Political columnist and author Ezra Klein has written that when a dominant and powerful group foresees that it is losing its controlling position in a democratic system, it has two choices. It can make an appeal to the groups it is losing, reaching out to broaden its coalition. It can also repress the party that it sees as a threat, limiting the suffrage, discouraging voters who might support the other side, and winning by intimidation.
The Republican Party is full of people who worry about “the great replacement,” who are concerned that Republicans (and often times white people) don’t have enough children, and think that Christianity and conservative dominance are under threat.
Some Republicans have successfully attempted to broaden their support. Mike Dewine in Ohio and Larry Hogan in Maryland are two Republicans who won elections with a broad coalition. Even Trump has courted “tech bros,” although many of that group are also rich, into crypto, or believe Trump will advance their wealth and power.
The main Republican emphasis, however, seems to be to limit the ability of Democrats or third parties to win elections. Attacks on voting by mail or demands for citizenship papers are obvious methods to limit voting, but also consider the conservative boost in “Citizens United,” the push to gerrymander districts, and the efforts to undermine an independent press. Even structural features in the Constitution help to maintain Republican dominance–red Wyoming gets two Senators; blue California, with about 60 times the population of Wyoming, also has two. That system also affects the electoral college. And if a party can win both Congress and the Presidency, it can appoint fanatical followers to the federal courts.
Yeah, it looks bleak.
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