
[Ed. – Shorter Bouie: Yeah, my party got hammered in the House and in down-ballot races, but at least we stole — er, I mean won — the top prize, so why aren’t Republicans bowing their heads?]
Far from overwhelming the Republican Party and sweeping it out of power, the extraordinarily high turnout of the 2020 presidential election probably saved its political prospects.
…
Losing the White House means that it is too much to call this a success, but it appears to be a foundation for future growth and a sign, perhaps, that a future, less divisive Republican president could lead the party to an outright popular majority.
Trending: Trump’s end-of-term: Another dead cat bounce in the operational sequence of events
Republicans should be optimistic. Instead, the party and most of its leaders have retreated into fantasy, at least in public. With few exceptions, Republican lawmakers have either embraced the president’s attempt to overturn the election results using false allegations of voter fraud, given it their tacit support or quietly watched as the effort has unfolded, unwilling to say or do anything in opposition (assuming they’re opposed).