I think there may be a two sets of "republicans". The leadership of the GOP and the entrenched politicos are what the GOP had become in 2016. IMO they were out of touch with a great many of the rank and file members. The same can be said for the (un)democratic party. It was clear to anyone willing to gaze with eyes open that the nomination for the D party Obama successor was H. Clinton. This was decided in the 2008 convention. On the other side, the GOP was a disorganized array of more of the same, as if the GOP leadership had conceded the race before it began. Trump for some reason decided he wanted a shot, and wasn't going to go down the doomed path of Perot and Ron Paul. The obvious choice was to take over the GOP.
I think the record of congress in 2017 to 2021 supports my premise, that most established republicans in congress were very hostile towards Trump. For good reason, he upset their entrenched power structure and called them out for their corruption and hypocrisy. Many of those remain in congress, yet to be purged by voters.
Then there's those identifying with change, who see Trump the Outsider as a good thing. This group is, I think, comprised of both traditional "always" republicans, outsiders drawn in by Trump, and disenfranchised democrats, and the odd libertarians and independents (some of whom are very odd in deed). The first group had seen the corruption and decay, and felt disenfranchised while seeing no alternative, until Trump drove change (with a sledgehammer).
These "new" republicans were emerged in 2016 as a force, were suppressed in 2020, and reemerged from lockdowns and censorship and such stronger, more determined. They saw positive change between 2017 an d 2019 - they saw it shut down by "the usual suspects" in 2020, and were ready to turn things around . Ironically, many taking up the battle cry of the 2020 Biden campaign - we have to tear it down to rebuild it. But "it" in this case is the entrenched and bloated federal government.
Now the "new" republicans are calling those who haven't rolled with the changes "RINO". The clash between the two continues, but I think more rank and file members are ready for change.
I think there may be a two sets of "republicans". The leadership of the GOP and the entrenched politicos are what the GOP had become in 2016. IMO they were out of touch with a great many of the rank and file members. The same can be said for the (un)democratic party. It was clear to anyone willing to gaze with eyes open that the nomination for the D party Obama successor was H. Clinton. This was decided in the 2008 convention. On the other side, the GOP was a disorganized array of more of the same, as if the GOP leadership had conceded the race before it began. Trump for some reason decided he wanted a shot, and wasn't going to go down the doomed path of Perot and Ron Paul. The obvious choice was to take over the GOP.
I think the record of congress in 2017 to 2021 supports my premise, that most established republicans in congress were very hostile towards Trump. For good reason, he upset their entrenched power structure and called them out for their corruption and hypocrisy. Many of those remain in congress, yet to be purged by voters.
Then there's those identifying with change, who see Trump the Outsider as a good thing. This group is, I think, comprised of both traditional "always" republicans, outsiders drawn in by Trump, and disenfranchised democrats, and the odd libertarians and independents (some of whom are very odd in deed). The first group had seen the corruption and decay, and felt disenfranchised while seeing no alternative, until Trump drove change (with a sledgehammer).
These "new" republicans were emerged in 2016 as a force, were suppressed in 2020, and reemerged from lockdowns and censorship and such stronger, more determined. They saw positive change between 2017 an d 2019 - they saw it shut down by "the usual suspects" in 2020, and were ready to turn things around . Ironically, many taking up the battle cry of the 2020 Biden campaign - we have to tear it down to rebuild it. But "it" in this case is the entrenched and bloated federal government.
Now the "new" republicans are calling those who haven't rolled with the changes "RINO". The clash between the two continues, but I think more rank and file members are ready for change.