LOT
LOT MORE
LOT MORE TO THE STORY AND THERE'S MUCH MORE TO THIS
STORY TO >> BE READ IN THE
ARTICLE FROM THE OREGONIAN >>
STUFF BIG STORY RIGHT NOW WHICH
IS ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE >>
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BOTH
HERE IN OREGON AND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. NOW THE PARTY HAS LOST THE
WHITE HOUSE AS YOU KNOW,
AND CONGRESS AND THEY'RE REALLY
>> DEALING WITH AN IDENTITY
CRISIS OF SORTS.
I MEAN CASE IN POINT LAST MONTH
THE OFFICIAL ARM OF THE OFREGON
GOP PASSED THIS RESOLUTION HERE
>> CONDEMNING THE REPUBLICANS
IN CONGRESS WHO VOTED TO
IMPEACH PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THAT
IN THAT THEY CLAIMED THE ATTACK
ON THE US CAPITOL WAS A QUOTE
FALSE FLAG OPERATION DESIGNED
TO DISCREDIT PRESIDENT TRUMP
AND HIS SUPPORTERS, WHICH IS
OF COURSE BLATANTLY UNTRUE.
AGAIN, THIS IS FROM THE
OFFICIAL OFREGON REPUBLICAN
PARTY, NOT SOME FRINGE FACEBOOK
GROUP.
GROUP.
GROUP. WELL, THAT LED TO THIS GUY HERE
ANNOUNCING THAT HE PLANS TO
LEAVE THE PARTY THAT HE'S OUT.
YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER MUELLER
AS THE REPUBLICAN WHO RAN FOR
GOVERNOR AGAINST KATE BROWN IN
TWENTY EIGHTEEN.
TWENTY EIGHTEEN. HE ALSO RAN FOR CONGRESS LAST
YEAR AS WELL.
SO HE'S IN A PRETTY PROMINENT
REPUBLICAN IN THIS STATE, A
REPUBLICAN NO MORE.
LAST WEEK HE TOLD ME THAT HE
DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY STANDS FOR
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. SO GIVEN THAT I ASKED HIM ABOUT
HIS THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE
OF THE PARTY, >> DO YOU BELIEVE
THAT WE COULD SEE A SPLIT IN
THE PARTY?
THE PARTY? ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY. I THINK YOU COULD SEE A LOT NOT
ONLY REPUBLICAN PARTY BUT ALSO
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
THERE IS THE SAME FAULT LINES
IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BEING
MORE EXTREME ELEMENTS AND MORE
MODERATE.
MODERATE.
MODERATE. THIS IS A VERY DYNAMIC TIME IN
OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM AND IT
SHOULD BE THERE'S SERIOUS
CHANGES GOING THROUGH OUR
SOCIETY AND THAT'S A TIME WHEN
POLITICAL PARTIES RISE AND FALL
AND I THINK WE'RE IN THE MIDST
OF ONE OF THOSE RIGHT NOW >>.
NOW I ALSO SPOKE WITH
CONGRESSWOMAN JAMIE HERERRA
BUETLER FROM SOUTHWEST
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. SHE GOT SOME RECENT ATTENTION
FOR STANDING UP AGAINST THESE
MORE FRINGE ELEMENTS OF HER
PARTY.
PARTY.
PARTY. SHE WAS ONE OF THE MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS, OF COURSE WHO CAN
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CONDEMNED
BY THE OFREGON GOP FOR VOTING
TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT TRUMP.
AND LAST WEEK SHE CALLED THE
CONSPIRACY THEORY SPREAD BY
GEORGIA CONGRESSWOMAN MARJORIE
TAYLOR GREENE INSANE BUT SHE
DID NOT VOTE TO STRIP HER
OF HER COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS.
NOW BUEHLER SAID HE DOESN'T
KNOW WHAT THE GOP IS ABOUT
ANYMORE BUT HERERRA BUETLER
TOLD ME THAT SHE AT LEAST KNOWS
WHAT IT'S NOT ABOUT.
>> WE'RE NOT THE PARTY OF WHITE
SUPREMACY.
SUPREMACY. WE'RE NOT THE PARTY OF KUHNEN.
WE'RE NOT THE PARTY GRABOIS.
I DON'T WANT THEIR VOTES >> NOW
>> UNLIKE BUELER, SHE SAYS THAT
SHE IS STAYING IN THE PARTY.
HERE'S WHAT SHE TOLD ME WHEN I
ASKED HER IF SHE THINKS WE
COULD ACTUALLY SEE A SPLIT IN
THE GOP.
THE GOP.
THE GOP. TIME WILL >> TELL.
I THINK IT WOULD BE DESTRUCTIVE
FOR US TO SPLIT OFF BUT I CAN'T
CONTROL WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO DO.
I CAN TELL YOU I'M NOT GOING
ANYWHERE.
ANYWHERE.
ANYWHERE. MY GOAL IS TO ESTABLISH WHO WE
ARE BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES
WE'VE ALWAYS ESPOUSED.
I'M NOT GOING TO LET PEOPLE
PUSH ME OUT WHO SAY BECAUSE I
DIDN'T SWEAR FEALTY TO A
PERSONALITY THAT THAT MEANS I'M
NO LONGER A REPUBLICAN.
