The Elephant in the Room: Donald Trump and the Future of the Republican Party

by Andrew E. Busch (Editor), William G. Mayer (Editor)

Overview

Did Donald Trump create a new blueprint for Republicans, ruin the Grand Old Party, or something in between? And what, if anything, should his role be in the future of the party? In this collection of timely essays, a variety of center-right political scientists and commentators address Donald J. Trump’s past effects and future role in the Republican Party. Covering policy, politics, character, and comportment, the authors offer a wide range of analyses and recommendations. Essays range from Trump’s place in historical context to analyses of contemporary voting behavior to efforts to disentangle Trump’s policies from his persona.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538158111
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2022
Pages:	194
Product dimensions:	6.32(w) x 8.93(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Andrew E. Busch is Crown Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College, where he teaches courses on American politics. He is author or coauthor of numerous books, including, most recently, Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics (Rowman & Littlefield).

William G. Mayer is a professor of political science at Northeastern University. He is the author or coauthor of eleven books, including, most recently, The Uses and Abuses of Politics: Karl Rove and the Bush Presidency. He has also written numerous articles on public opinion, voting and elections, the presidential nomination process, and media bias.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Pick Your Battles Wisely – Trump Did Not Steven E. Schier

Chapter 2: The Republican Way Forward: Four Questions for 2024 James E. Campbell

Chapter 3: The Future of the Republican Party: 2022, 2024, and Beyond David Brady, Morris Fiorina, and Douglas Rivers

Chapter 4: What Is Trumpism? John J. Pitney, Jr.

Chapter 5: Donald Trump and America’s New Class War Glenn Harlan Reynolds

Chapter 6: Some Great Political Genius: How Trump Damaged the Republican Party William G. Mayer

Chapter 7: Expanding the Republican Coalition: Four Lessons from the Trump Presidency John H. Hinderaker

Chapter 8: Trump, the Republican Party, and American Conservatism: Retrospect and Prospect Charles R. Kesler

Chapter 9: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Donald Trump and the Republicans Andrew E. Busch

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2022

Political scientists Busch (Divided We Stand) and Mayer (The Uses and Abuses of Politics) gather “Republicans, conservatives, libertarians, and ex-Republicans” to assess Donald Trump’s legacy and influence on the 2022 and 2024 elections in this hodgepodge anthology. Appraisals of Trump himself range from sharply critical to mixed to admiring, but most contributors find value in his policies. For example, Glenn Harlan Reynolds credits Trump’s tax and interest rate cuts with stimulating a sharp increase in median household income in 2018 and suggests that Trump’s “willingness to fight on behalf of those working-class people whom the ruling class... so despises” is an ethos the Republican Party should embrace. On the other hand, Mayer blames Trump for causing Republicans to lose their majorities in both houses of Congress, while his coeditor Busch praises Trump for accomplishing Republican goals of rolling back the “regulatory steamroller,” appointing conservative justices, and confronting unauthorized immigration, but faults him for provoking a trade war with China and undermining America’s international alliances. Looking to the future, John J. Pickney Jr. warns: “Trumpist politics are repulsive to voters under thirty.” Taken together, the essays present a muddled and inconsistent assessment of Trump and Trumpism. Readers won’t find many firm takeaways. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly