The worst case scenario if trump loses: GOP reverts back to 1996-2012 platform

[Matty]

No, not a  defense of trump thread

But there seems to be a sentiment growing among nevertrumpers that the the gop was in fine shape before trump and he came in and destroyed it. Obviously a bananas claim looking at election results in 2008,12,16

My worry is that the gop goes back to its just as unappealing platform it had before trump, unpopular in a different way from trump. Basically, the same people who controlled the party from 1996-2012  reassert their dominance

This platform will lose elections, but instead of looking in the mirror, they will blame trump over and over again with each loss. “He left a stench for decades”

In other words, they will use trump as an excuse/scapegoat for every loss

I think this is actually a likely scenario.

I don’t want this party to go back to worshipping at the altar of international free marketism as a cure for everything and being a fan of interventionism everywhere.

[sg0508]

Again, other than the top 5% and the right-wing Christians (i.e. the whites), there's little appeal for the party.

[Matty]

Again, other than the top 5% and the right-wing Christians (i.e. the whites), there's little appeal for the party.

And this was a problem before trump. Actually, if anything, he brought in MORE middle and lower class support, and bled support from the rich.

But my point is this: abandoning trump is not a cure or even a remote fix.

Ben Shapiro's platform, Mitt Romney's platform, John McCain's platform, etc.....was horridly unappealing.

My main worry is that these same people retake control and the GOP loses a bunch of WWC support.

[dw93]

I think you could see a throwback to the "Compassionate Conservatism" of  2000 George W. Bush after a 2020 Trump loss, but I think, unless the Incumbent Democrat is THAT bad, it'll fall flat. After that, I can honestly see a Dewey/Eisenhower type Republican party making a comeback after 8-12 years in the wilderness.

[Matty]

I think you could see a throwback to the "Compassionate Conservatism" of  2000 George W. Bush after a 2020 Trump loss, but I think, unless the Incumbent Democrat is THAT bad, it'll fall flat. After that, I can honestly see a Dewey/Eisenhower type Republican party making a comeback after 8-12 years in the wilderness.

George Bush's platform and electoral success was overrated. Lost the popular vote to robot al gore, despite voter fatigue.

Barely won re-election in 2004 despite high levels of patriotism, mediocre D nominee,  and high marks for handling of 9/11, not to mention decent economy.

I don't think the GOP should listen to anyone involved in the party from 1992-2012.

Needs to find a way to blend the working class voters trump brought in with a higher share of the urban/suburban/cosmopolitan vote.

[sg0508]

As the Millennials keep gaining power in the electorate, the GOP better figure out some way to appeal or at least slow the Democratic growth within them.  The old GOP is dying and the electorate keeps getting younger and more diverse.

Right now, the party is clearly out of touch.  Trump's background is a coverup for a lot of this, but the '12 election really spelled out some of the problems.  Romney was an out of touch tycoon with little appeal to minorities, average Americans and young voters. 

[Skill and Chance]

I think you could see a throwback to the "Compassionate Conservatism" of  2000 George W. Bush after a 2020 Trump loss, but I think, unless the Incumbent Democrat is THAT bad, it'll fall flat. After that, I can honestly see a Dewey/Eisenhower type Republican party making a comeback after 8-12 years in the wilderness.

George Bush's platform and electoral success was overrated. Lost the popular vote to robot al gore, despite voter fatigue.

Barely won re-election in 2004 despite high levels of patriotism, mediocre D nominee,  and high marks for handling of 9/11, not to mention decent economy.

I don't think the GOP should listen to anyone involved in the party from 1992-2012.

Needs to find a way to blend the working class voters trump brought in with a higher share of the urban/suburban/cosmopolitan vote.

Getting to >1/3rd of the nonwhite vote is a better long term bet for the GOP than trying to get the Romney->Clinton/3rd party suburban voters back.  The breakthrough would probably involve getting to an incumbent Dem's left on certain fiscal/institutional issues during a bad economy, an extension of what Trump successfully did to Clinton on trade policy.

