The election sent mixed messages to GOP politicians. On the one hand, Pres. Donald Trump lost re-election, proving that his divisive, all-base-all-the-time approach to governing flopped. On the other hand, GOP members of Congress who sit in red/pink states, including many who have mimicked or praised this same style, easily won re-election (e.g., Lindsey Graham). In other words, those GOPers running in 2022 (or positioning themselves for 2024) have no reason to abandon Trump-ism. Neither do the many political opportunists and grifters who stoke real and imagined controversies to help bankroll their own “political projects.”
While many want to label Trump-ism as 21st Century “populism,” it is more about style than substance. It is a politics that prizes resentment over reconciliation. Fights are not a means to an end; they are the whole point. …
So, what happens when Trump leaves the scene, and it will be Biden, not a controversial progressive Democrat, who sits at the White House? CONTINUED
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report