A reader at AttacktheSystem.Com nails it:

“I’ve noticed more and more folks on the current right becoming anti-war (at least, selectively anti-war for pragmatic reasons, though some have begun to sound like full-on peaceniks). If nothing else I guess that reflects neocons’ losing hold on the GOP.

 

Which raises another interesting question. What is the future of the Republican Party proper? As you pointed out yesterday in your Coming Dystopia piece, and in the past, the kind of Republicans that make up Trump’s base are largely a (literally) dying breed. And the more time passes the more I agree with your assessment that the new “conservatives” will essentially be neoliberals who reject progressive-style economic proposals and/or some of the excesses of SJWism.

How will this philosophical realignment play out in terms of partisan political re-organization? I see a few ways things which could go (assuming the United States remains the effectively two-party state it is, which — barring critical structural changes to the system itself — it will likely remain. If that somehow changes, all bets are off).

As the traditional voter base of Republicans continues to shrink and shrink, and neoliberal and progressive elements continue to fight for control of the Democratic Party, either:

A) the progressives succeed in their current attempt to take over / convert the Democratic Party, increasingly rendering any unreconstructed neoliberals politically homeless. Over time these neoliberals join the ranks of the Republicans, and over a decade or two essentially transform the GOP into what the Democratic Party was pre-Bernie 2016, Ocasio-Cortez, etc.

B) the progressives fail to take over / convert the Dems (perhaps they’re decidedly defeated in an power-play by the neoliberals), and instead of continuing their attempts to take over the party, they leave. I think this would probably only happen if one or several major league progressives in the party lead the way, first as a threat, then as a reality. Unlike the neoliberals, they would not even consider joining the Republicans. They would either flood into and take over the Greens, transforming them into an actual political force to be reckoned with — or form an entirely new party (they could even take up the old Progressive Party mantle). If this happens, after things settle the neoliberal Dems and Progressive Party/Greens will become the two new dominant parties, with the GOP fading into obscurity as a non-player on the national stage, but remaining the largest third party in the country, and maybe even retaining control of only the most conservative states, at least for a time.

Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party remains as hapless and hopeless as ever, lol. In both scenarios, they desperately attempt to attract whoever looks almost as desperate as they do.
I’m not sure which of the two is more likely, and there’s probably other possibilities I’m missing, but it’s interesting stuff to think about.”