opinion
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz shared his thoughts on the realignment of the Republican Party and its potential impact on future elections in an interview with Newsmax host Carl Higbee.
Gates spoke about the results of the electoral caucus in Iowa, which achieved a resounding victory for former President Donald Trump. He noted that even in the frigid temperatures, people came out in large numbers to carry Trump to a show of more than 50%.
“These people came out and voted overwhelmingly for the president,” the congressman said.
Gaetz then pointed out that the Republican Party had become the party of blue-collar workers and suggested that white women in the suburbs were no longer the focus as minority workers were turning to MAGA.
“This is a realignment of working people in the Republican Party and what I can say is that for every Karen that we lose, there is a Julio and a Jamal that is willing to sign up for the MAGA movement, and that bodes well for our ability to be more diverse and to be more enduring as we move toward not,” he said. “Not only to the rest of the primary race, but also to the general election.”
.@matgaetz On reorganizing the Republican Party: “For every Karen we lose, there's a Julio and Jamal ready to sign up for MAGA.” @Carl Higbee pic.twitter.com/0mGhNAcbB2
— Newsmax (@NEWSMAX) January 17, 2024
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Gaetz downplays the importance of the Karen vote.
We can appreciate Gaetz's enthusiasm for minority and/or blue-collar voters lining up to support former President Donald Trump.
But, as Higbee points out in a later comment, “When Trump was president, it was better for all people, not just people of certain races.”
All people. It's not a good idea to avoid the vote of suburban white mothers by belittling them as “Karens.” Republicans need everyone's cooperation in the 2024 presidential election, including suburban women.
As Duane Patterson wrote for Hot Air, there are a lot of women voters who come from divorce, women who despise Trump's antics and approach to governing.
“Twenty-five percent of all Americans ages 18 and older have experienced a marital breakup. That means tens of millions of people,” Patterson writes. “For many of them, Donald Trump embodies everything they don’t like about their ex-spouse. How does Trump overcome this narrative?
Trump could start by making sure his representatives stop referring to them as “Karens.”
Related: Trump vows he will never allow the Federal Reserve to create a central bank digital currency
Embrace the Karen vote
Some critics argue that Gaetz's comment oversimplifies complex issues and could alienate potential voters. They believe the Republican Party should focus on appealing to a broad base of voters rather than relying on specific demographic groups.
A Fox News poll conducted in August of last year showed that Trump and President Joe Biden were not particularly attractive to suburban voters, especially suburban women. However, the numbers were even more brutal for the former president.
However, a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll shows Trump gaining support, at least in the swing state of Michigan, among suburban female voters.
Regarding Gaetz's point about minority voters swinging Trump's way, a recent New York Times poll showed that his support from black voters is approaching previously unheard-of levels.
“Black voters — long a bulwark for Democrats and for Mr. Biden — now register 22 percent support in these states for Mr. Trump, a level unprecedented in presidential politics for a modern-day Republican,” the Times reported.
But Trump doesn't need to lose a single Karen vote and replace it with two votes from a separate demographic. He needs to stick to the “Karen” voice. And Others were brought to the Republican tent.
This is the only way to soundly and decisively defeat Biden.
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