logo
Weather page
GET THE APP
ePaper
google_play
app_store
  • Login
  • E-Edition
    • Marketplace
  • News
  • Sports
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • All Listings
    • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contests
  • Lifestyle/Entertainment
  • Games
    • News
      • Local News
      • PA State News
      • Nation/World
    • Sports
      • Local
      • College Sports
      • State
      • National
    • Obituaries
    • Opinion
      • News
        • Local News
        • PA State News
        • Nation/World
      • Sports
        • Local
        • College Sports
        • State
        • National
      • Obituaries
      • Opinion
    logo
    • Classifieds
      • Place an Ad
      • All Listings
      • Jobs
    • E-Edition
      • Marketplace
    • Subscribe
    • Login
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • All Listings
        • Jobs
      • E-Edition
        • Marketplace
      • Subscribe
      • Login
    Home Opinion After Trump, Republicans are busy eating their own
    After Trump, Republicans are busy eating their own
    Opinion, Сolumns
    December 15, 2020

    After Trump, Republicans are busy eating their own

    By CYNTHIA M. ALLEN Tribune News Service

    November’s election revealed many things about our current political landscape, the most striking of which is that the Democratic coalition is not as ironclad as once thought.

    It was apparent throughout the nation, as Republicans held (and gained) seats in state legislatures and Congress, despite nearly every poll and pundit predicting a GOP collapse under a blue wave.

    And it was evident along Texas’ southern border, where a surprising number of Hispanics voted for Donald Trump, who surpassed his 2016 vote totals in some areas.

    While it’s hard to know if the inroads made with working-class white voters and minorities are a response to Trump’s cult of personality, his policies or a rejection of progressivism gone wild in 2020, it’s clear that Republicans — in Texas, in particular — have an opportunity to exploit the Democratic Party’s weaknesses and capitalize on their own gains.

    What are they doing instead?

    Eating their own. And it makes no sense.

    In North Texas, Shelley Luther, who came to fame as a shutdown defiant small-business owner, is attacking Gov. Greg Abbott for his “tyrannical” COVID-era restrictions.

    The governor, whose leadership during the pandemic has been imperfect but hardly draconian, has unsurprisingly endorsed her opponent in their upcoming runoff.

    One-term congressman and newbie Texas GOP party chairman Allen West has busied himself suing the governor over extending early voting (which, it’s worth pointing out, didn’t hand the statehouse to Democrats or Texas’ 38 electoral votes to Biden) and poisoning the well with the likely next Texas House Speaker, Rep. Dade Phelan.

    Speaking of lawsuits, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose lingering legal troubles should give his party pause, is leading a likely futile Hail Mary attempt to overturn the presidential election in four states where fraud is suspected but unproven.

    Sen. John Cornyn has questioned the legal rationale of such a challenge. “Why would a state, even such a great state as Texas, have a say-so on how other states administer their elections?” he asked on CNN.

    Fair point. Just imagine if the tables were turned.

    Meanwhile, Texas’ junior senator, Ted Cruz, expressed a willingness to argue a separate (and since dismissed) legal challenge before the U.S. Supreme Court, in the vain hope of changing the election’s outcome.

    Sigh.

    In a lot of ways, this is the story of the contemporary Republican Party, at least the party under Trump: Lots of squabbling and infighting, a lack of cohesion and vision, a dearth of leadership and the most extreme elements (or at least the loudest) garnering undue attention.

    It’s as if these problems are not a flaw but a feature.

    And maybe in a year as bizarre as this one, they were.

    After all, 2018 was a far worse year for the GOP in states like Texas, where the party endured major losses during Trump’s midterm election.

    But moving forward, intraparty fighting can’t be a path for success.

    Leading up to November, many in the political class argued that Texas was an emerging battleground.

    That proved wrong this time, but it may be yet, especially if the Texas GOP squanders its gains in communities once considered a lost cause.

    Come January, the Biden-Harris administration will give Republicans plenty of reasons to fight — and plenty of opportunities for worthy legal challenges. And it will seek to woo back Hispanics and other winnable groups if the GOP loses its focus.

    It must not allow that to happen.

    It would be better for Republicans if the GOP (and its loudest members) kept their powder dry until then.

    (Cynthia M. Allen is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.)

