Dem
51
GOP
49
Speaking of things that are not going according to the Trump plan, the takeover of the RNC is not going too well. In addition to the financial woes and some chaotic national and state leadership situations, the Committee is now having a serious brain drain problem.
In short, some sizable number of RNC staffers were told their services were no longer required, while another sizable number were told they could resign and then re-apply for their jobs. Part of the point of this was to impress upon the staff that they were being given "the privilege" of working for the Trump-run GOP. And part of the point of this was to force them to go on the record as being 100% MAGA and, in particular, 100% committed to the notion that the 2020 election was stolen.
As it turns out, RNC Chair Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump might not have thought this through all the way. To start with, the whole scheme is just generally insulting—making people jump through hoops like trained seals, and sign loyalty oaths, and things like that. Beyond that, however, a professional political operative might have another 20, or 30, or 40 years left in their career. And there will come a time in that span, probably sooner than later, when having a reputation as a die-hard Trump loyalist will not be great for their career prospects (see McDaniel, Ronna Romney).
And so, many key RNC staffers, particularly folks who work as part of the Committee's data operations, have chosen to walk away. Data-crunching is a big, big part of a modern presidential campaign, and Trump '24 will try to pick up the slack with its own data operation, which is based in Palm Beach, FL, near Mar-a-Lago. Will they be able to do the job as well as seasoned RNC pros? We would guess "no," but we really don't know for sure. Will they, as Trump super-loyalists, be willing to share bad news with the candidate when they have it? That may be the real problem here. People who are not "yes men" often don't stay in Trump's employ for long. (Z)