Trump has embraced the Newt way. He runs on hate. He turns political opponents into evil enemies, and he does so with an emphasis on race. He exploits and whips up fear. None of this is new for the Republican Party. But Trump -- who on Thursday claimed he disagreed with the "send her back" chant at his North Carolina rally -- has conveniently taken off the mask and not bothered to hide his appeal to the worst sentiments. And most of the GOP seems just fine with this. The few complaints from within Trump's own party have been mild and inconsequential. A touch of hand-wringing. Not the way I would put it. We should talk about other things. No outright denouncements of Trump's racism, because once a Republican heads in that direction, he or she will be a person without a party, given that Trump has made his vicious fear-mongering the core of his campaign.
So what does Luntz, who has been a GOP strategist for much of this time, think of Trump's demagogic breakout? (Luntz, who was at odds with Trump during the 2016 campaign, has reportedly been advising the White House since his old friend Mick Mulvaney became Trump's chief of staff.) "I don't want to go there," he says. "I'm not answering this for anyone. I don't want to comment. It's not what I would do. It's not what I would say." And Luntz, who blames "both sides" for the toxic political environment, continues: "But I will tell you this. I'm afraid for the country. I do not think we know how low we can go...I know what the outcome is. It's bad. It's France in 1793. It ends up consuming everything."
The GOP has made use of race-driven and hate-propelled demagoguery since the early 1960s. But it has mostly done so in a manner that preserved deniability and would be acceptable at the country club. To a certain degree, Gingrich changed that. But Trump, the owner of several country clubs, has decided that in his world no niceties at all are needed. He has essentially said to the party, "Thanks for the lift, fellows, I'll take it from here." And he sees no reason to pretend. His campaign is about race and hate. He is not an aberration. He is the logical outcome of decades of Republican politics. He has exposed the party's dark soul. And now he is its soul.
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