Chait Hits Upon Something Here

Jon Chait notes that Ed Gillespie's vile race-baiting campaign represents "state-of-the-art" Trumpism.  Gillespie was - for decades - a K Street Republican who served as head of the RNC under Dubya.  He's about as "establishment" as you can get.

But Gillespie ran on a message that used fearmongering and racial appeals to whites to narrow what ought to have been a clear Democratic win into a tight race that could go either way.  Perhaps some of this is the debate over statues.  Historical accuracy and a sense of common decency are on the side of the Left here, but it's not a way to win votes in Virginia.  It might be a perfect microcosm of Leftist politics: right, but a loser at the polls.

Chait's best observation is the overlap between the governing philosophy of Trump and Putin. Both men are kleptocrats who want to co-opt or coerce the business elite into a reciprocal relationship with the state.  Putin built his power on two fronts: populist appeals to Russian greatness by demonizing the "Other" and enriching his cronies.

I think Trump is succeeding in enriching himself, and if the GOP tax plan succeeds, he and the very rich will succeed in enriching themselves. But I'm not sure the possibility exists to create the sort of interlocking power relationships that characterize Putin's Russia.  For one thing, Blue America is both hostile to Trump and Trumpism and has significantly more purchasing power than Red America.  We saw this with Trump's various business advisory boards that emptied out once consumer backlash hit.

I just don't think the capacity exists for the sort of Russian oligarchical kleptocracy that Russia has.

What is more important is looking at what a Gillespie win would mean for the Republican Party.  You can count on EVERY threatened Republican officeholder to double down on racist appeals and divisive rhetoric, just as Gillespie has done.  That will tear the country further and further apart.

It would also, hopefully, expose the lie that Trumpism has anything to do with economic populism.  The Republican party is about funneling wealth upwards.  If Gillespie wins and the Republican tax plan passes, and then Republicans hold on to the House in 2018... I think we can safely move beyond another fucking sympathetic portrait of the poor down-trodden coal miner who just knows Trump will bring the coal jobs back. Or the small business owner who just knows that it's good that a real business man is in the White House.

It's culture wars.  All the way down.