C_Clayton_Jones
Diamond Member
‘As a week dominated by President Trump’s response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., draws to a close, many Republicans are worried that serious damage has been done to their party.
Specifically, they argue that Trump may have set back by years efforts to make the GOP more appealing to an increasingly diverse American electorate.
There is no mistaking the seriousness with which they view the situation.
One veteran Republican strategist, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly, told The Hill that Trump’s response was “a f- - -ing disaster.” The source added, “I have no idea where we go from here.”
Few were assuaged by the news Friday of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s dismissal. Bannon, who came to Trump from the “alt-right” world of Breitbart News, was a voice for economic nationalism within the White House.
[…]
Many Republicans have rushed to distance themselves from Trump, after he proclaimed that there were “very fine people” on both sides in Charlottesville. A 32-year-old woman, Heather Heyer, was killed last Saturday after she was hit by a car allegedly driven by a man who harbored far-right views.
[…]
The two living Republican ex-presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, released a joint statement implicitly condemning Trump. So, too, did the party’s leaders in both chambers of Congress, Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).
On Friday, the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, joined the chorus of condemnation. In a Facebook post, Romney lamented that what Trump had said about Charlottesville “caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep and the vast heart of America to mourn.”
But the high-profile criticisms may not be enough to mitigate the damage wreaked by Trump. He has the bully pulpit of the presidency and the firestorm around his comments reached parts of popular culture — late night talk shows, for example — where statements from McConnell or a Facebook post by Romney hold little sway.
“It’s terribly frustrating,” said Heye, who added that it would be incorrect to view the damage as confined to black or Latino voters. There are plenty of white people who find such a stance unpalatable, he suggested.
Republicans fear Trump’s comments are “turning off a broad swath of voters” he said. “It’s obviously off-putting to minority voters — but not just minority voters.”'
The Memo: GOP fears damage done by Trump
Trump has in fact damaged the GOP, and Republicans have only themselves to blame.
Specifically, they argue that Trump may have set back by years efforts to make the GOP more appealing to an increasingly diverse American electorate.
There is no mistaking the seriousness with which they view the situation.
One veteran Republican strategist, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly, told The Hill that Trump’s response was “a f- - -ing disaster.” The source added, “I have no idea where we go from here.”
Few were assuaged by the news Friday of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s dismissal. Bannon, who came to Trump from the “alt-right” world of Breitbart News, was a voice for economic nationalism within the White House.
[…]
Many Republicans have rushed to distance themselves from Trump, after he proclaimed that there were “very fine people” on both sides in Charlottesville. A 32-year-old woman, Heather Heyer, was killed last Saturday after she was hit by a car allegedly driven by a man who harbored far-right views.
[…]
The two living Republican ex-presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, released a joint statement implicitly condemning Trump. So, too, did the party’s leaders in both chambers of Congress, Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).
On Friday, the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, joined the chorus of condemnation. In a Facebook post, Romney lamented that what Trump had said about Charlottesville “caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep and the vast heart of America to mourn.”
But the high-profile criticisms may not be enough to mitigate the damage wreaked by Trump. He has the bully pulpit of the presidency and the firestorm around his comments reached parts of popular culture — late night talk shows, for example — where statements from McConnell or a Facebook post by Romney hold little sway.
“It’s terribly frustrating,” said Heye, who added that it would be incorrect to view the damage as confined to black or Latino voters. There are plenty of white people who find such a stance unpalatable, he suggested.
Republicans fear Trump’s comments are “turning off a broad swath of voters” he said. “It’s obviously off-putting to minority voters — but not just minority voters.”'
The Memo: GOP fears damage done by Trump
Trump has in fact damaged the GOP, and Republicans have only themselves to blame.