For 2024, the Missouri Republican Party is adopting caucuses to select its candidates. What's not to like about caucuses? You get to inspect your fellow Republicans up close, eyeball to eyeball. Rather than getting in and out in about 10 minutes any time between 6:00am and 7:00pm, you get to arrive at your local county caucus at 10:00am and wait indefinitely until an overall choice is finalized. You get a chance to apply those herd forces to intimidate anyone not supporting the party line. The perfect approach for ensuring continued fealty to an increasingly extremist mindset with little chance of moderation.
Strangely, the Republican primary election was cancelled as part of an odd legislative measure that was supposedly intended to be followed by another bill to re-instate the primary but Republicans -- who hold overwhelming majorities in both the Missouri House and Senate -- couldn't pass the additional legislation in time to meet a deadline and thus had to stick with the caucus.
Does any of that sound remotely legitimate?
At least for 2024, it is possible the top motivation of Missouri State Republicans for adopting a caucus is either a) to put Missouri Republicans earlier on the scoreboard for their Dear Leader Trump or b) to ensure no revolt against Donald Trump is attempted. That seems unlikely given that no sane Republican candidate for President has emerged. It seems even more unlikely any "revolt" would come from within the Missouri Republican cave. I haven't heard a single WORD from a single Missouri elected Republican official at the state or federal expressing any concern about Trump's deepening legal woes, additional information about his breaches of national security regarding nuclear weapons or his appalling statements about Netanyahu or Hamas. Nope. Still 100% on board.
In the end, at least for 2024, this change is probably meaningless, both for Missouri Republicans and the country since it seems a 100% certainty that Missouri Republicans, like their idiot brethren around the country, seem hellbent on following Trump off a criminal and electoral cliff. However, this tactical shift again highlights how nearly every action undertaken by Republicans is profoundly anti-democratic, anti-participatory and exclusionary.
WTH
