WEBVTT - Conflicts & Division.  David Drucker Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>Conversation with David Drucker of the Washington Examineries, the senior

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<v Speaker 1>political correspondent, that fine publications being a fine publications. David's

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<v Speaker 1>the author of In Trump's Shadow, The Battle for and

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<v Speaker 1>the Future of the GOP. David, how are you, sir?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm great, terrific. Oh yeah, absolutely, it's good to talk

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<v Speaker 1>to you. So, Uh, speaking of In Trump's Shadow and

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<v Speaker 1>and the state of the GOP, I actually want to

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<v Speaker 1>take a look, if you will, at both parties and

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<v Speaker 1>the conflicts of the divisions therein. But we can start

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<v Speaker 1>on the Republican side. I mean Liz Cheney Adam Kingsinger

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<v Speaker 1>of Illinois, recently centured by the r n C. Mitch

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<v Speaker 1>McConnell shoots back that that's idiotic and useless and divisive

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<v Speaker 1>and and the rest of it. Uh, what's the what's

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<v Speaker 1>the state of the Republican Party at this point from

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<v Speaker 1>your perch there in the Capitol. Well, it depends on

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<v Speaker 1>how you want to look at the party. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>the party is on track for uh big games in

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<v Speaker 1>mental elections. Um, I think they're they're on track to

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<v Speaker 1>win control of the House and Senate and possibly by

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<v Speaker 1>big margins. So when you want to look at win

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<v Speaker 1>loss and judge a parties political viability that way, which

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<v Speaker 1>seems to make sense to most people. Uh. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>they're they're in pretty good shape. Um. When you look

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<v Speaker 1>at the evolving nature of the Republican Party, when you

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<v Speaker 1>look at the party in long term, there are some

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<v Speaker 1>more uncertainties out there. Obviously, the party continues to realign somewhat,

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<v Speaker 1>and you have this ongoing battle between the traditional conservatives

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<v Speaker 1>and the conservative populace in the party. I think former

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<v Speaker 1>President Donald Trump's fixation on the elections long term is

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<v Speaker 1>not helpful to the party. Um. And those could have

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<v Speaker 1>consequences in four especially if Republicans do well in two,

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<v Speaker 1>there are all of a sudden and this is the

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<v Speaker 1>problem you want, of course, that you're gonna they're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>share responsibility for governing. Um. We've seen past Democratic presidents

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<v Speaker 1>get repudiated midj terms and then recover in their re

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<v Speaker 1>election bids. Uh. And we've seen Republicans suffer in mid

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<v Speaker 1>terms in presidential or midterm elections and then recover two

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<v Speaker 1>years later. So Uh, it's by every measure that matters.

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<v Speaker 1>In the moment, Republicans are doing very well. Their fundraising

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<v Speaker 1>is up. Uh. Their political organization is doing well when

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<v Speaker 1>you look at some of these longer term trends, whether

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<v Speaker 1>the party is getting along, whether they're willing to cooperate

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<v Speaker 1>with each other to form a majority coalition in a

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<v Speaker 1>national election. Death still remains to be seen. And it

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<v Speaker 1>is a concern among some Republicans. I talked to you,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think they're right to be concerned about it.

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<v Speaker 1>But this is not an either or scenario, nor is

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<v Speaker 1>it remotely all dumid globe. You know, I'm ambivalent about

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of this stuff. Is a conservative um, I

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<v Speaker 1>just you know, I mixed feelings on a lot of it.

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<v Speaker 1>But what do you think of this? Notion? That? And

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<v Speaker 1>and well Trump's fixation election, I think he's making him

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<v Speaker 1>less relevant going forward. If if Trump were focused hard,

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<v Speaker 1>focused on inflation, the border, people's living conditions, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>dinner table issues, um, and not obsessing over election, his

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<v Speaker 1>shadow would be looming even more over the Republican Party.

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<v Speaker 1>His influence I think would have grown. Well. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>when I asked Trump about this, when I interviewed him

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<v Speaker 1>last year for in Trump Shadow, and I asked him

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<v Speaker 1>if he thought his his you know, decision to constantly

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<v Speaker 1>beat the Bush about the you know what he thinks

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<v Speaker 1>happened in I said, you know, doesn't it make it

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<v Speaker 1>harder for your party to win control of the House

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<v Speaker 1>and Senate in mid grom elections? And this was before

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<v Speaker 1>president by approval numbers had dropped and things looked so

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<v Speaker 1>good for Republicans And he said, yeah, maybe so, but

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<v Speaker 1>I don't really care. And then he also said, well,

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<v Speaker 1>I think this will help energize our face because that's

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<v Speaker 1>what they're interested in. So you were is a really

