Comment 1:
“Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” A recent article commented, “And he [Trump] was able to exploit their resentments and frustrations because those same Republican leaders had been nurturing those feelings for years with attacks on Mr. Obama, Democrats, illegal immigrants and others.”
Part of the establishment Republican strategy for over a decade has been to give a wink and a nod to many ideas that would have been considered extremist in previous decades. Thus, from the birthers, through the myth that Obama deserved to be impeached, to the narrative that the only patriots were right-wingers, to the false claim of Obama’s socialism, to the continuing openness to a dislike of minorities–from the Willie Horton commercials, to the Welfare Queen commercials, both criminals and recipients of welfare were portrayed as being black and takers–the establishment was willing to encompass a strategy that awakened and supported opinions that at best were wacky, but at worse were indeed racist, harmful, and divisive.
When confronted, the only reply has been solipsims that claim that Obama’s election proves there was no racism, to the more feckless claim that, “they do it too,” backed up by quoting some non-central politician or person from the other side. In passing, “they do it too” fails if only because one does not find the central part of the other side pulling those stunts, but rather fringe people that are usually managed rather than listened to.
Throw in those who tried to make Republicanism into the Party of God, while not objecting to the libelous and you have the makings of a perfect storm. The establishment was not able to manage the very fact-free feelings they engendered, the libel, the racism, etc..
And the sword is tumbling down toward them now.
Comment 2:
The Republican Party’s rejection of Trump proves the very thing that he has been claiming. It is a party run by an established political class that is not about to listen to its very own members. The disaffection among the membership led to an open revolt. Now the established politicians are clearly demonstrating that what the base thought was true; they were just cannon fodder.
Meanwhile on the Democratic side, while some of the same type of opposition has been happening, it has not been contentious as much as rambunctious. The established political class on that side has been more flexible over Bernie Sanders which has kept objections from boiling over to date. It does not hurt that they are aware of how unpopular Hillary is among parts of their party. It also does not hurt that Sanders has been more grandfatherly than obnoxious.
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