By Kerry Picket & Susan Ferrechio (The Washington Times)
Republicans have turned on each other, pointing fingers and fighting over what’s next for the party after the midterm debacle that cost the GOP control of the House and Senate.
Some of the party’s leading voices are brawling over the political future of Vice President J.D. Vance, once considered the heir apparent to the now-shattered Trump MAGA coalition.
“If the administration had won a big victory, Vice President J.D. Vance would have had an enormous argument to be the inevitable nominee,” in 2028, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said. “Now, with this go-slow strategy blowing up in Iran … a good bit of the luster has come off the bloom.”
Other Republicans tore each other apart over individual races.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who badly lost his bid to unseat New York’s incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, ripped GOP candidate Anthony Constantino, who won New York’s deep-red 21st District House seat by a mere two points.
Mr. Blakeman threatened to challenge Mr. Constantino, who hasn’t even taken office yet, in 2028. He called Mr. Constantino “by far the worst candidate I have ever encountered,” and said he ran far ahead of him in his district. “If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have won. See you in two years, pal.”
The GOP’s public battle over whether Mr. Vance should take the party’s reins in 2028 got ugly after the vice president wrote a lengthy post blaming the GOP’s defeat on the protracted war in Iran. The post quickly attracted barbs from his own party.
Ari Fleischer, who served as press secretary to George W. Bush, attacked Mr. Vance’s explanation for the GOP’s defeat.
“The problem was not the Iran War. It was the ceasefire. If you start a war, you need to win it and finish it – otherwise don’t start it,” Mr. Fleischer posted in response to Mr. Vance’s election mea culpa.
The remnants of the MAGA coalition are hardly taking the criticism in stride.
Roger Stone, a GOP operative and Trump loyalist, ripped apart Mr. Fleischer on X.
“Based on your work for George W. Bush and you’re helping push a completely phony war [in] Iraq without any justification, I don’t think you have any room to talk,” he posted. “You’re a war criminal. No one cares about your opinion.”
Republican attorney Robert Barnes, an ardent Trump supporter, piled on, calling Mr. Fleischer a “war whoring fraud” who should be purged “from the party forever.”
The post-election blame game spanned the far reaches of MAGA world.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump loyalist, attacked Laura Loomer, one of Mr. Trump’s most ardent far-right supporters who has a huge social media following.
Ms. Greene posted a screenshot of dozens of Ms. Loomer’s X posts and accused her of providing advice to the president that caused not only big midterm losses but could end up landing the president in jail.
“Laura Loomer is mentally unwell and is probably living in a state of psychosis,” Ms. Greene said Thursday. “And high-level admin in the White House talk to her all the time.”
She also attacked Mr. Trump and his followers over his campaign rallies where he dedicated time to complimenting the physiques of candidates and rally speakers.
“Imagine thinking talking about people’s asses was a good campaign strategy. And the stupid trained baby seals clapped along, praising and giggling about the weird comments by the President,” she said
Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, painted a brighter picture for Republicans, pointing out they have been written off before and recovered each time.
“Nixon was supposed to be the end of the Republican Party. So was Goldwater. So was Reagan [after big midterm losses] in ’86,” Mr. Norquist told The Washington Times. “When this happens to Republicans, the establishment press announces the Republican Party’s over and has to rethink everything. When the Democrats take a bloodbath, that’s not their analysis.”
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
