As Paul Krugman and Jamaal Bouie point out in today's NYT, the republican party of today is not your father's or even your crazy uncle's GOP. It has out crazyed the small government conservatives who voted for or at least tolerated the Bob Dole wing of the party. Dole and others like him, while decrying democratic policies were at least willing to work across the aisle to pass needed legislation. The give and take of politics drove both parties to at least occasionally work together for the common good.
Fast forward to 2019. The grim reaper of the Senate, Moscow Mitch McConnel has unilaterally killed any bill originating in Nancy Pelosi's House. Meanwhile, the Senate has passed no legislation worth compromising. They are too busy confirming arch conservative and in many cases unqualified judges to lifetime positions where they can block any progressive agenda.
This is the present day GOP. As with any political party hanging on to power, the only way to get republicans to change is to defeat them convincingly at the ballot box. As long as enough Americans like the policies the party represents; low taxes for the rich, an increasingly shredded social safety net and casual cruelty to immigrants and the poor, they will remain in power.
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