The Party Of Ideas

 Back in the Reagan era, the GOP called itself the Party of Ideas. 

OK.

The decision of the GOP to pull out of presidential debates is really nothing more than a stark display of how far even the rhetorical pretense of having "ideas" has been abandoned. The only policy agenda proposed by the GOP for 2022 is Rick Scott's plan, which seems obviously politically toxic. The GOP at the moment consists of two basic "ideas":

1) Donald Trump is our undisputed God-Emperor. No criticism is allowed; no heresies permitted. You shall not deviate from the one, true faith.

2) Fuck the liberals.

Points 1 & 2 are obviously linked, as Trump is really good an "pwing the libtards." His ability to infuriate people with basic empathy and a moral compass - liberals and a few conservative heretics - is his real appeal to the GOP and especially his rabid cultists. 

As we enter yet another crucial election, I defy you to come up with a positive policy that the GOP is putting forth. They are going to let the Courts strike down Roe and other popular decisions. They will scream bloody murder about global inflation, immigrant caravans, "CRT", tolerance of transgender youth, that Democrats are pedophiles, Hunter Biden's laptop and I'm guessing there is yet another batshit insane echo chamber attack that has yet to emerge. 

Basically, they are riding on the fact that people are broadly unhappy with economic conditions created by the emergence from the pandemic and the energy crisis created by the War in Ukraine to win control of Congress. If they win the Senate, there will be no more confirmations of Democratic judges until...some unlikely future date. 

They are vandals in the temple of American democracy, and yet the bulk of poorly informed voters who make up the electorate will buy into the "bothside" bullshit spewed by the media and the basic ignorance that the bulk of Republicans no longer think democracy is worth it.