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<v Speaker 1>good question. What I would say about this is that

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<v Speaker 1>there are a number of Republican primaries in big states

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<v Speaker 1>and Senate races, never mind House races, and some governors

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<v Speaker 1>races where they all where they agree with Trump, these

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<v Speaker 1>primary candidates and won't say otherwise, and maybe they secretly

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<v Speaker 1>disagree with them but refused to say it. And if

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<v Speaker 1>you end up with nominees and some of these key

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<v Speaker 1>races with candidates who also want to talk about, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>an election beat stolen despite um an incredible lack of

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<v Speaker 1>evidence to that effect, then this issue is not going

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<v Speaker 1>to go away. Now in many of these states, I

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<v Speaker 1>still think the Republican nominee wins anyway. I mean, I

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<v Speaker 1>tend to think that whoever wins Ohio and just about

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<v Speaker 1>all of them say Trump's right, the election was stolen.

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<v Speaker 1>The nominee in the Ohio Senate race is gonna win.

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<v Speaker 1>The nominee in the North Carolina Senate race is likely

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<v Speaker 1>to win. The nominee in the Pennsylvania Senate races likely

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<v Speaker 1>to win. So it's not going to hurt in the

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<v Speaker 1>near term, but it is going to keep alive this

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<v Speaker 1>notion in the party um that Trump is right. And

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<v Speaker 1>then of course you have voters who want to focus

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<v Speaker 1>on the future. Given how the nature of how much

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<v Speaker 1>trouble the Democrats are in, and given it they're in

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<v Speaker 1>charge in Washington, I don't think this kind of this

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<v Speaker 1>kind of conversation is going to hurt Republicans were the party.

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<v Speaker 1>I think they're still given the Democrats super thin margins

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<v Speaker 1>in the House and Senate and everything else, Republicans are

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<v Speaker 1>still likely to have a really good election, which of

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<v Speaker 1>course is going to make some things that that there's

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<v Speaker 1>no problem in talking about a stolen election that wasn't stolen.

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<v Speaker 1>And and that's why I say it possibly becomes a

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<v Speaker 1>problem in David Drucker of the Washington Examiner on the line,

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<v Speaker 1>one more question about the Republicans before we moved across

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<v Speaker 1>the aisle. Uh. It seems to us that there are

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of really interesting and encouraging trends for the

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<v Speaker 1>Republican Party. Uh. More folks of color, more working class

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<v Speaker 1>people are moving the Republican way, and it feels like

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<v Speaker 1>the Democrats are becoming the party of the suburban, social

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<v Speaker 1>degree holding elites of America. To what extent is that true, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it's I think that the signs are there that this

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<v Speaker 1>is happening. Before I make b linket predictions, I like

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<v Speaker 1>to see how things play out over time. But we

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<v Speaker 1>have seen Republicans make games with Hispanic voters. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump won Um, a county along the Mexican border

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<v Speaker 1>in Texas that Republicans had not captured in a presidential

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<v Speaker 1>race in a hundred years. And I think what this

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<v Speaker 1>trend is about is as the Republican Party, at least

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<v Speaker 1>for the time being, becomes more of a working class

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<v Speaker 1>party where more of its voters tend to be blue

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<v Speaker 1>collar um workers. Well, there are lots of Hispanics and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of voters that are not white that are a

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<v Speaker 1>part of the working class that had long seen the

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<v Speaker 1>Democrats as the party of the working class and now

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<v Speaker 1>believe that the Republicans are the party of the working class,

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<v Speaker 1>both from an economic standpoint and from a cultural standpoint.

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<v Speaker 1>And by the same token, we have seen some suburban

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<v Speaker 1>voters UM and we've seen some evidence of this, some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of white collar suburban voters of both of you know,

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<v Speaker 1>both of of all races, but but you know, particularly

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<v Speaker 1>these white suburban, white collar UM workers who had long

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<v Speaker 1>voted Republican finding more cultural affinity with the Democrats. So

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<v Speaker 1>we've seen some of this realignments. All of these things

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<v Speaker 1>are sort of dependent on who the next Republican nominee

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<v Speaker 1>is twenty four, what kind of coalition they're able to cement,

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<v Speaker 1>what the economic and geopolitical conditions in the country and

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<v Speaker 1>the world are, and how you know, the two nominees

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<v Speaker 1>position their parties in that contest. But the size are

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<v Speaker 1>definitely there that this is beginning to happen um, and

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<v Speaker 1>so it'll be interesting to see what happens, not so

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<v Speaker 1>much in midterm elections, because we've seen non white voters

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<v Speaker 1>flocked to Republicans and greater degree in mid term elections

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<v Speaker 1>with Democrats trouble. But how But but it will be

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<v Speaker 1>more interesting to see if we see a continuation of

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<v Speaker 1>what we saw in twenty happen again in four Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>we just have a couple of minutes left. But one

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<v Speaker 1>of the thing we've talked about a lot around here

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<v Speaker 1>is to what extent do you think the Democratic Party

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<v Speaker 1>is being led by the woke energy on Twitter and

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<v Speaker 1>among congressional staffers, and Twitter is not America, to what

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<v Speaker 1>extent do you think they're being you know, the dog

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<v Speaker 1>of the Democratic Party is being wagged by the tail or?

