The reversalist path is by far the most intriguing to me. And it feels natural. The material base of the Democratic party is shifting towards that of the business/elite/upscale metropolitan class. This dovetails with capitalism's incorporation of "woke" ideology. Therefore it makes sense that the Republican party would shift to become a more working class party. I think people over-estimate the necessity of naked racism as an animating factor in the Trump coalition. Obviously it's there, but IMO it's overplayed by a mainstream/liberal media newly conscious of its political role.
The right leader (who may or may not be Rubio, that was a wrinkle that caught me by surprise), could promote an economic nationalist position without the racial animus, pealing off enough black and hispanic working class (and mostly younger) voters to create a new majority coalition. Never assume that current trends will last forever. Remember when the Democrats had a permanent majority after Obama? The Republican party won't be buried by Trump; it will reinvent itself, synthesizing his intervention with other factors (like, say, the 2012 autopsy).
I agree that there's a possibility for color-blind, non-white supremacist economic nationalism - but I don't think it's possible to bring the current crop of GOP voters around to it in sufficient numbers. It's not just the racism; it's the bone-deep commitment of a good segment of the rural and rural-aligned base to bigotry on race, on gender, on education, lifestyle and a host of other things (including an increasingly large dose of conspiracy theories) and that
they see it all as patriotism. The
only way I can imagine to get Ameristan to step away from its burning hate for other parts of America is to re-direct it against a very obvious foreign threat. And I'm skeptical even that would work or be healthy for the nation. And even then, while they might see other Americans as "allies", the white supremacy aspect of the movement is going to push hard to make sure the Ameristanis are on top, and they will be endlessly aggrieved when they're not.
But maybe I'm wrong. I certainly have no real understanding of what goes on inside the heads of Republicans. (My statements above are from watching their behavior from the outside.) They certainly obediently gobble up and regurgitate whatever they're fed by Fox News (or their "conservative" mind-poison of choice), and Donnie certainly had them dancing to his tune on things like Russia very quickly. Maybe the right cult leader can turn them onto a new heading, like a school of fish. I'm skeptical of any real success - even Dubya levels of success - being achievable. Practical government requires at least one foot in reality, and I doubt Republicans are capable of achieving that any more; there's just too much money in feeding them easy lies.
