I like what he's saying, and would love to have a Republican party that looks like what he describes. But I think he's perhaps overly optimistic. Just today, Trump was trying to spin this as a failure of the Democrats to work with the Republicans. So we have a long way to go yet.
There was a really good analogy in the story, "If the Republican Party tripped over its own feet walking across this empty ballroom..." That's about perfect. This Republican party has a majority in both houses of Congress, the Presidency, and a fairly conservative bench with the next nomination in your hands. And they sat on their ball sack still. Just utter failure in their leadership. Incredible really.
Some people seem to eat it up, but I'm increasingly suspicious that the majority of major websites' comment sections are generated by armies of astroturfers. The low(ering) approval ratings don't seem to come with any outspoken defectors in plain sight. They may be moderated away. RIP...a failure of the Democrats to work with the Republicans.
That's a fair point, and I certainly don't pretend to know whether it's an effective tactic. That said, I'm not 100% convinced that the approval rating polls are necessarily meaningful; I thunk it's entirely possible that plenty of folks will say they don't approve of Trump when asked directly by a pollster, but then will still defend Republican actions in general, as well as Trump when compared to anyone else.
Oh, I dunno about that, David. Those of us on the Left have enjoyed watching you pilloried by Team Tea Party lo these past seven years. I'm sure you're eager to come in from the cold. That said, I agree that we might start seeing a little soul-searching from both parties now.I take no pride or pleasure in saying “I told you so.” We’ve all been wrong about enough things to teach us humility about our rare bursts of foresight.
It really seems that particular congress/administration/political environment might be the one that finally starts an end to hyper partisanship. The parties in question are doing soul searching. The media is doing soul searching. Special interest groups of all shapes and colors are finding new and open ears all over the place. This time around could finally lead to something new. Or we could double down in stubborn and stupid. That's always an option.That said, I agree that we might start seeing a little soul-searching from both parties now.