Many Republicans would like to see themselves as fiscally conservative people who stand for limited government. But that hasn’t been the image of the GOP in the Trump era.
When people think about the party of Trump they picture groups like the Proud Boys. Or militia groups bringing machine guns to the Michigan Capitol. If the GOP wants to remain a political power, Karl Rove recently argued, they must disavow the Proud Boys, QAnon and militia groups.
The former Bush strategist opined on the matter in a recent piece for the Wall St. Journal. He wrote, “The Grand Old Party lost the White House while picking up U.S. House seats, holding half the Senate, and adding to its numbers in state legislative chambers. These conflicting outcomes leave Republicans facing the difficult task of cementing blue-collar Trump voters into their ranks while regaining strength in the suburbs and making inroads with an increasingly diverse electorate.”
Rove continued, “To rebuild, Republicans must decide what their party stands for. The way forward begins with clarifying what the GOP’s answers should be to the nation’s challenges, with an eye to the 2022 elections.”
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—@KarlRove: "The GOP must also disavow QAnon, the Proud Boys and militia elements that have infiltrated its ranks. … Nothing good will come from tolerating such kooks and fanatics…" https://t.co/Z8e5otPvt7
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 21, 2021
The most important part of this rebuild, Rove argued, is separating itself from fringe groups. “The GOP must also disavow QAnon, the Proud Boys and militia elements that have infiltrated its ranks. … Nothing good will come from tolerating such kooks and fanatics.”
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Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey based politics and technology writer. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com and hillreporter.com. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books and spending time at the shore with his family.
