“The future of the GOP is uncertain and the end of the party as we know it could be near… and I feel fine.”
Testosterone is doing a double whammy on the Republican Party.
First, we have Trump, an exquisite specimen, a textbook example of the dark side of this force. He will do/say anything to win, lacks a moral pull, engages in unethical activities, uses power/bullying to get his way, and makes (many) irrational financial decisions. Not to mention his sexual harassment/rape allegations.
From an evolutionary perspective, I would argue that his base––white, uneducated males––tends to honor these primordial responses when threatened as they are the least competent to survive the ongoing march of progress. In fact, anyone who can’t separate truth from fiction and believes Trump is the savior should probably join this (metaphorical) list.
The damage of Trump’s self-centered dismemberment of the historical GOP voting blocs could be profound and long-lasting. Reagan Republicans. Compassionate Conservatives. National Black Republican Association. Tea Partiers. Republican National Hispanic Assembly. Libertarians. Log Cabin Republicans. The Religious Right. National Federation of Republican Women. Each of these psychographic profiles, save the “Second Amendment people,” has been attacked, some bombarded, in timeless male fashion and no one knows how the shards will fall, though reports are coming in that many conservative women are either shifting to Hillary or are choosing not to vote for that contest. Meg Whitman, long-time Republican and former gubernatorial candidate, has publically stated she will actually raise money for the Clinton campaign. Which brings me to the second, more ominous, issue.
The female Republican Congressional ranks, already light, dropped from 11% to 9% of House seats since 2006. At the same time, the female Democratic caucus grew from 21% to 33%.
On the surface, this movement spells a significant PR problem for the Republican Party. Americans across the political spectrum have warmed to the idea that women are equally competent leaders as men. And 40% of women believe getting more of their gender into power will help the lives of all women. Whatever is left of the GOP after this election will face a humongous challenge to regain the faith and trust of a marginalized yet critical constituency.
Why the downward slide in GOP female representation? Why the relatively low starting point? Why is the pipeline as dry as the state of California, 84% of which is in a state of drought?
“Any system created by men, if left unfettered and to its own devices, will inevitably destroy itself due to its intrinsic testosterone bases.”
The Republican Party has been the party of the privileged, which means white men, rich AND poor. Privileged by history, privileged by pedigree, privileged by money, privileged by power, privileged by religion, and privileged by the color of their skin. Historically, when men and their privileges are threatened, their testosterone flares and all hell breaks loose. From domestic violence and rape to war and genocide.
The Party has had a lot of “threats” to contend with over the last 10 years: a financial crisis of their making (refer to the above quote), the rise of powerful “minority” voting blocs (including women), a black Democratic president, a new world and Middle Eastern order, a Supreme Court on the verge of tipping, and a viable female Democratic presidential candidate. Not to mention their current nominee.
How has the Party reacted to this bevy of “life-threatening” attacks to their patriarchal dictates? The rise of the Tea Party, dogmatic to the point of shutting down the government, a blatantly (and now understandably) misogynistic and bigoted FOX News, a devout focus on “Christian” family values, and Trump “populism” were predictable pushbacks to these intrusions on white, male authority.
And female Republican candidates, whose platforms are typically nearer to the middle and can include pro-choice elements, either gave up or were pushed out by the polarity of privilege.
The time of white, male privilege has passed, as has the time for white, male privilege. And while a fair portion of the U.S. electorate will defiantly deny this, the writing is on the wall…in flowing cursive, a multitude of languages, rainbow colors, and underscored by different systems of beliefs.
And I feel fine.