La Opinión (Editorial)
February 21, 2016
February 21, 2016
The
South Carolina primary clarified the current state of the Republican
Party. The victory of millionaire Donald Trump and the suspension of
ex-Florida governor Jeb Bush’s
campaign reaffirm the dominance of a populist, belligerent and
religious rhetoric over a less dogmatic, more inclusive and tolerant
one.
It’s
hard to believe that, less than a year ago, Bush was the favorite
contender for the Party’s nomination. He had experience, a conservative
economic vision and a lot
of money. However, his surname was a double-edged sword that did him no
good – either hiding it or flaunting it. The candidate’s lack of
charisma, which made him look bored, did not help, even though his
proposals were more detailed and coherent than those
presented by the favorite runners. To top it off, he was ill-prepared
for Trump’s aggressiveness and for the fact that the mogul knew that the
ex-governor was the rival to beat, at least on paper. In another time,
Bush would have been his Party’s ideal candidate.
The
Republican opposition to Barack Obama’s presidency led to the Party’s
current internal revolution, in which the angriest, most frustrated
candidates who are willing
to invoke God more often soar in popularity. The image of Trump holding
up a Bible like a pastor in church ‒ all the while insulting
immigrants, sharing poll results and repeating how great he is ‒ seems
like a bad joke.
Meanwhile,
Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio compete to become the alternative to
Trump. Many in the establishment would prefer Trump’s pragmatism over
the dogmatic Cruz,
who has embarked on a religious crusade throughout the U.S. For his
part, Rubio is emerging as an option in the eyes of the establishment,
and his religious message is able to go toe to toe with Cruz’s without
sounding like an ideologue, as became evident
during the Iowa caucus. Rubio’s flip-flopping on the immigration issue
shows a flexibility ‒ a malleability ‒ that pleases the establishment.
Ronald
Reagan, who was a Democrat before he became a Republican hero, once
said that he did not leave the Democratic Party but rather “the party
left me.” After South
Carolina, Jeb Bush could say the same thing and join the chorus of
pragmatic Republicans who are fiscally conservative and socially
moderate, and who are respectful enough not to impose their religious
values onto everyone else.
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