    Tags:

    allen west donald trump john cornyn ministries party politics republicans state texas

    The Bradford Era

    Local & Social
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Latest news for you
    A stressful period grows even more confusing
    Lifestyles
    A stressful period grows even more confusing
    July 13, 2025
    DEAR ABBY: I'm 29 and in a 10-year relationship with my boyfriend, "Justin." Things have been rocky since his business went under last year. For month...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    12 totally rad, unforgettable cars of the ’80s
    Lifestyles
    12 totally rad, unforgettable cars of the ’80s
    By MILETA KADOVIC Guessing Headlights 
    July 13, 2025
    Ah, the 1980s, the time of neon leg warmers, cassette tapes, and cars that were as bold as the hair was big. Whether you were cranking “Take on Me” on...
    Read More...
    {"to-print":"To print", "bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    A case for hunting young
    Local News, Local Sports, News, ...
    A case for hunting young
    By STEVE SHERK Jr.  Special to The Era  
    July 12, 2025
    I’ll never forget when a good friend of mine, when I was in my early teens, told me that I should play more sports instead of going hunting. He said t...
    Read More...
    {"newsletter-daily-headlines":"Daily Headlines", "newsletters":"Newsletters", "newsletter-sports":"Sports", "to-print":"To print", "bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Make face-blotting tissues at home
    Lifestyles
    Make face-blotting tissues at home
    July 12, 2025
    Dear Heloise: Facial-blotting tissues are expensive, but it's easy to make them at home. I purchase a package of good-quality white wrapping tissue an...
    Read More...
    {"to-print":"To print", "bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Man’s addiction may be to blame for wife’s migraines
    Lifestyles
    Man’s addiction may be to blame for wife’s migraines
    July 12, 2025
    DEAR ABBY: I began experiencing migraines occasionally as a teenager, but in my early 20s, they became a regular occurrence. I tried unsuccessfully fo...
    Read More...
    {"to-print":"To print", "bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    ‘Round the Square: Notes from readers
    Round the Square
    ‘Round the Square: Notes from readers
    July 12, 2025
    NOTES FROM READERS: Every now and again we like to catch up on the notes we’ve received from our readers, whether they’re regarding ’Round the Square ...
    Read More...
    This Week's Ads
    Current e-Edition
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Already a subscriber? Click the image to view the latest e-edition.
    Don't have a subscription? Click here to see our subscription options.
    Mobile App

    Download Now

    The Bradford Era mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the Bradford Era on your mobile device just as it appears in print.

    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store

    Help Our Community

    Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You!

    Get in touch with The Bradford Era
    Submit Content
    • Submit News
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Place Wedding Announcement
      • Submit News
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Place Wedding Announcement
    Advertise
    • Place Birth Announcement
    • Place Anniversary Announcement
    • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
      • Place Birth Announcement
      • Place Anniversary Announcement
      • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
    Subscribe
    • Start a Subscription
    • e-Edition
    • Contact Us
      • Start a Subscription
      • e-Edition
      • Contact Us
    CMG | Community Media Group
    Illinois
    • Hancock Journal-Pilot
    • Iroquois Times-Republic
    • Journal-Republican
    • The News-Gazette
      • Hancock Journal-Pilot
      • Iroquois Times-Republic
      • Journal-Republican
      • The News-Gazette
    Indiana
    • Fountain Co. Neighbor
    • Herald Journal
    • KV Post News
    • Newton Co. Enterprise
    • Rensselaer Republican
    • Review-Republican
      • Fountain Co. Neighbor
      • Herald Journal
      • KV Post News
      • Newton Co. Enterprise
      • Rensselaer Republican
      • Review-Republican
    Iowa
    • Atlantic News Telegraph
    • Audubon Advocate-Journal
    • Barr’s Post Card News
    • Burlington Hawk Eye
    • Collector’s Journal
    • Fayette County Union
    • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
    • Independence Bulletin-Journal
    • Keokuk Daily Gate City
    • Oelwein Daily Register
    • Vinton Newspapers
    • Waverly Newspapers
      • Atlantic News Telegraph
      • Audubon Advocate-Journal
      • Barr’s Post Card News
      • Burlington Hawk Eye
      • Collector’s Journal
      • Fayette County Union
      • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
      • Independence Bulletin-Journal
      • Keokuk Daily Gate City
      • Oelwein Daily Register
      • Vinton Newspapers
      • Waverly Newspapers
    Michigan
    • Iosco County News-Herald
    • Ludington Daily News
    • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
    • Oscoda Press
    • White Lake Beacon
      • Iosco County News-Herald
      • Ludington Daily News
      • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
      • Oscoda Press
      • White Lake Beacon
    New York
    • Finger Lakes Times
    • Olean Times Herald
    • Salamanca Press
      • Finger Lakes Times
      • Olean Times Herald
      • Salamanca Press
    Pennsylvania
    • Bradford Era
    • Clearfield Progress
    • Courier Express
    • Free Press Courier
    • Jeffersonian Democrat
    • Leader Vindicator
    • Potter Leader-Enterprise
    • The Wellsboro Gazette
      • Bradford Era
      • Clearfield Progress
      • Courier Express
      • Free Press Courier
      • Jeffersonian Democrat
      • Leader Vindicator
      • Potter Leader-Enterprise
      • The Wellsboro Gazette
    © Copyright The Bradford Era 43 Main St, Bradford, PA  | Terms of Use  | Privacy Policy
    Powered by TECNAVIA