Member-only story
The Republicans Played a Masterful Long Game For 40 Years. Their Short Game Is Horrendous.
In 2020, the country that likes to think of itself as the greatest democracy in human history is led by a President who lost the popular vote. In the Senate, Republicans control 53% of the votes but they represent 48% of the population. This President who was rejected by a significant majority of Americans has now personally chosen more than a quarter of all the judges in all the federal courts in the country. And before the country votes for its next President, the nine-member Supreme Court will have five judges nominated by presidents who came to power legally by losing the popular vote.
It’s not only that. The Republicans themselves are firmly controlled by the most conservative members of their party, whose views are shared by as little as 20% of the entire country. But today they wield the vast majority of American political power — the far-right tail that wags the dog.
For decades, conservatives in America have seen the writing on the wall. The country is becoming more urban, more diverse, more educated and more liberal. The trends were there in the ’70s, obvious to anyone watching. In the 32 years since George H.W. Bush was elected in 1988, only one Republican presidential candidate has won a majority of the popular vote — and that was for his second term…
