​Another anti-Semitic, bigoted candidate has won a Republican primary, this time in a Missouri state house race. Steve West says a vast Jewish conspiracy is trying to take over the country. His views toward Muslims are hardly better. 
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Hateful Zealots Dangerous — Including to the GOP

At least in the short term, the fact that neo-Nazis and such are crawling out from under their rocks is quite worrisome. But assuming — and I don’t think it’s a safe assumption, but it’s the likelier course — their 15 minutes of fame end quickly, the long-term effect could be further mass abandonment of the GOP.
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The extreme bigots attaching themselves to the GOP (including, but not limited to, the one at the top) may be part of the reason voters are shifting away from the Republican party at an accelerating pace, as found in a Pew study last year:
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• • Silent Generation, born 1928–1945:  52% R, 43% D
• • Baby Boomers, born 1946–1964:  46% R, 48% D
• • Generation X, born 1965–1980:  43% R, 48% D

• Millennials, born 1981–1996:  32% R, 59% D

In part, this represents people becoming more conservative with age, particularly white voters. In the Silent Generation, GOP affiliation has grown from 43% to 59% over the past decade. But that phenomenon is offset by a general trend leftward. The share of the public self-identifying as Democratic, and in particular liberal Democratic, has increased steadily since 2000 even as the population has aged.

Most Voters Not Shifting Rightward with Age

Voters younger than 73 haven’t exhibited any rightward shift. GenXers and Booomers have remained fairly stable in political affiliation in recent years. And Millennials are the first group where more white voters lean D; in the older groups, it’s voters of color who provide the Democratic edge. Add this to the decreasing share of the voting public that is identified as white, and you see nothing but trouble for the Republican Party.
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Maybe more importantly, Democrats elected to state houses in 2018 will enjoy incumbency in the 2020 elections (and generally, state senators and governors elected in 2018 won't yet be up for re-election). States will redraw legislative district maps, including for the U.S. House of Representatives, after the 2020 census. For the 2010 census, redistricting data was released to the states in March 2011. If the 2020 census follows a similar schedule, it will be state officeholders in 2021 who redraw the maps. After that, demographic trends will only increase the leftward lean of the voting public. So, Democratic gains in the next two rounds of state elections will have a profound, lasting effect.

In other words, 2018 could be the GOP’s last stand.

Trump Card? Or Deck Against Us All?

One odd implication of all this is that, in purely electoral terms, it could be in progressives’ interest (not that Democrats are universally progressive, but in my opinion there is no comparison between them and today’s Republican electeds) for the Hair Furor to remain in office for a full term rather than resigning or being impeached. He continues to drive voters away from the GOP and to motivate Democratic and progressive citizens to become engaged. ​
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​I continue to believe that, on balance, the country, and the world, will be better off the sooner the Orange Julius departs the Oval Office. I consider him too unhinged, too damaging to the culture, and too incompetent.

In pure Machiavellian terms, perhaps the best way that could happen would be if his McDonald’s habit were to take him out. That wouldn’t result in the kind of right-wing backlash that either impeachment or resignation would generate. (You can bet that, no matter the real reason for a resignation, D.T. will blame the left.)

Yes, a President Pence would be as bad or worse on policy in most respects, and wouldn’t stir up as much opposition because he’s not a raging man-baby. But in a scenario where Democrats control Congress, I believe his ability to tear everything down would be much less than the current monster’s. It’s a close call, and I’m open to persuasion on that point (I welcome your comments), but that is how I’ve seen things fairly consistently since November 2016.

If we make it through this current, very dark time, I believe there is a great opportunity looming on the horizon, and it’s not very far away. It won’t happen by itself — we need to go all out against the GOP’s voter-suppression machine and Russia’s meddling in order to flip the Congress this November — but if we are successful, even partially (i.e., ending GOP control of one house of Congress), the future begins to look significantly brighter. 

After the election in November 2016, progressives became active in droves. I went to meeting after meeting where many people said they had never been politically active before. Over and over, experienced leaders warned that we should expect to suffer some major losses, but we must carry on regardless.
  
In the middle of the night Saturday (at about 1:50 a.m. Eastern time), we suffered such a major loss with the passage in the Senate of a tax-reform bill that would radically increase the already disastrous transfer of wealth to the very richest of the rich. It is not yet ready to become law — it will still be difficult for the House and Senate to reconcile their different versions — but its ultimate passage, while not assured, is more likely than it was before this vote.
  
Unless and until this bill becomes law, the Republicans have still not completed any major legislation after a full year in control of Congress and the White House. That’s due to their own internal divisions; but also to a major extent, it’s due to us.
 
This is a dark day, but it has been long delayed. Let’s not lose sight of that; it’s a huge achievement. Moreover, the majority of the public is aware that this bill is a sucker-punch to everyone but the super-rich, and that may help the Republicans lose control in next year’s election. In communicating with Tennessee voters on this issue yesterday and today, I’ve heard from dozens of people who see this as a personal hit on them and will not forget that.

Let’s be ready to remind voters across the country how this bill will affect them. The November election will be just two months before people start filing their 2018 tax returns; we can use that occasion to show them how bad their 2018 and subsequent returns will look. This is the silver lining within this dark cloud; let’s be prepared to make full use of it in the year ahead.
  
In the meantime, we’ll continue the fight to prevent final passage of this #GOPtaxscam. The House and Senate versions are very different; however those differences are reconciled, the adjustments could still lose votes for the final bill. One way you can be active: sign up now to join the Working Families Party’s activist team. WFP volunteers (myself included) are texting and calling voters throughout the country opposing the worst regressive national policies, including this bill, as well as supporting progressive candidates at all levels.
  
Yes, this is a dark day, but in the words of Florence + the Machine, “I like to keep my issues strong — it’s always darkest before the dawn.”  ​

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