There’s been talk lately that the GOP is no longer a party of ideology, but rather a loose coalition of nihilists with an anarchistic distrust of democratic institutions. The only thing Republicans seem to believe in, other than crackpot conspiracy theories, is owning the Dems.
It’s sad, because the Republican Party I grew up with was anything but nihilistic. Love them or hate them, you always knew what they stood for: limited government, rule of law, fiscal responsibility, peace through strength and family values.
Of course, Republicans didn’t always live up to these values, but they constituted the ideological framework that held the party together, informing their political debates and shaping their legislative agendas. Their absence has left behind a values vacuum now being occupied by a growing group of election deniers, grifters, pathological liars, and conspiracy theorists — aka “The Crazy Caucus.”
Now that Trump has tossed his red hat into the 2024 election ring, other GOP hopefuls are sure to follow. If there be one amongst their number with the courage to call out the party for its slide into anarcho-nihilism, allow me to suggest a campaign slogan: “Make the GOP Ideological Again”
