Debate: The GOP Has Lost Its Way

John Donvan hosted a debate around the future of the GOP.

Motion: Has the GOP lost its way?

Arguing “YES” is Jeff Flake, author, former U.S. Senator (2013-2019) and U.S. Congressman of Arizona (R). He served six terms in the House of Representatives.

Joining him is Carlos Curbelo, former U.S. Congressman from Florida’s 26th Congressional District (R). He served in the Ways and Means Committee within the House.

Arguing “NO” is Kimberley Strassel, author, member of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, and writes the weekly “Potomac Watch” column.

Joining her is Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist, host of The Federalist Radio Hour, and a Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Flake started his opening statements by saying that the Republican party is no longer based on truth. The GOP used to focused on mistrust towards concentrated power. That is no longer the case.

“If you’re not based on truth, what good is it to win elections?” he said. Republican officials continue to support the false claim that Trump won.

Since the 2016 elections, the GOP has lost the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, the White House, and the Senate. In order to change this, the Republican Party must turn back to truth.

Curbelo opened the debate by saying that the United States has only two viable parties. Due to this, it is important that Americans must choose between two reasonable parties. However, the Republican Party has lost that position.

“It’s a party engulfed in lies and in fear,” he said.

Republican politicians who say that Biden won the election are being silenced by their colleagues. Republicans are too afraid to speak the truth. On the other side, there are Republicans that actively promote lies.

Republican politicians will often recognize that Trump incited the riots behind closed doors. Republican leaders must not be afraid of their constituents; otherwise, they will lead by fear.

Domenech opened by saying that the Republican Party was at a worse position a few decades earlier. In the past, they weren’t focused on building a Republican majority, and as a result, voters turned on them.

There has been a rise in populism within the GOP Party since the 2016 elections. Nowadays, they are prioritizing their efforts on the working class, and fighting the culture war to preserve American ideologies.

“They’ve shed the corporate cash for the small dollar donor,” he said.

Strassal argued in her opening statements that the GOP has not lost neither its morality nor the voter’s faith. Trump followed conservative values for the past four years.

Republican policies have resulted in a smaller federal government, and the best tax reforms since 1986. Furthermore, Biden won the presidency by fewer than 44,000 votes across three battleground states.

Within the GOP, there has been a rise in Hispanic voters, Latino voters, African American voters, working class voters, and urban voters.

“The GOP hasn’t lost its way, its been reveling in them for the past four years,” she said.

Donman revealed the results of the debate. Before the debate, 69% of viewers were for the motion, 17% were against the motion, and 14% remained undecided.

After the debate, 72% were for the motion, 22% were against the motion, 6% were undecided.

Strassel and Domenech picked up more points than their opponents. They won the debate by four points.