1. “Why have the Republicans lost their minds?” Here in Britain, that’s the most common question I get asked about US politics. Yes, Donald Trump is part of the answer. But there are deeper structural factors at play, and it’s crucial to understand them to fix American democracy.
2. The explanation lies with what I call the “Trifecta of Extremism,” three structural cracks in US democracy that Trump blew wide open. I explain them in detail here: brianklaas.substack.com
3. The first is uncompetitive elections caused by demographic sorting and gerrymandering. The average House race is usually a 65% to 35% landslide. That means you will never lose the general election in the overwhelming majority of House districts. brianklaas.substack.com
4. Then, there are the low-turnout primaries. This, combined with uncompetitive districts, means most Republicans in Congress can only lose their seats if they compromise with the Democrats, or criticize Trump, triggering a challenge from a more extreme/loyal partisan Republican.
5. I explain here how this dynamic helps explain people like Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who each represent uncompetitive districts where the only “real” election is the primary. brianklaas.substack.com
6. But there’s a third structural problem that makes everything much worse: the rise of political influencers and the fragmentation of media outlets. This embeds a reward system for people who are extremists *because* they are extremists. This helps explain someone like Boebert.
7. There’s a lot more detail and nuance in the article linked here, including some ideas on how to counteract the Trifecta of Extremism and counterbalance the takeover of the GOP by extremist crackpots. brianklaas.substack.com
8. If you’ve found this interesting, please consider signing up for the newsletter so you get these in your inbox. It’s free—and takes about 10 seconds. If you want to support my work, there’s a paid option too. Thanks for reading! brianklaas.substack.com
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