If Richard Burr is a RINO, it’s hard to imagine what is an elephant. For the past 25 years Burr has been the definition of a rock-solid Southern conservative, voting uniformly right on economic, social and military issues. Facing a potential primary challenge in 2010, he boasted “no one can get to the right of me”–and if Congressional vote trackers were to be believed, his insistent ideological rigor was the real thing. Yet North Carolina Republicans have made this arch conservative into a RINO and a party pariah.
While the far right was never enamored of Burr as it was with right-wing superstars like Jim DeMint of South Carolina, they tended to leave him be in primaries, appreciating that while his image was softer, his voting record was scarcely different from that of DeMint himself. This forbearance was possible because “RINO” had a different meaning at the time. In the Tea Party era, a RINO was an ideological heretic–even if their transgressions were limited to a single issue or were a matter of degree instead of fundamental philosophical divergence. The sacred text of the movement was the Ryan Budget, a document that would have basically repealed 100 years of statecraft, and so essential was this commitment to the Republican creed that even Newt Gingrich had to repent for mild criticism of it.
The Tea Party conquered the GOP outright. By the time the House Freedom Caucus was founded in 2015 by Tea Party veterans, essentially no Republican departed in any significant way from the movement’s hard-edged ideological vision. Thus, RINO hunters adjusted their sights. In lieu of ideological heterodoxy (which, again, barely existed by this time), right-wing enforcers sought to mandate a stance of confrontation. Affect and aggression became the requisite features of a good Republican, and when anyone deigned to collaborate with the Obama administration, they were read out of the party. A RINO was a dealmaker. A Republican was a fighter.
This emphasis on fighters laid the groundwork, or perhaps revved up the escalator, for the rise of Donald Trump. Throughout his political career Trump’s main appeal to GOP voters has been that he “fights.” Trump hates all the people and forces that his base hates, he blasts through normative walls whenever it suits him, he verbally abuses people, and he incited an insurrection. Trump is the personification of red America’s id; thus, to cross him in any way is an attack on the basic self-definition of the right-wing base. Now, a RINO is anyone who shows less than total fealty to the God-Emperor of conservative America. Even Paul Ryan himself, who in fact fawned over Trump’s supposedly “exquisite presidential leadership,” has been exiled to the RINO tribe.
Tea Party ideology took over the Republican Party, then Freedom Caucus aggression became its stance, and finally a man who fused aggression with open racism became the subject of an unbreakable personality cult. At every point once-respected conservatives found themselves drummed out of the party. The shifting definition of the Republican In Name Only offers a surprisingly incisive heuristic for what the GOP is. It is an authoritarian personality cult with fascist tendencies that will brook no dissent from the line that Trump must rule Washington.
Alexander Jones is an original contributor to PoliticsNC.
The current security investigation that is following Burr into retirement for “insider stock trading” is not going to be pleasant. There is little doubt he acquired valuable information about his personal stock holdings were going to take a dump based on his trusted position as US Senator. Then, the moron passes it on to his brother-in-law allowing them to sell it off before the bottom fell out.
I am sure the stock in question was also part of a time-honored republican 401k, which many rely on to supplement their retirement.
I wonder how all those other (suckers) stockholders who lost millions must have felt being left holding the bag. It takes a special kind of person in a position of public trust to take advantage of a situation to the injury of another. Old Burr, and his brother-in-law could be joining a few more GOP types in the Trump wing of club fed in addition to paying healthy fines.
This case may be the antithesis of the adage that every time the GOP runs things my stock earns money.
So you’ve nothing. not a surprise.
“It is an authoritarian personality cult with fascist tendencies that will brook no dissent from the line that Trump must rule Washington.”
Sounds like the democrat party actually who are in fact Facists as we speak. Just look at what is going on. Only personality cult is the “black” (well half black) messiah Obama. Yeah he still runs the show as its basically his people running the POTUS now. And we all know Joe isn’t he is not capable.
As an aside it appears Washington NEEDS ruling Have you seen what they have been up to? Sheesh The “organs” are running amuck Its not a party thing, its an EXECUTIVE BRANCH THING. The un-elected minions who are full of themselves need a serious purge. Personnel and budget badly.
Way too much money and power now resides in Washington and in the hands of those who have absolutely no accountability to anyone at all. All of that is in addition the normal stupidity the the republicans and democrats
LOL, back in the Trump days, we had foreign political bots posting remarks that were spelled correctly, almost perfect grammar and reflected a degree of understanding of our political system. If this bargain basement bot is the best Republicans have going for them, I can only quote the famous Crocodile Dundee, “NO WORRIES, MATE”
Lol, Calls me a bot because he/she/it has not arguments to counter.
You do know that it is perfectly OK to be not agree with the government when your guys are in charge of it.
If you put forth an argument that did not sound like a 4th grader, throwing a temper tantrum, I would be happy to address it.
Is it really that difficult to look up the definition of labels before you start throwing them around? Fascism is a form of far right authoritarianism and nationalism and wants to suppress the opposition. Aren’t we Antifa (anti-fascist) or is it radical socialist? I guess this article about the RINO Burr was written before the announcement that the SEC was investigating Burr and his brother in law for insider trading. Didn’t Trumps DOJ under AG Barr clear him of using his position on the Intelligence Committee when he sold off his stock portfolio a week before the market crash due to the pandemic? Maybe they missed the phone call he made one minute after his sale to his brother in law. Are you fine with that? All the corruption, lies, and criminal activity surrounding Trump and his administration makes me think that where there’s smoke…
I know this doesn’t reflect the morals, values, and ethics I was raised with. What has happened to the God and country, family values, law and order Republican Party? I sure would like to see some accountability instead of blocking subpoenas, legal appeals, and hiding behind executive privilege, wouldn’t you? Thanks for reminding me that Obama was black, I’d almost forgotten. Not that his race matters to me, but since you brought it up it must matter to you.
What kind of party are you looking for? I’ve no problem with different ideologies or priorities, but shouldn’t we all expect our representatives to be working together for the betterment of all of us, instead of being bomb throwers to own the libs and build their brand? I’d like a return to civilized discourse instead of attacks. Death threats, really? Over voting for an infrastructure bill?