Can GOP recover or will it fragment?

Ever since losing the White House to Bill Clinton in 1992, the Republican Party has turned obstructionism into an art form. They converted the filibuster from a heroic effort by Mr. Smith into a mundane routine attached to nearly every bill presented in the Senate. They attempted to remove Clinton from office and make Obama a one-term president. In all this, they failed and failed miserably.

In the process, they offered less and less appealing candidates, from Bob Dole to Mitt Romney. Their only winner, George W. Bush, was, by any account, a dismal failure, aided and abetted by one of the worst vice-presidents in our history.

Based on that track record it should come as no surprise (although frankly it does) that the party’s nominating process for 2016 produced a candidate like Trump. Watching it makes me think of an addict hitting rock bottom.

So the question must be asked — what’s next? Can the party recover to become the loyal opposition it once was, putting country before party and power? Or will it fragment into several new parties reflecting the fissures and diversity in our politics? Only time will tell.

Bob Wynhausen

Sandpoint