There's some nuanced, curious soul searching going on in the GOP -- see @oren_cass @rachelbovard @esaagar.

Then there's a professional NeverTrump class that argues that Republican Party was so ideologically sound in the pre-Trump years that...a gameshow host easily took over?

The thing about history is you can learn from the past but you can't ever truly bring it back. Bush years were marked with all kinds of failings many of them much more severe than anything under Trump, like Iraq, that made the party unstable and vulnerable.

Bush approval rating shortly before Obama took over was in the mid 30s, significantly lower than POTUS. But there are still a few GOP dead enders who argue their political problems started when Trump came down that escalator?

Romney also did worse with minority voters than Trump did!