Thanks for the hand boys, appreciate it!
Put away those cabbages and rotten tomatoes dammit! It all comes out right in the end.
In 2009, in the aftermath of the election of the first African American President, the Koch brothers really did the Democrats a solid. The lower income, lower educated base of the Republican party had been frustrated for years, buying into party promise after party pledge, only to see those things glossed over or never acted upon. But what were their options, become Democrats? Not very likely, but there was nobody in their own party who really spoke for them.
And here we are introduced to the greed stained little fingers of the Brothers De Koch. In order to further their own political and business machinations they struck. One thing you gotta say about these little shits, they know how to scheme.
Follow me below the Orange Koch Brothers Profit Margin for the rest of the story.
The plan was classic misdirection and deception. Starting with a very carefully planned and orchestrated rant on the floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange by CNBC reporter Rick Santelli, and followed by a Blue Angels precision campaign of "grassroots uprising" publicity, the Tea Party was born. Sister Sarah Palin was more than willing to contribute her now unemployed face as the "darling" of the upstart renegades, and it was off and running. Initially, the Republican party was thrilled, the base was being motivated in ways that they hadn't seen it in years! Little "House takeover stars" shining in their eyes, they enthusiastically endorsed the effort. One small problem. It wasn't their effort, and they didn't control it.
The bloom fell off of that rose for the national GOP leadership in 2010, when incumbents and "establishment" candidates started getting their asses handed to them in bloody primary fights. The Tea Partiers, formally known as the Republican base, had the bit well and truly between their teeth, and they were going to punish the establishment for all those years of lies and deception. But what was there to do? They were Republican candidates, nothing for the RNC to do but bite the bullet and pray for the best.
The other shoe dropped when they got elected. It became immediately apparent to both the RNC and the leadership in both chambers that they had a huge problem on their hands. These Senators and Representatives did not consider themselves Republicans, they were Tea Party people, elected to deliver on very specific promises, and they were going to brook no shit on following up on those. To paraphrase Guns n Roses; "Welcome to destruction, we got fun and games!".
In 2012, the RNC made a desperate attempt to regain control, fighting pitched battles in primaries against Tea Party candidates on behalf of "mainstream" candidates. The results were mixed, but only further alienated the Tea Party faithful from the mainstream Republican party. But it did seem to subdue them, in 2014 there were very few serious Tea Party candidates, the steam seemed to have gone out of their engine.
Fast forward to 2016 and the Donald. This is the "Doomsday Scenario" for the Republican party. The Trump base is rabid, it's Jim Jones time all over again. And don't just take my word for it. There's the NBC/SurveyMonkey poll that showed that a whopping 54% of his supporters would bolt the Republican party to vote for him 3rd party. Watch any interview with Trump supporters, they love him precisely because he is NOT a traditional Republican candidate. And because he's completely self financed, he can't be bought. I'd like to ask these wingnuts if that means that they'd vote for David Koch for President because he wouldn't need any outside PAC money.
Basically, the Republican Party is hosed. Let's be honest, they are never going to get the Tea Party base back again, that fealty was broken in 2010, by their own malfeasance of taking them for granted. Trump followers have clearly indicated that they'll bolt the party and jump off the cliff in a 3rd party run, denying the GOP of votes they desperately need not only for the White House, but to have any hope of maintaining the Senate. But what if Trump is actually nominated? I truly believe that the mainstream Republican party will sit this one out rather than go to the polls, hold their noses, and vote for a political caricature like Trump, with disastrous consequences for them.
In closing, the "traditional" Republican party as we have known it is dead. There is the mainstream, RNC led GOP, and there is the Tea Party faction, using the tag for it's name recognition and a twisted interpretation of some principal beliefs. And never again shall the twain meet. Good riddance assholes, and let the band play on!
And as Walter Kronkite would say; "This is August the 10th, 2015, and that's the way it is."
Thanks as always for reading!