It took money and manipulation.
Over the last twenty years the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party has worked very hard at securing ways to game the system. They have taken control of the access points to democracy. The Democrats were distracted by believing that the changing demographics of America were on their side, and also that technology was helping to make voters smarter and more aware of what was happening in the world and in politics.
But the Republicans had a lot of money from people who felt strongly that the purpose of America was to make, and keep, a lot of money. Those people, along with Republican strategists such as Karl Rove and Roger Ailes, got a big leap forward from Citizen United, which equated money with free speech, and they bought governments at every level. They also found ways to use technology to spread their ideology, as they found ways to successfully spread hoxes, conspiracy theories and lies
Each time they bought a state legislature they Gerrymandered the districts so that they could control the legislatures even if they only received 45% of the vote. They were able to put in laws that eliminated the kind of voters who traditionally voted for Democrats, such as poor and minority people. They also stepped-up their usual methods of using racism to attract voters even though it was usually those voters who were exploited by their policies.
What we are seeing is an attempt at tyranny by a minority. McConnell’s role in trying to thwart everything Obama tried to do, especially in the area of not voting on judges, even for the Supreme Court, is a distortion of the Senate’s role. But before him, the introduction of the Hassett rule in the House, which gave all the power a majority of one party, and not a majority of the House. It effectively ended any chance of bi-partisan compromises. (Then he went to jail for sex abuses), was another example of the destructive changes in how the legislative branch functions.
As we have seen, the Gerrymandering has led to more extremists getting their parties nominations. Because the opposition party did not have a chance in those districts. The people who were elected to Congress knew that they did not have the flexibility to compromise, because if they do they will be voted out. The loss of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to an even more extreme conservative in a primary is an example of that.
But, we are now seeing that this group cannot govern. Their coalition of billionaire-bought Congressman and racist/populist Congressman and President cannot agree on priorities. And because they have stirred up so much anti-government sentiment, it has led to the election of a President who doesn’t have any idea, nor does he seem to care, about how a government, especially a democracy, works.
But, since they still have their hands on all the levers of power, they remain deeply entrenched, and it will be very difficult to get rid of them.
