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Once upon a time, the Democratic Party was the home of working Americans, while the Republicans spent their efforts representing the rich. Those days are long gone. In recent decades, it's been Republicans who working-class Americans vote for—increasingly working-class Americans of all races. The problem is the leadership of the party is still elite-oriented. Something has to give.
That's what the current battle for Republican National Committee Chair represents: the divide between the Republican Party's base and its leadership.
Ronna Romney McDaniel, the party's current chair, has now overseen three consecutive election losses. That hasn't stopped her from running for another term. In addition to the losses, the news outlet RedState reported that the RNC under McDaniel's tenure has been using donor dollars on everything from private jets and limousines to Lululemon and high priced floral arrangements. The party spent over $17 million on "donor mementos" and nearly $2 million on luxury travel and private jets.
It's hard to sell a message of fighting for working class voters while simultaneously spending millions to give nicknacks to high dollar donors. The party's voters are demanding change, and many have lined up behind challenger Harmeet Dhillon, though party insiders still believe that the race is McDaniel's to lose.
Though it's unsustainable to continue to have such a dramatic misalignment between the party's leadership and its voters, the party's leadership still doesn't seem to get it. South Dakota Senator John Thune foolishly thought that now was a great time to start making changes to Social Security, talking with Bloomberg several weeks ago about using the debt ceiling fight as leverage to extract changes to the nation's "entitlement" programs. Notwithstanding the fact that Republicans are easily demagogued by the Democrats on this issue and continue to fall into the trap, does anyone believe that the majority of GOP voters were clamoring for that as they went to the voting booth?
It's true that there are structural issues with the programs that millions of Americans depend on. But instead of seeing an opportunity to champion an agenda that could help us grow our way out of this problem, the Senator chose the route of aggressively pursuing something that is unpopular with his own voters (though no doubt popular with the GOP donor class).
Florida Senator Rick Scott's stupid 11 point plan "to Rescue America" during the midterm campaign season is another example of a misaligned, self-inflicted wound. "All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount," the plan proposes. "Currently over half of Americans pay no income tax."
Is Sen. Scott aware of how many of his party's own voters are part of the "half" who pays no income tax? Why is the GOP still talking about these people as they? Many are us.
Democrats and their allies had a field day on Senator Scott's plan, using it to play into the old stereotype of Republicans being out of touch, rich and elitist. Talking about raising people's taxes in the middle of a bad economy is not how you endear yourself to working class people. Neither is calling for all federal legislation to sunset in five years.
Still, at least Sen. Scott had a plan. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell wrongly believed that the Republicans didn't need to present any agenda to the voters. According to Axios, McConnell made clear that "the entire focus of the 2022 campaign should be about the things the Democrats are doing wrong."
That ended up being a grievous error, as voters were not just looking for something to vote against. They wanted something to vote for.
On another front, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy is in the fight of his political life, trying to beat back a rebellion among his members that threatens to derail his bid to become the next Speaker of the House. Again, Republican voters are angry and are demanding that party leadership be held responsible for November's underperformance. But the lack of a formidable challenger and the fear that Democrats and moderate Republicans could hijack the process and produce a "unity" candidate will likely keep the Speaker's seat in McCarthy's hands.
After a dramatic underperformance in the 2022-midterm elections, the Republican Party is in soul-searching mode. The Party's voters are unhappy with the status quo and are demanding change, while the Party's leadership is fighting to hold on to their positions. But there's a larger battle brewing for the heart and soul of the GOP.
The Republican Party has a decision to make. It's not good enough to align with the cultural concerns of working class people while still catering to the economic concerns of the elite. It's also a political loser, as most of America's elite has aligned with today's Democratic Party.
When Republican leadership refuses to realign with its new voters, it gives progressives—many of whom are elitist to the core—the ability to position themselves as the "true" fighters for working class people. This is not the 1980s anymore, and Republican leaders need to understand that.
A multicultural, working-class political coalition is within reach if the party chooses to take it. But the current Zombie GOP hybrid of working class alignment at the bottom but elite alignment at the top is unsustainable.
Darvio Morrow is CEO of the FCB Radio Network and co-host of The Outlaws Radio Show.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
