The editors of the Washington Post intoned today that “if the GOP wants reconciliation, it must admit that Mr. Biden won, fair and square.” (Quotation from paper edition) But why in the world would Republicans want to reconcile with Democrats?
The GOP and the Democrats are adversaries. They aren’t partners in a marriage or in a family. They aren’t friends.
Nor have the Democrats vanquished the Republicans, as, for example, the Union vanquished the Confederacy. The Democrats won the battle of 2020 narrowly, but there will be another battle in 2022, and a great many skirmishes before then.
The Post cites comments by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senators Ted Cruz and Rick Scott to the effect that the parties should work together and dial down the rhetoric. I assume that these statements are strategic and do not stem from a genuine desire for reconciliation.
As long as the focus is on President Trump, a reduction of the noise is in the GOP’s interest. This won’t be the case for very long once Trump leaves the White House and Team Biden takes over. By the end of January, or not long afterwards, it will be in the interest of Republicans to dial the rhetoric back up.
This is what opposition parties do. Republicans didn’t seek a reconciliation with Democrats after the GOP’s poor showing in 2008. The Democrats didn’t seek a reconciliation with Republicans after Trump was elected in 2016. (Nor did they ever admit that Trump won “fair and square. They attributed Trump’s victory to Russian interference.)
Republicans and conservatives should resist Joe Biden’s presidency the way Democrats resisted Trump’s — minus the lying and criminal behavior.
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