The plan here (at least at the moment) is to chart and catalogue the progress (if any) of a new third party proposed by Republicans and former Republicans who are horrified by the trajectory the party has taken over the last five years.
A group of former Republican officials considering a new center-right political party to counter former President Donald Trump's influence would face steep challenges in shaking up a U.S. political system that has favored two-party rule throughout its history.
www.reuters.com
So, two random thoughts and questions:
First, and perhaps most importantly, we all know that starting, growing and maintaining a viable third party would be a massive, herculean task. Odds certainly are that it won't stick and will most likely go down in history as a temporary, inter-party squabble. The linked article does go into what it would take for this effort to be successful, though, including finding and rallying around a charismatic figure. Without such a figure, this will never get off the ground.
Do you agree or disagree?
Second, speaking of charismatic figures (for better or worse), Trump now has so much direct and indirect control of the GOP that it's telling that anti-Trumpers would even be talking about this. To me, that says that they've given up trying to grab the party back from him.
If Trump gets the GOP, he gets all of the absolutely critical existing national infrastructure that goes with it. Is that what has happened? Have the anti-Trumpers ceded the party to Trump?
Interesting points in the linked piece:
Kinzinger joined the Feb. 5 video conference of the anti-Trump group and spoke for about five minutes, a spokeswoman told Reuters. But the congressman wants to “reform the party from within,” she said. He has recently formed a new political action committee to support Republican primary challengers running against pro-Trump House Republicans such as Matt Gaetz, of Florida, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia. What's tougher -- reforming a party you've lost, or starting a new one?
“Let’s not kid ourselves; we are not going to change this party,” said Jim Glassman, a former undersecretary of state under George W. Bush. That sure is how it looks right now.
Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn laughed when asked by Reuters about a possible third party. “More power to ‘em,” he said. Cornyn, however, predicted shared opposition to President Biden’s agenda will hold Republicans together. He said he hopes life in the Republican Party will return to something more normal in Trump’s absence. Yeah, I don't see that. I don't think Cornyn knows where this party has gone, right under his nose.
