If the GOP of yesteryear was a rigid hierarchy, today’s party is a motley crew of pirates. There's a rugged new energy and dynamism
Elon Musk says Republicans will get the government 'off' the back of Americans, and 'out of their pocketbooks'
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at former President Trump's rally in Madison Square Garden.
Today’s Republican Party is not your father’s Republican Party. It’s no longer a "Grand Old Party," it's a Grand New Party, to borrow from authors Reihan Salam and Ross Douthat, with new voices, ideas, and energy. And while some conservatives worry the party has strayed, others see it as more aligned with the more typical American and the issues of the day. These debates are important and will continue, but as Election Day arrives, it's significant to note some of the meaningful changes, and what they augur for the future of party politics.
1. It’s impossible not to notice the eclectic cast of characters at Donald Trump’s side in the 2024 election
Just look at Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and other disaffected Democrats and independents. If the GOP of yesteryear was a rigid hierarchy, today’s party is a motley crew of pirates.
Of course, there will be some chaos, an occasional mutiny, but there's a rugged new energy and dynamism, with a competition of views. And instead of demanding absolute fealty, it’s all hands on deck. After all, the stakes in this election are different: we’re debating free speech, meritocracy, and what it means to be an American. We’ll take any allies we can get.
And so far, it appears Republicans are getting a lot of new allies for the party and to the polls. Trump has a 19-point lead over Harris among those who didn’t vote in 2020, according to the New York Times. Historically, it was Democrats, especially Barack Obama, who benefited from new or infrequent voters; now it appears Trump has that momentum. Trump is even polling neck-and-neck with Harris among Hispanic men and well above average with Black men.
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2. Today’s GOP is a blue-collar, family coalition.
In 1996, voters without college degrees backed Democrat Bill Clinton over Republican Bob Dole by a 14-point margin. Today, Trump leads among people without a college degree by 10 points. And while the gender gap is real, Trump leads Harris among married men and women. Meanwhile, Democrats' strongest constituency is college-educated single women, who prioritize abortion and back Palestine over Israel. One could argue that the tone, style, and substance of each party have never been more opposite. Democrats sound like folks in the faculty lounge at a woke university; Republicans sound like folks in the break room at a manufacturing plant or in the stands of a Friday night high school football game.
3. America First is here to stay.
Biden’s open borders, weak economy, and feckless foreign policy have only further entrenched Trump’s views on trade and national security. Immigration is consistently ranked as one of the top issues for voters, and 55 percent of all Americans want to see immigration decreased, the highest number in Gallup polling since 2001.
To believe in America First, you have to actually believe in America and truly love it. One deeply troubling political shift in recent years is that patriotism has become much more the property of one party, the Republicans, than the other.
Among Democrats, pride in our republic is at historic lows. That isn’t surprising considering the woke nonsense that has taken over most of our schools and universities for the past several decades. While the far-Left attacks America’s founding and promotes equity, Republicans are educating our children how to read, write, count, and think. They are emphasizing the importance of competence, merit, and work, while rescuing kids from crazy, woke schemes. They are demonstrating a real understanding of the virtues, not merely virtue signaling.
On the topic of virtue and education, we can all improve, Donald Trump included, but there are indeed lessons to be learned from Trump’s life that children should follow.
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One, the value of hard work. Trump has worked all his life to build and meet payrolls in the real world we call the private economy — the same cannot be said for Harris. Two, tell the truth. Campaign exaggerations aside, Trump fulfilled more campaign promises from 2016 to 2020 than any president in modern history. What he said he would do in office, he did. That’s a tremendous lesson for young people. Third, he demonstrates a willingness to learn, most notably, his deepening appreciation of the power of faith and of those who believe. The days since his near-assassination in Pennsylvania and Florida have given him time to reflect; his perspective on mortality has deepened, and he invites us to do the same by his example.
4. The "establishment" wing of the GOP is in retreat, and a new generation is ascendant
Ohio Senator and Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance is in; former Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney is out. By endorsing a court-packing, filibuster-ending, abortion radical like Kamala Harris, Never Trumpers like Cheney have lost whatever credibility they had remaining. They insisted that resisting Trump was about standing on principle; it was really about staying in power and maintaining influence. Meanwhile, Vance is poised to become the vanguard of this new GOP, flanked by battle-tested talent like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, and newcomers like businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
5. Finally, it’s fun to be a pirate
You can tell jokes, sling fries at McDonald’s, or sit down with Joe Rogan, unscripted, for three hours. The Trump show is the antithesis of the traditional consultant-led campaign. And of course, there’s the larger, more important point: Republicans are the party of free speech, open debate, and taking on centralized power — the rebels with a cause. Democrats have become the speech police and hall monitors, in cahoots with Big Tech and Big Government. It’s no surprise that Democrat party affiliation hit a record low earlier this year.
The GOP is a grand, new, happy pirate ship, reflecting the true diversity of American life, from stay-at-home moms to go-to-Mars rocket scientists, from Midwest farmers to disaffected coastal elites. As another pirate, Bob Dylan, once said, "The times they are a-changin'." We believe they are. We shall see on Wednesday.
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William J. Bennett is the former secretary of education and director of the National Office of Drug Control Policy.
