Republican civil war adds to party’s troubles
Nevertheless, this stereotype and others have taken root, but another one has been forming in the ether and may have some truth to it: When faced with adversity, many Republicans will turn on each other to their own detriment. Georgia has recently been ground zero for this behavior. In fact, the result of the recent elections has caused many Republicans to lash out at their own in various ways.
A mere few days after the November general elections, U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler issued a stinging joint statement targeting Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. It read, “The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections. He has failed the people of Georgia, and he should step down immediately.” But as Politico pointed out, they failed to produce any particular supporting evidence at the time. Even so, Raffensperger responded in his usual calm, soft-spoken demeanor and asserted that he would do no such thing and that he will continue to follow the letter of the law.
Not long after, President Donald Trump—who backed Gov. Brian Kemp’s gubernatorial bid—recently launched a shot across the Georgia governor’s bow. Trump said, “I’m ashamed that I endorsed him,” and even accused Kemp of being a “hapless governor” for not attempting to negate Secretary of State Raffensperger’s authority and intervene in the administration of elections.
Kemp’s office responded in a respectful, matter-of-fact manner: “Georgia law prohibits the Governor from interfering in elections. The Secretary of State, who is an elected constitutional officer, has oversight over elections that cannot be overridden by executive order.” However, this has done little to quell the intraparty rancor.
The disagreements are not limited to just the grasstops. Many grassroots activists are also involved and sniping at each other. Indeed, a handful of seemingly fringe Republican supporters have issued threats. They claim that they will boycott the Senatorial run-offs here in Georgia unless Trump is declared the victor of the past presidential election. It’s a strange case of political terrorism whereby a few activists threaten to virtually hold one election hostage in order to get their way in another. To quote the comedy Dodgeball, “It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ’em.”
Jokes aside, the reality is that the Georgia Republican Party is in a tenuous position. As I have written about previously, Republican support has been flagging in the Peach State, and there are two U.S. Senate seats and one Public Service Commission seat hanging in the balance, which will be decided in the January run-offs. Despite this, Georgia’s Republican Governor, Secretary of State and other GOP officials have been under near constant fire from activists and fellow elected officials who are unhappy with the election for one reason or another.
Let me be clear; it’s fine to be upset. However, if there are any perceived electoral improprieties, there are legal procedures in place to investigate and resolve them. Rather than launching attacks against their allies, perhaps people should first pursue the legally prescribed manners of challenging elections and take them to their natural end. Instead, many seem content with internecine infighting, but with a resurgent Democrat Party in Georgia, it seems that a bitterly divided Republican Party could ultimately be doomed to failure. The public disagreements will likely encourage more GOP voters to stay home on election days and discourage new voters from considering GOP candidates.
While as a columnist and a free market think tank employee, I strive to remain nonpartisan and focused solely on specific issues, but I would like to humbly offer some advice. If I were a GOP strategist, I would urge state and national Republicans to put their differences aside. They need to unite, concentrate on the run-offs and take President Ronald Reagan’s advice: “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20 percent traitor.”
If I were a Democratic strategist, on the other hand, then I would recommend that Democrats sit back and enjoy the warmth of the smoldering Republican dumpster fire because the GOP is currently playing into their hands.
