The New Common Sense Coalition Is a Joke

For several weeks, the once Anonymous Miles Taylor made the rounds of the left-wing media hyping what he called a “common sense coalition” composed of prominent Republicans who believe that the official Republican Party has fallen under the influence of former President Trump.

Taylor’s big announcement was the assembling of a group of anti-Trumpers to endorse a letter entitled, “A Call For American Renewal.” 

Taylor left open the primary purpose of the “common sense” coalition.  Was it to reform the Republican Party … defeat the Republican Party by forming a temporary alliance with Democrats … or to launch a new party?  Or all of the above.

Taylor seems to be leaning to starting a new party. 

He rued having only two choices – noting that when we go to the store, we have many choices.  Taylor does not seem to understand political structuring.  The two-party system is most efficient because political philosophy has two poles. Limited government on the right and regulatory centralized government on the left.  Nations with multiple viable political parties tend to be unstable.  And even where multiple parties exist, they must form bipolar alliances … essentially two operational parties. 

Prior to its official public launch, Taylor promoted this new “common sense” coalition with the same exaggerated enthusiasm one generally hears from auto manufacturers when promoting their new models.  He appeared on CNN where he was once employed as a one of those opinion-for-pay “contributors.”  He promised that a dizzying array of big name GOPers would be involved. 

However, when asked if the list would include any current Republican officeholders, Taylor clutched.  He babbled about some vague nameless future possibilities.  The answer was, “no.”  Only “former….” And damned few of them.

On a previous commentary, I stated my belief that Taylor’s “former” folks would be a bunch of political has-beens. Or even never-weres.   Weeell … this common sense coalition of pompous politicos has finally been revealed – has come out of the closet of political anonymity.  And what do we see?

We see a letter demonizing the Republican Party.

It follows the same mendacious political narratives we have gotten from Democrats and left-wing media for months and months.  It all boils down to their opinion that Trump has too much influence in the Republican Party. And that he is a bad dude. 

And by extension, virtually every one of the 70 million people who voted for Trump are racists, sexists, xenophobic, homophobic cultist knuckle-dragging Neanderthals whose opinion should be negated, and voices cancelled.

They express the same ridiculous hyperbole that we hear from the Democrats and their media allies.  At stake – they claim – is democracy itself.  The very Republic.  Elect Republican and America will descend into some sort of political gulag.  Utter nonsense.

While the left-wing media may embrace Taylor’s criticism of the Republican Party for obvious reasons, what comes across in both the text of the letter and the signatures is arrogant elitism.  In an effort to pump legitimacy into their puny cause, they create a strawman enemy.  Instead of opposing the REAL Republican Party, they take up arms against their imagined version of the GOP.

The preamble to their announcement reads:

“When in our democratic republic, forces of conspiracy, division, and despotism arise, it is the patriotic duty of citizens to act collectively in defense of liberty and justice.” 

When our Founders led off the Declaration of Independence with a similar preamble, they were actually fighting the real oppression of an autocratic monarchy.   Taylor’s folks have signed on to a fictional movie script enacted by a second-rate cast.

Of course, they are getting rave reviews form the east coast elitist news media.  That is because they share a common cause – to destroy the Republican Party.  Or at least damage it sufficiently so that the Democrats can maintain control of Congress in the 2022 midterm election and beyond.

In his pre-event promotional media tour, Taylor intimated that we would be seeing an impressive number of powerful big names joining what was promised to be a formidable force on the political scene.

So, who are these powerful individuals? 

As predicted, they are a bunch of has-beens who have been on the anti-Trump, anti-Republican bandwagon for the better part of the past four years.  We have seen some of them using their apostacy as the useful idiots on the MSNBC and CNN panels of parroting pundits.  They flag their past Republican credentials while reading from the Democrat propaganda script.

Taylor has assembled people like form Pennsylvania Congressman Charlie Dent – a regular Trump basher on the left-wing networks.  Among the highlighted names are Christine Todd Whitman, Mary Peters, Barbara Comstock, Reid Ribble, Tom Ridge, Evan McMullin and Mickey Edwards. The most well-known figure is Michael Steel, former chairman of the Republican National Committee – who is not making a living as a paid contributor on MSNBC.  He has sold out to be the anti-Republican Republican.

Unless you are a political wonk, you are unlikely to know more than a couple of those names. Maybe even none.  And remember … those are the most notable names on the list of 100-plus.  The rest are more anonymous than Taylor was in the past.

What is also notable, none of the names are major Republican officeholders. 

Shouldn’t Congresswoman Liz Cheney be on the list.  Oh … she rejected the Taylor invitation.  She has opposed the idea of a third party … period.  What about the other folks who are being censured for voting to impeach Trump?  Where is Congressman Adam Kinzinger or Senator Mitt Romney?  Where is former Senator Jeff Flake?

In other words, the most powerful names in the anti-Trump politi-sphere are not to be found on Taylor’s open letter. That says more than all the words in his letter.

Taylor has promised to recruit candidates across the political battlefield to challenge those they deem loyal to Trump. Or even Trump’s discernably conservative policies.  So far, however, Taylor’s promises are grandiose in the making and disappointing in the delivery.

What Taylor has assembled is a small – very small – group of people who mostly endorsed or supported Joe Biden for President.  They are people who never had a lot of influence. Or have seen it ebb as they slipped out of political relevancy.  While they claim to focus their anger at Trump, they are pushing against Republican populism in favor of their brand of elitist authoritarianism.  As establishmentarians, they share the same contempt for the masses – we the people – as do big-government Democrats.

Taylor says:

“I’m still a Republican, but I’m hanging on by the skin of my teeth because how quickly the party has divorced itself from truth and reason.  I’m one of those in the group that feels very strongly that if we can’t get the G.O.P. back to a rational party that supports free minds, free markets, and free people, I’m out and a lot of people are coming with me.”

For all his accusations and indictments of the Republican Party, Taylor’s greatest self-delusion is his apparent belief that he will take “a lot of people” with him when he bolts from the GOP.  In fact, he has already bolted, and the list of his followers is pathetic, to say the least.

To use an analogy that is appropriate to the Republican symbol, Taylor is metaphorically the elephant that labored mightily to bring forth a mouse.  This roll out of his assault on the GOP is an embarrassment to Taylor and all those who signed up for his sideshow.  Rather than a display of power and relevancy, Taylor’s collection of discontents reveals just how political impotent and irrelevant they truly are. 

And as for Taylor’s letter.  Mark it, “Return to Sender.”

So, there ‘tis.