To begin with: It's important to remember that the GOP is no longer a conservative party; it is authoritarian.
What do I mean? See👇
Yet the GOP controls three branches of government & 33 states have Republican governors.
Each state has 2 senators, which give sparsely populated states disproportionate power.
But that isn’t all of it.
The far right wing of the GOP is better organized. nytimes.com/2017/01/02/opi…
nytimes.com/2017/01/02/opi…
Their tactics were simple. They took control because they understood how to wield political power.
They organized locally, focusing on their own representatives.
They played defense, sticking. . .
They "rattled everyone" and targeted both Dems and Republicans.
They waged a relentless public relations battle.
They organized for the 2010 primaries, targeting Republicans who didn’t hold their views.
The solution (as per the article) is to use the Tea Party playbook—without (of course) Tea Party viciousness.
The far right wing has always exerted power beyond its numbers.
An extreme example is before the Civil War, when a handful of white Southerners had disproportionate power.
When it comes to organizing locally and staying on message, those on the far right (RWA’s—right wing authoritarians) have built-in advantages.
Info from Saunders & Ngo “RWA Scale," Jonathan Haidt & this study: cell.com/current-biolog…
Considered the well-oiled right wing media loop. They fall behind whatever they’re told, even when they know it’s a lie. See👇
In a nutshell: Authoritarians line up behind authority, even when the authority lies.
They value individuality, so they tend to splinter. They tend not to fall in line behind a leader.
They recoil from simple messages. Lying will annoy and distract them.
And when Bill Clinton caused some controversy when he said Republicans fall in line; Democrats fall in love.
BUT the liberals have one enormous advantage. . .
When all the votes are counted, there are always more votes in favor of liberal democracy.
"When all the votes are counted" is a tricky part.
Non-authoritarians have to vote in large enough numbers to offset the inevitable cheating.