Jonathan Martin: ‘Dimestore Trumpism Is a Loser’ for the Republican Party

EXCERPT:

MARTIN: “The bigger point, I wrote my column today about this, that this is, I think, the first salvo, this little dust-up, in the post-midterm and increasingly post-Trump fight for the Republican Party. And the question is, do you want to continue to have Trumpism without Trump? Because Trump could get away with stuff that no other mortal in politics could. But I think dimestore Trumpism is a loser. And if you look at the record, the numbers speak for themselves, loss after loss after loss among those who were not named Trump, who tried to use Trump tactics, right, you can rattle them off here if you want. You know Kari Lake, two Ls, start there. Vivek Ramaswamy about to have a second one himself after his failed campaign for president. So this is the question that Vance and others have got to consider. Do you want to try to imitate a singular figure in American history and politics, or do you want to try something else? Because if you try to do Trumpism, the track record is not very good. And that, I think, is part of the reason, besides the political and the moral issues with this ad, Joe, that so many folks in the party have come out and said, 'No, this is so self-defeating. What are you thinking?' Because they know what’s coming, and what’s coming here in about 11 days begins an extraordinary, I think, within the party to define what comes next for the party."