Last Of A Dying Breed

(Last Of A Dying Breed. . .)

Lynard Skynyrd is a southern rock institution. The days of Ronnie, Steve and Cassie might be long gone, but the band writ large endured. A few years ago. the band charted its last hit: "Last of a Dying Breed." The song is appropriate because, in the current realm of Hip Hop and Pop, there is no place for classic rock.


Like "Skynyrd's" song, the so-called Republican establishment could be considered its own "dying breed." Like the Democrat Party, the Republican Party is a spectrum. The older, more establishment Republicans, comprise the donor class. These are the Republicans that are suspicious of Donald Trump. Republican Governors, past and current, like Ohio's Kasich or New Hampshire's Sununu, and indeed, Presidential Candidate Haley who remains in the race. That being said, tonight's New Hampshire contest is like a playing field, one side is Donald Trump and his America First voters and on the other side the GOP Establishment with Governor Haley on point.


Going forward, if Trump gets (re) elected, he might also have a Republican Senate. The Republican Senate leadership has had a problematic relationship with the former President; leader McConnell was never an advocate for America First, has not been an enthusiastic supporter for a border wall. Another Senate Republican that is no Trump fan is Utah's Mitt Romney. Romney, himself a former GOP Presidential Nominee, is currently advocating for a debt commission, that might include raising taxes.


Tonight's results will be telling. Either Nikki Haley survives by making things a contest and ending close to Trump, or she does not. Like the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae or Texians at the Alamo, this is Haley's last stand. It is also possibly the last stand of the Republican establishment and donor class. If, however, Trump exceeds expectations, and margins over Haley materialize, explain the logic of Haley continuing and the establishment rally the increasingly obvious Republican Nominee for President.


Things will not end with Trump. When he finally leaves the stage in 2029, he could have a ready-made successor in whom he might choose for Vice President. That person, man or woman, will be from the same America First populist agenda. By that time, establishment Republicans, or what might be left of them, could be replaced by Trump adherents.


The "Interference" Candidate is re-making the Republican Party in his image. All that is now required is a Trump likeness carved into Mount Rushmore. That was a joke.

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