I don't have clear vision of where the GOP goes from here, and as a NeverTrumper I doubt they would be receptive to my opinion. In many ways Trump's hostile takeover of the GOP in 2016 has forced their hand. Trump exploited his divided, politically opportunistic opposition who underestimated his celebrity and the appeal of his anti-establishment, populist candidacy. The opposition seemed convinced his novel campaign would crash and burn and sought favor with his supporters.
On paper, given the pandemic shock that shrank the US economy and a more popular, mainstream Biden facing him, Trump should have experienced a 1980-style Carter rebuke, and Biden should have had coattails, easily expanding and/or seizing control of both chambers of Congress. Instead, the GOP held parity in the Senate and gained in the House, reducing the gap to a razor-slim Dem advantage. Even though Biden won a decisive majority of votes, projections of 350+ electoral votes shrank to Trump's own 2016 total and Trump came very close in decisive states.
Trump is eying an unlikely 2024 comeback, and his sky-high approval among the base proves his relevance in upcoming elections. Now Presidents generally lose ground in mid-terms, which means the GOP is in good position to recapture the House in 2022, and Trump wants to take full credit (although the Senate is tougher because more GOP seats are on the table). Never mind Trump lost the House, the Senate and the White House on his watch. Of course, Trump wants revenge on "disloyal" GOP officeholders (e.g., GA and AZ) who didn't deliver their states' electoral votes to him.
It's understandable why the GOP doesn't want a Jan 6 commission hanging over next year's election. Still, Big Tech's social media's timeout has had devastating effect on media-savvy Trump's influence. His new blog ("From the Desk of Donald J. Trump/the 45th President") has never gained the impressions of former media output. As MSN has observed, even websites like Eat This Not That have drawn more eyeballs than Trump's new website. Trump is reportedly planning a series of pep rallies and a new media social channel, but given his underwhelming success on the Internet since the election, count me a skeptic. I was never a fan of his narcissistic rally, his constant claims of victimhood, his cheap shots at opponents and critics. I think he permanently alienated the independents he would need to get reelected with his unprecedented sore loser campaign, culminating in the Jan.6 riot and overrun of the Capitol. I think that one event undermined the credibility of his law and order message.
So how does the GOP posture itself as we head into next year's election? It is clear that Biden intends to take full advantage of his narrow majorities in Congress to force through huge spending increases using budget reconciliation rules. The Dems want to posture the GOP as unprincipled obstructionists and to make Trump's hold on the GOP an issue, not to mention almost daily kerfuffles involving the likes of Trumpkin Greene (NC) and Gaetz (FL).
Well, it's hard for the GOP to argue that they are principled fiscal conservatives given the fact that Trump added nearly $8T to the national debt on his watch, controlling part or all of Congress, after paying lip service to the deficit and debt, hyping he could liquidate the debt in 2 terms. In fact, he dealt away hard-won sequesters. in his obsession with expanding the military budget.
I think most likely the GOP will counter that Biden's programs are unduly costly and unaffordable, morally hazardous, vulnerable to fraud and corrupt cronyism. Expect them to argue, like Romney in the 2012 campaign, their management of the people's money will be more efficient and effective, without the current regime's compromise impairing future economic growth. Will it work? So far the population has seen the national debt triple in less than 15 years without ruinous inflation or a failing economy as leftist economists like Krugman whistle "Don't Worry; Be Happy". On the other hand, we libertarians, to rephrase an old tuna commercial, don't want a government to spend more efficiently as much as a government that does less, with less money.
