Viewpoint: A nation with only one party doomed to fail

David James

When a party loses a presidential election, they usually reflect, and potentially change, to improve the outcome of the next election. Through self-examination, political parties adjust their platforms and strategies to get more support for their party candidates.

This has not happened in the Republican Party today. Trump ran campaigns in 2016, 2020, and now 2024, but has not attempted to make the Republican tent bigger. They have not published a platform. Their positions have become more strident and radical. Instead, the Republican Party has exploited the Electoral College, which enables a greater imbalance in the Senate to enable gerrymandering congressional districts, voter suppression, and the politicalization of the Supreme Court for imposing on the majority the will of the minority.

So rather than adjusting their platform, the Trump Republican Party has made these strategies their aim. Even if the Party wanted to change (and many do), the Trump led Republicans cultivated a base that is utterly divorced from reality when Marjorie Taylor Green becomes the most powerful Republican. One contributing factor is a conservative media based on promoting Republican grievances.

Fox News, OAN, Newsmax’s purpose is to expand and keep viewership by generating outrage. Fox began in 1996 with the motto “fair and balanced”. Not any more. A disregard for truth has cost Fox $787 million in a defamation lawsuit with Dominion voting machines by lying about Trump and “stolen election” lies. More lawsuits are pending.

Smartmatic and Dominion against OAN and Newsmax are still in progress. These media sources have been so committed to Donald Trump and captivating a committed audience that when Republicans are thought to betray Trump, like Marc Racicot and many others, they are likely to receive ruthless condemnation from these same media outlets and ostracized from their Republican base. It means political suicide for these politicians.

Therefore, many Republicans in Congress went along with the 2020 Presidential election fraud claim. Once Republicans went along with the stolen election charade, they couldn't change their minds. It is also why moderate Republicans are leaving the party. Trump, and thus the supportive conservative news media, will campaign, broadcast, and enlist continued financial and political support from ardent Trump supporters. It is a dangerous symbiotic relationship toxic to American democracy.

But that isn’t the biggest tragedy. FOX continues as the number one cable network in Montana and the country. The constant berating of legitimate news outlets by the GOP creates a propaganda vacuum of mistrust. This has a detrimental effect on the country. An informed, educated citizenry is critical to any vibrant democracy.

A democracy without truth cannot function. A constitutional democracy with only one party working for the people is doomed to fail.