Grifters Only Party

 This little blurb about (are you kidding me?) Tudor Dixon, the GOP candidate for governor of Michigan, is revealing and typical. We can also trace this to the unbelievable (yet believable) behavior of Rick Scott as chair of the RSCC. 

As the Republican Party enters the midterms hoping to capitalize on public unrest about inflation and perhaps crime, they have been hamstrung by Trump's preference for sycophants and toadies who suck up to the Big Lie. The thing is, Trump's influence goes deeper than demanding fealty to his lies about losing the election. It has to do with the basics of Trumpism.

I've been reticent to call Trumpism "fascism" in its purest form. To me, Trumpism resembles the patrimonial authoritarianism we see in Putin's Russia and parts of post-colonial Africa. A "Big Man" figure who appeals to populist feelings to national grievance and then loots the state of money - usually money derived from resources, but not in Trump's case - and tramples civil rights and liberties. It is usually linked to a form of religious conservatism that amplifies the attacks on rights and liberties. 

In other words, Trumpism is a political movement to loot the state for the benefit of a cadre of supporters close to the Big Man. 

Which leads us back to Dixon and Scott - and frankly I would be surprised if they were the only ones. 

There has always been a level of self-dealing in modern politics - the hiring of firms to run your campaigns that likely kickback a little cash or hire family members to do work. The thing is, a reputation for doing that used to be political suicide. Just like nakedly racist and sexist remarks used to be political suicide. Trump's corruption was so brazen, so obvious - and so obviously unpunished - that the restraints on naked corruption were removed, just as the restraints on naked racist and sexist comments was removed.

Modern Republican politicians are in it for the grift. 

Here are two pieces of supporting evidence. The first is that - having "won" the abortion fight with Dobbs - Republican candidates are trying to soften their previously held stances on abortion, because there is a clear backlash coming. Meanwhile, they will not soften, at all, their firmly held beliefs about regressive tax cuts. In other words, they will fight for abortion just as long as it is politically expedient to rile up the Talibangelicals, but they will only really go to the mattresses for tax cuts that enrich them and their friends and funders. It's money, not culture war shit that they care about. Because it's always about money.

The second is their absolute fealty to Trump, because Trump is the wellspring of the grift. Rather than call Trump out for his horrid behavior and myriad crimes, they have to stick with him, because he is the source of their money. This is why they didn't issue a party platform in 2020, because the grift is the platform. 

There are two hilarious outcomes to this. The first is that you have people like Scott and candidates up and down the ballot who are "raising money" but that money isn't going in to necessary campaign activities.  The second is that Trump is outraising all of them, and he's not spending that money to elect Republican candidates (for any number of reasons, but his inherent greed has to top the list).

Of course, from the point of view of the grift, losing in November isn't necessarily a downside. In fact, let's say Democrats hold the House and get to 54 Senate seats. Democrats repeal the filibuster, pass Voting Rights legislation, codify Roe, restructure entities like the EPA to better fight Climate Change, pass common sense criminal justice reform, immigration reform and gun control measures.

All of that would be a fundraising boon to the grifters. They are milking their marks outrage for money, and being in the perpetual minority would actually work just fine. 

So here's to hoping that all sides are happy in November. 

UPDATE: Anne Laurie highlights how even some of the big money donors are drying up.