NO, I ACTUALLY THINK WE SHOULD
TURN THAT A BIT AND SAY PROVE
TO US YOU UNDERSTAND THE VALUES
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND YOU
WANT TO FIGHT FOR THEM
DEFENDING THE CONSTITUTION
TENDS TO BE CHIEF OF CHIEF
CHIEF TOP OF THEIR >> BUT TIME
WILL TELL.
WILL TELL. I CAN'T CONTROL WHAT OTHER
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DO AND I DO
THINK WE'RE IN AN INFLECTION
POINT.
POINT.
POINT. I
POINT. I DO THINK WE'RE IN A PLACE WE
HAVEN'T BEEN AT LEAST CERTAINLY
IN A GENERATION.
I JUST HAVE THIS I REALLY DO
HAVE IT'S ALMOST AN UNWAVERING
FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
THOUGH AND IN THE END IN A VAST
MAJORITY OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS
>> I BECAUSE IN THEIR WHETHER
OR NOT THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE
FRUSTRATED THEY'RE GOING TO DO
THE RIGHT THING FOR THE
RIGHT REASONS >>.
OK >>, SO NOW YOU'VE HEARD FROM
ME AND YOU'VE HEARD FROM TWO
POLITICIANS ABOUT WHERE THEY
THINK THE GOP IS HEADED.
SO LET'S GET KIND OF A MORE
NEUTRAL VIEW OF ALL THIS.
I SPOKE WITH PORTLAND STATE
POLITICAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR
JACK MILLER TO GET SOME CONTEXT
AROUND THIS.
AROUND THIS. THE >> FACT THAT PEOPLE HAVE
BROUGHT UP THE IDEA OF THE
PARTY SPLITTING THIS FIRST
AMERICAN PARTY OR PATRIOT PARTY
OR A KIND OF A TRUMP AMERICA
PARTY >> SPLITTING FROM THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. IS THERE ANY VALIDITY IS THERE
ANY >> VALIDITY TO THAT IN YOUR
EYES OR IS THAT JUST SOME KIND
OF TV PUNDIT TALKING POINT?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY
WE HAVEN'T SEEN A MAJOR PARTY
BREAK UP SINCE THE 50S BUT ALSO
HISTORICALLY WE HAVE A PRETTY
HIGH LEVEL OF POLITICAL
POLARIZATION AND DIVISIVENESS
IN THE 20, 20 OR SO.
THE PARALLEL IS DECENT.
IT HAS BEEN ONE HUNDRED
AND SEVENTY YEARS SINCE WE'VE
SEEN THIS HAPPEN AND SO IT'S
NOT EVEN IT'S NOT LIVING
MEMORY.
MEMORY.
MEMORY. IT'S REALLY THREE QUARTERS
OF AMERICAN HISTORY WITH A
PRETTY STABLE TWO PARTY SYSTEM.
PART OF THE REASON WHY THAT'S
THE CASE IS THE PARTY LEADERS
OF BOTH PARTIES HAVE ALWAYS
FACED THESE CRISES WITH THE
SAME KIND OF FEAR THAT THEY
FACE A FRACTURING PARTY AT ANY
MOMENT WHICH IS THE KNOWLEDGE
THAT IT WILL BE ELECTORAL DOOM
FOR THERE TO BE A REPUBLICAN
PARTY THAT SPLITS INTO TWO
PARTIES IF THERE IS THE THE
TRADITIONAL GOP AND THEN THE
PATRIOT PARTY OR THE MAGGA
PARTY, WHATEVER THEY CALL
THEMSELVES, THOSE TWO PARTIES
WILL LOSE ALMOST EVERY SEAT
THAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE
BECAUSE IN OUR WINNER TAKE ALL
ELECTION SYSTEM YOU HAVE TO
HAVE THE MOST VOTES AND THAT'S
PART OF THE REASON WHY WE HAVE
A TWO PARTY SYSTEM IS THAT IF
IF YOUR PARTY COALITION
FRAGMENTS EVEN A LITTLE BIT,
YOU DON'T JUST LOSE SOME
ELECTIONS, YOU LOSE ALMOST
EVERY ELECTION.
EVERY ELECTION. SO THE FEAR OF OF A FRAGMENTED
PARTY HAS INCENTIVIZED PARTY
LEADERS TO DO EVERYTHING THEY
POSSIBLY CAN TO HEAL THESE
RIFTS WHEN THEY DO ARRIVE
AND UP TO THIS POINT SINCE THE
EIGHTEEN FIFTIES SINCE THE PRE
CIVIL WAR CRISIS, THOSE PARTY
LEADERS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT
DOING THAT AND I BELIEVE THAT
THE PARTY LEADERSHIP IN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IS SAVVY
ENOUGH TO AVERT THAT AGAIN >>.
YEAH >>.
YEAH >>.
YEAH >>. NOW LOOK, AS ALWAYS ON THIS
SHOW I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU SO
IF YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN IN
OREGON OR WASHINGTON, YOU DON'T
HAVE TO BE A REPUBLICAN.
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHERE >> YOU
THINK YOUR PARTY IS HEADED IF
YOU'RE REPUBLICAN >>.
I'VE ALREADY GOTTEN SOME
MESSAGES FROM PEOPLE TELLING ME
THAT THEY ARE LEAVING THE PARTY
BUT IN THE SCOPE OF THINGS.
SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND
REPUBLICANS HERE IN THE STATE,
THE PEOPLE LEAVING SO FAR I'VE
ONLY BEEN A SMALL FRACTION SO I
KNOW A