Also, if Trump loses next year, I expect the Dem will also be a 1-termer.  This economic cycle can't continue forever.  On that note, I think the worst case GOP scenario is Trump winning by the skin of his teeth, Dems retain a clear House majority, Senate is very close.  2022 will be an R wipeout if the economy weakens even marginally. 

[Orser67]

So Trump has indeed pursued a quite different policy on trade and immigration than his Republican predecessors, but in other areas of policy he's basically been a normal, post-Reagan Revolution Republican. The lone major legislative accomplishment of his presidency was a tax cut bill, with many of the cuts benefiting the rich or corporations. His other major concrete accomplishment has been appointing conservative judges. The third thing he tried to do, but largely failed to accomplish, was the repeal of Obamacare.

For someone like me who cares more about policy than rhetoric, and who doesn't view international trade as a top issue, the Trump platform really hasn't differed all that drastically from the 1996-2012 GOP platform.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Deck chairs on the Titanic.

[Nightcore Nationalist]

No, not a  defense of trump thread

But there seems to be a sentiment growing among nevertrumpers that the the gop was in fine shape before trump and he came in and destroyed it. Obviously a bananas claim looking at election results in 2008,12,16

My worry is that the gop goes back to its just as unappealing platform it had before trump, unpopular in a different way from trump. Basically, the same people who controlled the party from 1996-2012  reassert their dominance

This platform will lose elections, but instead of looking in the mirror, they will blame trump over and over again with each loss. “He left a stench for decades”

In other words, they will use trump as an excuse/scapegoat for every loss

I think this is actually a likely scenario.

I don’t want this party to go back to worshipping at the altar of international free marketism as a cure for everything and being a fan of interventionism everywhere.

I totally agree with this, OP.  I don't want the nevertrumpers back in power because they ran the party into the ground in the first place, and I want consequences for that.

They also love to harp about Trump's/Populist's demographics problem, but the party has had that problem for a long time before 2015 and they are unable or unwilling to see it.  Plus, I agree with Trump's trade/foreign policy rhetoric far more anyways.

[MarkD]

Party platforms are not worth the toilet paper that they are written on. They are the phoniest kind of campaign promise that there is in American politics. It's a false promise that the party is united behind a common message and set of goals. Every individual candidate runs on a platform of their own; they are not sheep.

[hoosierballin12]

The 2012 GOP platform was mediocre at best. Mitt Romney inspired no enthusiasm among anybody other than Mormons and evangelicals. I think we need to keep much of Trumps policies on trade, immigration, and political correctness. However we need to calm the rhetoric and try to get him out of the news cycle 24/7. Albeit, much of the media’s goal is to help dems win, but if R’s don’t give them any tweets or questionable comments to report on we should be fine. Something needs to be done about the way the media informs people of what’s going on. So often only the democratic side is presented in the media and republicans are painted as being in favor of whatever problem is the subject of debate. If we can get fair treatment from the media and tone down the rhetoric then the Republican Party can maintain power for longer.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Just become internationalist and pro-immigration while continuing to support fiscal and social conservatism and we will be just fine.  Globalism is not a bad thing, y'all (and I'd argue that it is hypocritical for supporters of the free market to support heavy barriers to the free movement of labor and goods- i.e. immigration and trade).

[Agonized-Statism]

Not that you can just put them back in the box and tape it down, but let's say the GOP throws off the populists and anything like the TEA Party for good measure. We're left with this:

Democrats use the same attacks (e.g. "racist bigoted Christian somethingphobic, whateverphobic, madeupphobic boys' club") but they work better because the candidates are too "dignified" to fight back. This doesn't last long and we likely see libertarians replace the party establishment.

[Person Man]

Not that you can just put them back in the box and tape it down, but let's say the GOP throws off the populists and anything like the TEA Party for good measure. We're left with this:

Democrats use the same attacks (e.g. "racist bigoted Christian somethingphobic, whateverphobic, madeupphobic boys' club") but they work better because the candidates are too "dignified" to fight back. This doesn't last long and we likely see libertarians replace the party establishment.

Which wouldn't be bad...for me at least.

