I’m overall politically pessimistic, but I can recognize bright spots, and glimmers of hope, when I see them. Such as:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Lincoln-Project-cracks-the-code-Trump-s-real-15260156.phpLincoln Project cracks the code: Trump’s real fear is GOP defections
By Mike Madrid, May 11, 2020… The Lincoln Project, a group of current and former Republican political consultants whose mission is to defeat Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box, launched a new ad — “Mourning in America” — to lucidly illustrate the differences between the positive aspirational vision of Reagan’s America and the dystopian dysfunction of Trump’s.
Trump’s reaction to the ad provided an insightful road map on how we can defeat a president who has survived far more than any other politician’s missteps, fabrications and malfeasance. …
"… So why did Trump react so viscerally to our ad? Put simply, Trump needs unanimous Republican support if he is to be re-elected. He has no path to victory without record levels of Republican support. The whole house of cards collapses whenever there’s a break in the ranks. This is why Trump vociferously seeks to crush his detractors, moreover, he demands his followers do the same.
Trumpism is about fealty, not ideology. This campaign will not be won on policy or ideas. It will be won solely on Trump’s ability to maintain overwhelming support among Republican voters and their motivation to turn out. Angering Democrats and taunting them to elicit predictable attacks is what holds the Republican base together. …"
By
Mike Madrid is a California-based Republican political consultant and founding member of the Lincoln Project. Twitter: @ madrid_mike