Tod Kelly Is Right/Wrong About The GOP

I actually wrote this to get it off my chest, but since I don't have time to defend it or participate in a conversation about it, I am just going to kind of deposit it here where I can look it up but . Tod wrote a post about the GOP, Donald Trump, and swinging for the fences. Here are my thoughts: I largely agree with the content of this post. Which means I must nitpick details. First, I don't recall Rick Perry saying much in line with what Trump has said, except in an "all anti-immigration politicians sound the same to me" sort of way. Perry was attacked from the right on the issue, and called the view of those to his right heartless. He apologized for the "heartless" comment, but stood buy in-state tuition for illegal immigrants and his opposition to a wall. Rubio is Rubio and Jeb is Jeb. Leaving Walker, who didn't run in 2012 and has shifted to the right on the issue since 2013. This is important because it helps describe Trump's popularity among those on the hard right. It's not because of his cred on social conservative issues. He has little and seems barely interested. He's taken the "right" positions on abortion and gay marriage, but in a pro-forma way. Except on immigration, which is an issue he absolutely owns in large part because none of the major candidates have any more credibility than he does. But that's not a phenomenon that can be used to describe "social conservatives" generally. If Mike Huckabee were out in front, or Ted Cruz, you'd have a point. But Trump is not particularly illustrative of the phenomenon you describe. And beyond that, what the polls tell us about Trump isn't all that much more than what they were telling us about Rudy Giuliani in 2007 (except Rudy never had negatives like this within the party). Immigration isn't a good example because, unlike gay marriage, the party itself is pretty divided on the issue. And Trump isn't a good example because he is not going to win the nomination and it seems unlikely somebody proudly waving his banner is going to win the nomination. So with all of this, why do I largely agree with your assessment? Because though you focus on "social conservatives" I think if you modify it to be "Republican activists" I think it's pretty much on the nose. Party activists are swinging for the fences, playing as hard a hardball as they can, and they struck out pretty big. Not just at the polls, but increasingly within a party that seems to fear them a lot less than they did.