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roronoa79
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17 Dec 2021, 5:18 pm

Republicans have spent the years since Obama's election slowly building a narrative that there is widespread electoral fraud in America, and that this fraud is behind any number of Republican electoral defeats.

While this narrative is meant to shore up the GOP's inability to compete in many elections, I anticipate that the pushing of this narrative could lead to GOP Self-Destruction.

First, allegations of fraud will serve to divide the GOP between more moderate conservatives and hardline conservatives. Second, Republicans who believe America's elections are rigged against them are less likely to vote. More Republicans believe in fraud, more Republicans will see little point in voting. Given how they already struggle to win elections, the GOP will suffer even more if their base is reluctant to vote at all.

Lastly, and the reason I started this thread, allegations of election fraud are not going to just be directed at Dems. Consider this scenario: it is 2024. Trump is competing with a more moderate Republican candidate in the presidential primary. Trump starts to lose more and more state primaries. Trump, psychologically incapable of accepting that he could lose a fair contest, accuses his opponent and the GOP establishment of rigging the election against him and his voters.

What happens then? The divide within the party becomes deeper and more odious. Now the RINO's aren't just RINO's, they are now just as bad as the Democrats who "also" rig elections against "real" conservatives. If Trump loses the primary, he, being spiteful and petty, would tell his voters to not vote for the candidate who defeated him in the primary. Thus, that candidate is much less likely to defeat the Dems' candidate. If Trump wins the primary, he will have created such resentment among moderate Republicans that they will be reluctant to vote for him, and he will be less likely to defeat the Dems' candidate. And another GOP electoral defeat will be used as fuel by those who push the election fraud narrative. Etc. Etc.

It's a vicious cycle, and I don't know how the party will get out of it. Not that I'm complaining. They are reaping what they sow. Republicans need to change their platform, change their rhetoric, and stop pushing their aging base to the right. Restrictive voting laws and gerrymandering will never be enough to offset the problems I listed above.


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Aspinator
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17 Dec 2021, 5:37 pm

I'm sure that there some rational republicans that can see this and probably say good riddance to the far right. They no longer want to be viewed as a party that support nut-jobs and instead want a party that offers a choice to the views of the democrats.



ASPartOfMe
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17 Dec 2021, 8:11 pm

The more traditional Republicans and anti Trump republicans have been driven out or have been coopted.I view Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee as much as one can be the presumptive nominee this far in advance. Every once in awhile comes a person that is seen as the one the will make the Republican Party Reaganite's again. That person is ignored or bullied out in short order and quickly forgotten. The Republican voters want Trump overwhelmingly it is a simple as that.

The Dems have own “Civil War” over substantial issues. Also they are alienating large portion of the electorate ATM. The general election is going to come down to a combination of the lesser of two nightmares and the dems ability to block Republican election rigging attempts.


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Aspiegaming
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17 Dec 2021, 8:57 pm

Isn't most voter fraud committed by Republican voters?


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