Donald Trump, the man who transformed the Republican Party into a vessel of his own grievances, seems determined to drag it down a path of self-destruction. His continued obsession with conspiracy theories—chief among them, the unfounded claim that widespread voter fraud cost him the 2020 election—has the potential to wreak havoc on the already fragile GOP majority in the House of Representatives. Trump’s rhetoric, which increasingly seems more concerned with settling personal scores than governing, has now morphed into a tangible threat to the Republican Party’s prospects in 2024.
Take, for example, the latest debacle on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a bid to placate the former president, tried and failed to pass a six-month extension of government funding—attached to a measure that would, in theory, make it harder for Americans to vote. This was not a victory for election integrity but rather a feeble attempt to cater to Trump’s delusions. The cost of this appeasement? An intra-party fight that could jeopardize the GOP’s hold on the House and alienate swing voters just weeks before an election.
The Looming Shutdown Disaster
Let’s not mince words. History shows that when a government shutdown occurs, the party controlling the House pays the political price. The GOP, already teetering with a slim majority, now faces the very real prospect of a partial government shutdown by October 1st, a scenario that would only serve to reinforce the public’s view of Republican dysfunction. The shutdown wouldn’t just impact federal workers; it would directly threaten vulnerable Republican seats, particularly in swing states like New York, where the 2022 midterms flipped several districts red. Republicans like Rep. Mike Lawler and Rep. Marc Molinaro, both from New York, are staring down the barrel of political extinction if this crisis continues.
Lawler, notably, has stated the obvious: “The reality is that we are not shutting down the government with 45 days to go before the election.” He, along with Molinaro, voted for the package but signaled they would not support a shutdown simply to satiate Trump’s political whims. Yet the fact that these Republicans are caught in a crossfire between Trump’s fantasies and the practical demands of governing illustrates just how much damage the former president has already inflicted on the party.
The GOP’s Dangerous Attachment to Trump’s Lies
This latest chaos is merely a continuation of Trump’s long-standing pattern of jeopardizing his own party for personal gain. Let’s not forget his role in the 2022 midterm disaster, where his endorsement of weak, conspiracy-minded candidates—whose chief qualification was their support for his election fraud claims—helped to prevent the much-anticipated “red wave.” It wasn’t just a handful of seats at risk; Trump’s meddling contributed to the GOP losing control of the Senate, where winnable races in swing states were thrown away because his handpicked candidates were too extreme for the general electorate.
The 2024 election is shaping up to be more of the same. Trump is already laying the groundwork to claim fraud if he loses again. On his Truth Social platform, he recently railed against “Democrats registering Illegal Voters by the TENS OF THOUSANDS,” a claim entirely devoid of factual basis. His warning to Republicans not to support any government funding measure unless it includes the so-called “SAVE Act” is further evidence that Trump cares little about legislative outcomes and everything about maintaining his iron grip on the GOP.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a man whose political existence depends on keeping Trump happy, is in a bind. Johnson, like so many others in the GOP, has indulged Trump’s fantasies of voter fraud, both in 2020 and now. His failure to pass the funding bill only heightens the sense that the GOP’s leadership has become a hostage to the whims of one man—a man who continues to spin conspiracy theories without any regard for the consequences to his own party or the country.
A House Majority Hanging by a Thread
If there’s any lesson the GOP should have learned by now, it’s that Trump’s personal agenda is often at odds with the party’s electoral success. Trump’s decision to hold a rally in New York, a state that isn’t remotely competitive for Republicans in 2024, is a prime example. New York may be Trump’s home state, but the idea that he could flip it red is not just fanciful—it’s political malpractice. Worse, his presence in New York is a reminder to voters in vulnerable Republican districts that Trump’s influence is still alive and well, a factor that could drive them to vote Democrat in November. Representatives like Lawler and Molinaro, already facing tough re-election battles, have been caught in this crossfire. Their constituents are unlikely to appreciate a shutdown—especially one tied to Trump’s unrelenting focus on non-existent voter fraud.
Trump: A Liability the GOP Cannot Afford
Mitch McConnell, no friend of Trump, perhaps put it best when he warned, “The one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown. It’d be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election, because certainly we’d get the blame.” McConnell’s warning is born of experience; he knows the price the GOP will pay if Trump’s obsession with grievance politics leads to a shutdown. But Trump doesn’t listen to reason, and the GOP continues to be led astray by a man whose political instincts are more about vengeance than victory.
In the end, Trump’s continued push for conspiracy-driven policies and his penchant for unnecessary political brinkmanship threaten not just his own standing in the 2024 election but the very future of the Republican Party. If the GOP loses control of the House in November, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves—and their continued subservience to a man more interested in settling old scores than in governing.
Conclusion
Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP is not just a political anomaly—it’s a liability that the party can no longer afford. As the House Republican majority teeters on the brink of collapse, driven by the twin threats of a government shutdown and Trump’s relentless focus on election conspiracies, it’s clear that the former president’s influence has become an albatross around the party’s neck. The GOP’s future may well hinge on its ability to shake off Trump’s influence and refocus on the real issues facing the American people. Until then, the party remains at risk of inflicting yet another self-inflicted wound—one that could cost it control of the House and any hope of a coherent governing strategy.
Senate Ballot Box Scores
Comments
2024-09-19T11:36-0400 | Comment by: Thomas
The current House under Johnson is inept except for Johnson's loyalty to Biden's demand for 60 billion more for weapons to Ukraine. Johnson gave up his hardline to protect the border by carving the enabling legislation into three parts. So much for Party loyalty. As for kicking the can down the road again, what is really needed is restoring FDR's Glass-Steagall two tier banking by passing HR-2714 Prudent Banking Act sponsored by Marcy Kaptor D-OH. The bill languishes in committee today with many co-sponsors, none of whom are Republicans. Trump actually campaigned in 2016 to restore Glass-Steagall but shot himself in the foot by appointing a Goldman Sachs banker to the post of Treasury Secretary. Without restoring Glass-Steagall now to protect commercial banking and depositors, desperate fools behind Fed Chairman Jerome Powell have opted to cut interest rates in a last-gasp attempt to save their assets. But it won't work. It will lead to hyperinflationary collapse of the Dollar on a scale that will dwarf the fall of the Reichsmark in 1923 Weimar, Germany. These are the circumstances that have driven financial interests in the City of London and Wall Street, and their Leporellos in high places, to wage war against Russia. They view Presidential elections as an inconvenience. It is this factor that calls on all of us to get behind restoring Glass-Steagall before it is too late.