A chance for Republicans to regroup

In his address to the nation after winning the 1980 election, as well as in his farewell speech nine years later, president Ronald Reagan referred to the United States as a “shining city on a hill.” Perhaps no landmark embodies that metaphor better than the U.S. Capitol building at night, with its bright lights and grandiose American neoclassical architecture seeming to tower over the flat landscape of the National Mall.

On Wednesday, that embodiment of American democracy came under attack from two sources: a handful of congressmen and women who attempted to subvert the democratic will of the people, and an angry mob that stormed into the building, wreaking havoc and preventing lawmakers from performing their constitutional duties for seven hours.

If there's any saving grace, it's that this horrific display of violence may give the GOP the opportunity to regroup as a smarter, more inclusive and more electorally viable party. President Donald Trump's aggressive corporate and income tax cuts, deregulation agenda and his remaking of the judiciary from the Supreme Court on down gives Republicans a solid foundation to build on without being overwhelmed by the drama the president could often carry with him.

Before the protesters marched down Pennsylvania Avenue and laid siege to the Capitol, around a dozen senators, led by Ted Cruz, publicly vowed to contest the results of the Electoral College in some key states, a move that had no chance of succeeding.

Cruz and his ilk knew this as well as anybody. What they wanted was to appeal to Trump's core base of supporters by appearing to fight for his cause, even though they knew it had virtually no chance of succeeding and would provoke a constitutional crisis if it did.

It was a political calculation, pure and simple. Cruz failed to win the Republican nomination in 2016 and figured that if he had Trump's supporters behind him, he'd have a much better chance in 2024.

But on Wednesday afternoon, the country saw what happens when those in power foster, or at the very least do nothing to refute, false allegations designed to undermine the legitimacy of a democratic election and the institutions of government.

And so it was that when Congress finally reconvened that evening, many of those who had vowed to support the objections to the electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania ended up acquiescing.

Republicans now have a real opportunity. Prior to the unseemly events of Jan. 6, conventional wisdom was that Trump would continue to wield enormous influence from outside the White House after inauguration day; and that he would either run again in 2024, or hand-pick the GOP's standard-bearer.

This kept his fellow Republicans in line, afraid they'd lose their jobs in primary challenges should they cross the president, or hopeful that they could ride Trump's populist coattails all the way to the White House.

But now, the tide appears to be turning, raising the prospect that dwindling Trump dominance can allow the GOP build a larger coalition.

Over the past few days, numerous White House staffers have resigned. As did Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, both of whom blamed the president for this week's events and suggested they could no longer work for him in good conscience.

Other prominent Republicans are speaking out, as well. Sen. Tom Cotton, a longtime Trump ally, chastised his fellow senators for misleading their supporters for “political gain” and giving them “false hope,” while calling on the president to “accept the results of the election, quit misleading the American people and repudiate mob violence.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham made similar remarks, saying that the “president needs to understand that his actions were the problem,” while labelling the Trump supporters involved in the riot as “domestic terrorists.”

Some party members, including Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, are calling for the president to be removed under the 25th Amendment. Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, also said that “America would be better off if the president would resign or be removed from office.”

It would be folly to count Trump out entirely — many political punters lost good money doing just that in 2016 — but despite his many achievements his political appeal is certainly waning.

Over 74 million Americans voted for Trump, but the truth is that the election wasn't all that close, with Joe Biden attracting 51.3 per cent of the popular vote and winning the Electoral College by a margin of 306-232. Trump must also shoulder much of the blame for the GOP's failure to retain control of the Senate, after the loss of two run-off elections in Georgia this week.

Democrats now control Congress and the White House, which will give them carte blanche to enact their left-wing agenda. Republicans have a lot of work to do if they hope to start turning this around in the midterm elections two years from now. The horrendous events in Washington, D.C., this week may just be the impetus they needed.

REPUBLICANS HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO IF THEY HOPE TO START TURNING THIS AROUND IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS.