepy Joe is seen by most Democrats as a placeholder; the establishment face that wouldn’t scare voters away, but not the Moses who’s going to lead the Left to the promised land of utopian socialism.

There are some on the Right, of course, who absolutely see Trump in messianic terms, and they will brook no weakening of the faith. Stray from the Path and you are ex-communicated, and if you’re a politician there’s the promise of a primary challenge in your next election. For some politicians that will be enough to keep them in line. Others, not so much.

https://bearingarms.com/cam-e/2021/01/06/self-immolation-of-gop-what-it-means-2a-rights/