On the surface, the Republican Party looks like it’s in good shape. They have control of the House, Senate and the Presidency, which they have not had since 2007. This would tend to mean good things ahead for Republicans, but instead, it is just the opposite.
The party is arguably more split than it ever has been with many different battles being fought.
The establishment is bickering with the outsiders, moderates fighting with tea partiers, social conservatives arguing with social liberals, and the biggest of all, those who support Trump versus those who do not.
All of this in-fighting is bound to lead to something.
The most likely scenario is a split in the party, but the question is where the split will come from, considering all of the different divisions. One scenario is where those not supporting Trump break off and form their own party. Although unlikely, if Trump were to win the GOP nomination again in 2020 and lose horrendously in the general election, the anti-Trump members may split off.
Another possible outcome is the social liberals breaking off and joining the growing Libertarian Party. This could happen if the party doesn’t start to be accepting of a wide range of lifestyles, which is becoming ever more important in 2017.
Another possible scenario is that the party doesn’t split. Even with all the strife in the Republican Party today, history has shown that party splits are not common. We could see the GOP shift its views to establish itself as a “party of the future”, but as for now, I believe there is still a strong possibility that a faction will break off at some point.
Next week, I’ll be going over political stories you should bring up if you want your family to hate you over the holidays.