There is enormous division within the Republican Party. The primary two rivals are pro-Trump, and anti-Trump forces. Add to that, the TEA Party or Freedom Caucus, whatever they wish to be labeled today, and there are at least three divisions. The media hides the fact that the Koch brothers created the TEA Party, at the same time they founded “Americans for Prosperity.” Both are misnomers; “Taxed Enough Already” is a fallacy; Americans pay some of the lowest taxes in the developed world; “Americans for Prosperity” truly means “increased profits for the Koch brothers.”
The TEA Party came into the political picture in 2010 with the election of TEA Party darlings such as Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio. Immediately Washington was infested with extremists who refused to work within our democratic system. Their refusal to deliberate and compromise began to force dysfunction. It worsened in 2012, when the most extreme member of the new party won his seat in the senate; Ted Cruz.
So, what does this all mean after the election? What will happen to the GOP? No one can truly answer that, but changes will occur; how drastic they will be depends on your personal point of view, and how much you know about the Republican Party. The GOP is very secretive regarding its inner turmoil, but with the rise of Trump as their standard bearer, they are now exposed.
I have labeled Republicans who support Trump as ‘Republicans in name only,’ true ‘RINO’s.’ They are composed of men and women who were part of the ‘anyone but Trump’ movement, and became hypocrites as they decided to place the party first, and our nation second. If Trump is truly representative of the Republican Party in the 21st century, they must change their name.
There is no doubt that the Koch brothers want complete control of the GOP. They have quietly amassed a national organization which has already outspent, and outnumbers the Republican Party’s efforts in every state. The Chairman of the Republican Party, Reince Priebus is aware of this fact but has chosen to ignore the truth; he is in debt to the Koch brothers for his position.
Members of the Koch network acknowledge the challenge. “One thing that the last 15 months has taught us: Just when you think you’ve won an issue within the base, you realize no issue is really ever won,” AFP President Tim Phillips says with a wry smile.
The truth is that lack of effective Republican leadership has dismantled the GOP; not Trump. Trump is the symbol of the anger of Republican voters which is actually aimed at the establishment. But Phillips, just like Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Reince Priebus, and others, continue on their path of denial.
The mindset, as he describes it, was, “Oh, this stuff isn’t going to work…. This was a battle that was won over two or three decades. We’re fine.” Entitlement reform is another area where there’s been backsliding, Phillips says. “We thought it was settled orthodoxy; suddenly, it’s not anymore!”
Old thinking; a refusal to see our nation as an evolving nation, has forced politicians to become complacent. They have failed the majority by continuing to believe that the electorate is ignorant.
Do not underestimate the Koch brothers. The third and fourth richest men in America are engaged in politics for their own financial success. They represent big oil, and the pipelines which transport the dangerous crude. Their goal is to place into power individuals who will allow drilling on every square inch of America’s land. They have no interest in the people or their future; their god is money.
While the majority of Republicans are in total disarray, The Koch brothers have been making plans for years. They are more powerful and better organized. By mid-2017, I will not be surprised if the Republican Party becomes the “Koch Party.” The once Grand Old Party will be but a memory; the ‘party of Lincoln’ a distant dream.
Once again, I ask you to help me keep the American people informed; thank you.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
Follow me on twitter; @jamesturnagenov
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