[Vosem]

I don't know that reversion is necessarily possible, never mind desirable; the relevant social issues of the day have shifted a great deal. You can't campaign on banning gay marriage anymore, for instance; Republicans today are more pro-immigration than Americans as a whole were in the 1990s, and candidates who are pro-marijuana legalization consistently run ahead of their party's baseline.

But it seems pretty clear to me that the GOP was stronger before Trump; Romney for all his faults had more support in the electorate, and midterm elections in 2010/2014 had Republicans winning national majorities with a clear-cut, popular reformist platform. Under Trump they struggle to reach the mid-'40s, having alienated a bunch of suburban voters without really winning anyone new over.

[darklordoftech]

Not that you can just put them back in the box and tape it down, but let's say the GOP throws off the populists and anything like the TEA Party for good measure. We're left with this:

What I ideology do you imagine them following here? Reagan? Bush I? Bush II? Kasich? Jeb? Ryan? Romney? McCain?

[Agonized-Statism]

What I ideology do you imagine them following here? Reagan? Bush I? Bush II? Kasich? Jeb? Ryan? Romney? McCain?

Kasich. Status quo on military action (no new Bush-esque nation building, but no withdrawals either), moderate social policy, all about that free trade.

[darklordoftech]

Obama’s “horses and bayonets” response to Romney’s attack demonstrates why the GOP’s pre-Trump military policy doesn’t win elections: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-IW6PwJYcOc

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Trump's platform is best, and the best way to go forward is if the GOP adopts a more socially liberal, but still Trumpian platform. Or vice versa an economically left-wing (or centrist whatever) but socially right-wing platform, similar to European "far-right" parties.

[Comrade Funk]

Trump's platform is best, and the best way to go forward is if the GOP adopts a more socially liberal, but still Trumpian platform. Or vice versa an economically left-wing (or centrist whatever) but socially right-wing platform, similar to European "far-right" parties.

Your lack of understanding on American politics or Trump is astounding. In what way is Trump left-wing or centrist on economics?

[Person Man]

Trump's platform is best, and the best way to go forward is if the GOP adopts a more socially liberal, but still Trumpian platform. Or vice versa an economically left-wing (or centrist whatever) but socially right-wing platform, similar to European "far-right" parties.

Your lack of understanding on American politics or Trump is astounding. In what way is Trump left-wing or centrist on economics?

He is fair-trade, anti-war, and government jobs(not really)...but pretty much a Republican through and through. On some issues he's been more aggressive on(opposition to women's rights and civil rights), others less so(he hasn't done anything with stem cells or stumped about creationism).

[IceSpear]

Trump's platform is best, and the best way to go forward is if the GOP adopts a more socially liberal, but still Trumpian platform. Or vice versa an economically left-wing (or centrist whatever) but socially right-wing platform, similar to European "far-right" parties.

Your lack of understanding on American politics or Trump is astounding. In what way is Trump left-wing or centrist on economics?

Cutting Medicaid for millions and tax cuts for billionaires are so #populist

[OSR stands with Israel]

Trump's platform is best, and the best way to go forward is if the GOP adopts a more socially liberal, but still Trumpian platform. Or vice versa an economically left-wing (or centrist whatever) but socially right-wing platform, similar to European "far-right" parties.

Your lack of understanding on American politics or Trump is astounding. In what way is Trump left-wing or centrist on economics?

Cutting Medicaid for millions and tax cuts for billionaires are so #populist

The tax cut part yes because they do help everyone . They help the economy grow which helps the majority of this country

[Elcaspar]

Trump's platform is best, and the best way to go forward is if the GOP adopts a more socially liberal, but still Trumpian platform. Or vice versa an economically left-wing (or centrist whatever) but socially right-wing platform, similar to European "far-right" parties.

Your lack of understanding on American politics or Trump is astounding. In what way is Trump left-wing or centrist on economics?

Cutting Medicaid for millions and tax cuts for billionaires are so #populist

The tax cut part yes because they do help everyone . They help the economy grow which helps the majority of this country

Ah yes, i too believe that the stock markets doing well represents how well the general populace
of America is doing.