Fmr. VA Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R/3x Trump Voter): “In Donald Trump’s GOP there is no room for dissent. You must back Trump all the way every time, or he and his most ardent supporters…will come after you.”

This morning, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling – a conservative Republican (e.g., virulently anti-immigrant, a strong believer in disenfranchising African Americans, a de facto defender of Trump’s assault on our democracy in numerous ways, etc.) and three-time Trump voter, no less! – posted the following. I thought it was worth sharing, as it’s a rare moment of honesty from the MAGA cult…of which Bolling claims to not be a member, yet keeps voting for Trump and says he’d do so again against pretty  much any Democrat, so…judge for yourself what that makes Bolling (certainly if you believe that *actions* speak louder than words, and in fact define you – which is what I strongly believe). And with that in mind, check out what Bolling has to say about the current Republican Party (as well as a dollop of his usual bullshit false equivalence, of course – lol); bolding added by me for emphasis of points that really jumped out at me.

THE TRUMPIFICATION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS UNDENIABLE

Recent primary elections in several states have clearly shown that the Grand Old Party as we once knew it is stone cold dead.

The GOP is no longer the party of Ronald Reagan. Not even close. The GOP has been totally redefined in the image of Donald Trump.

Some will see the Trumpification of the GOP as a good thing. Others will see it as a bad thing, but make no mistake, it is a thing

The GOP is Donald Trump’s party. No one else matters, just Trump. No one else’s opinion matters, just Trumps.

Consider Indiana, where Republicans who defied Trump’s calls for participation in the mid decade redistricting wars, were turned out of office by Trump loyalists,

Or Louisiana, where Sen. Bill Cassidy, who supported Trump’s impeachment following the January 6th Capitol riots, was denied another term in the U.S. Senate, defeated by another Trump endorsed challenger.

Or Kentucky, where Rep. Thomas Massie, a frequent Trump critic, was defeated by a Trump endorsed challenger.

Or Texas, where Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has more personal and political baggage than Samsonite, defeated long term Sen. John

Cornyn following a late endorsement by Trump; and may very well have put the Texas Senate seat into the competitive mix this November..

These elections show that Donald Trump controls the Republican Party much like Boss Tweed controlled Democratic politics in New York in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Or the way Harry Byrd and the Byrd Organization controlled Virginia Democratic politics in the mid 20th century.

In Donald Trump’s GOP there is no room for dissent. You must back Trump all the way every time, or he and his most ardent supporters, who control the state and local Republican political apparatus, will come after you.

The irony is that the GOP faithful continue to hitch their wagon to Trump, even though his approval ratings continue to fall and he is rapidly losing support among key voter blocks that helped him secure reelection in 2024.

How will this impact the 2026 mid term elections? Time will tell.

While the GOP appears to be losing touch with most centrist and independent minded Americans, Democrats have not shown that they have a viable alternative to offer, and very few congressional seats are really that competitive.

What a mess we have created, or as Alexander of the children’s stories would say, “What a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” this is.

But then again, Trump loyalists would say this is the Golden Age of America!