The scariest man on the planet is back with an ominous message for Republicans: bow down to President Trump or face the wrath of the voters in November. Steve Bannon–the supposed architect of the President’s upset victory in 2016–predicts the GOP will lose both the House and the Senate if candidates do not pledge their allegiance to Trump.
This presents a real dilemma for Republicans that still support the traditional ideals of the party: free trade, limited government powers, protecting the country from foreign threats and not letting emotion drive every political policy and decision. 2018 is really the year that the GOP has to decide if it really will become the “Party of Trump”–existing only to serve an angry fringe element to the far right–or if it will return to the principals of the Reagan era that greatly expanded the party’s base.
Politics is cyclical, and I am more than okay with the idea of “tanking” a couple of elections to preserve the ideals of the party. Are tax cuts worth continued Russian meddling and influence in our government? Is a pro-life Supreme Court nominee worth the alienation of entire generations of potential voters? Is a border wall worth risking the nation’s role as the leading trade partner in the world? These are the questions that Republican candidates–and voters–will have to ask themselves in November.
But if you are to believe Steve Bannon, kowtowing to the whims of unhinged extremists like himself are the only way to “survive”. It’s like an old-school horror story where a man must choose between living as a monster or dying a noble death. There will be Republican candidates running this year that will not align themselves with the White House on all issues or with Steve Bannon and his acolytes. And they will be the party’s hope to preserve its soul–and send the Bannon/Trump extremist to the ash pile of history.
