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It strikes me that the 1976 GOP primary might be instructive for contemporary progressives bemoaning Biden. A ton of hardline conservatives thought THIS was the moment for the Reagan wing to take over the party. They mourned when milquetoast Ford won. But then look what happened.
Another thread in the history of conservatism also strikes me as relevant. The 1990s witnessed a grassroots takeover of the party, the implications of which we see in the Trump phenomenon. They played the grassroots long-game, despite what happened at the national level.
Here's a story from the mid-90s that someone shared with me recently. This is how the GOP of Ford and GHWB was transformed into the party of Trump. It took decades, but it worked. nytimes.com/1996/12/09/us/…