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<v Speaker 1>Or does the woke left have that much haft? Well, look,

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<v Speaker 1>I think I think there is some validity to this.

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<v Speaker 1>Both parties, as polarization has increased over the past two decades,

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<v Speaker 1>have been led or influenced more by their base of

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<v Speaker 1>committed voters. Right. You know, we've seen in covering the

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<v Speaker 1>Republican Party over twenty years the influence that the Republican

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<v Speaker 1>base often has. These the committed conservatives often have in

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<v Speaker 1>in in the party, in part because in house races,

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<v Speaker 1>where most districts are drawn to elect one or the

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<v Speaker 1>other party, it's the primary that really counts. And if

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<v Speaker 1>you don't play to your primary audience, you don't get

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<v Speaker 1>to the general election where you're going to win easily.

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<v Speaker 1>And so I think that what we're seeing in the

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<v Speaker 1>Democratic Party now is something we have seen four years

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<v Speaker 1>in the Republican Party, and they are being influenced to

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<v Speaker 1>a huge degree by the far left flank of their party.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think we've seen this most notably when it

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<v Speaker 1>comes to pandemic policy coming out of the White House. No,

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Biden can't win in this regard, UH. In Republicans certainly,

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<v Speaker 1>but even but especially Independence really want to shift to

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<v Speaker 1>a posture of policy on the pandemic that that recognizes

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<v Speaker 1>or believes that the coronavirus is just not going anywhere,

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<v Speaker 1>uh for the foreseeable future, and and get us back

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<v Speaker 1>to a normal footing, just doing living like we did

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<v Speaker 1>before in the pandemic, but taking you know, precautions as

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<v Speaker 1>they are necessary. Left point and the Democratic base of

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<v Speaker 1>the Democratic Party doesn't mean Joe Biden's doing enough to

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<v Speaker 1>protect against the coronavirus. They want stricter mandates on vaccines,

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<v Speaker 1>more mandates on vacate scenes, stricter and more mandates on

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<v Speaker 1>mask wearing and and the like. And that belief on

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<v Speaker 1>the far left length of the party is influencing how

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<v Speaker 1>many Democrats in Washington at least are reacting to the pandemic,

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<v Speaker 1>but politically and from a policy standpoint, and it's far

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<v Speaker 1>different than what you're seeing from center left Democrats and

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<v Speaker 1>independence who may tend to vote Democrat. And we've seen,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the Democratic governors around the country are starting

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<v Speaker 1>to react to the broader number of Democratic voters in

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<v Speaker 1>their states rather than the most committed liberals. But it

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<v Speaker 1>is definitely having an impact. And you're right when you

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<v Speaker 1>point out that Twitter is not real life needed on

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<v Speaker 1>the right or the less, and when politicians cater to Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>they end up in trouble with a broader number of

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<v Speaker 1>voters they need to win re election. Well, and your

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<v Speaker 1>point about the COVID policy is a great one and

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<v Speaker 1>such a such a strange chapter of American history we're

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<v Speaker 1>all living through. I'd like to write the book Culture

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<v Speaker 1>and COVID if I only had the time. But um,

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<v Speaker 1>let's remember Glenn Youcan is the governor of Virginia. Not

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<v Speaker 1>so much because the critical race theory stuff that got

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<v Speaker 1>so much attention, purely because he ran on get the

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<v Speaker 1>kids back in school. The kids need to be in school,

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<v Speaker 1>and that hardcore left flank of the Democratic Party is

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<v Speaker 1>just have four year olds and masks and and send

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<v Speaker 1>everybody home the minute anybody gets COVID and uh, that

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<v Speaker 1>is just absolute electoral poison. I think to an extent

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<v Speaker 1>that the mainstream media does not adequately reflect. But David

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<v Speaker 1>Drucker of The Washington Examiner, David, I wish we could

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<v Speaker 1>talk all day, but I'm afraid we're up against a break.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's to talk to you. Good luck with the

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<v Speaker 1>book in Trump's Shadow, The Battle for four in the

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<v Speaker 1>Future of the GOP. Thanks David, thanks so much. Good

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<v Speaker 1>to talk