Sometimes things get so bad that they need to be destroyed in order for a newer and better version to rise from the ashes.
This is a sentiment with which the “Batman Begins” villain, Ra’s al Ghul, would sympathize, as he attempted to destroy Gotham in order to save it in the first installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.
Why does this matter?
Well, this type of logic is being applied to the current state of the Republican Party.
Some political theorists are claiming (and jesting) that the GOP's actions as of late hint toward a self-destructive strategy in which a new Republican platform could rise anew. This theory is called “Gotham Theory.”
However silly it may sound, recent reports and growing popularity in Texas for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, make it seem like this strategy is more than plausible.
After the shutdown nightmare, Cruz returned home to Texas to meet Tea Party constituents holding signs and singing chants of encouragement. Many of these constituents claim that Cruz is reshaping the Republican Party in Texas. With this in mind, many local and state level candidates for elected office are altering their campaign strategies to fit the Cruz mold.
As a result of his theatrics during the shutdown, which included a 21-hour filibuster and an unrelenting stance against the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” Cruz has raised around $1.2 million in support.
Republican strategists are watching this phenomenon with panic in their hearts as they know what the implications of an even more conservative rallying cry could mean for the party’s future success.
John Weaver, a conservative political consultant in Texas, said that “(Cruz) is the new model and likely to be the last model.”
Weaver recognizes the growing population of minorities in Texas and their increased voter participation. These two factors alone do not bode well for the new conservative darling, as most of these new voters are not sympathetic to hyper-conservative causes.
Weaver’s statement leads us to a very important question: Why are Tea Party activists jumping aboard a sinking ship?
Last week, a few of my classmates expressed unchecked loyalty for the freshman senator, claiming that term limits would be a bad idea, because it would put a cap on how long Cruz could hold office.
Supporting Cruz, in my opinion, only supports the Gotham Theory. Cruz is so censured by his fellow Republican officials that his ability to achieve any actual success is limited.
In addition, almost all of what Cruz promotes is contrary to the current progressive trajectory that the U.S. is experiencing.
Each day it seems that the country is moving toward more acceptance of others with different lifestyles and increased tolerance. Of course, there are outliers to every statement, but recent motions by states filing amicus curiae briefs (briefs written on behalf of a party to a lawsuit) to the U.S. Supreme Court suggest overall progress towards acceptance of individual rights.
The most detrimental part of Cruz becoming a champion among Tea Party and hard-line conservative activists is the exacerbation of the “us vs. the world” mentality that the movement cultivates. The propagation of this ideological battle only serves to worsen the already broken 113th Congress.
Reach the columnist at zjenning@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @humanzane
