Lincoln Project, a group of individuals made up of Republicans who were against Trump are a primary example of this. Their work to shift Republican votes Blue helped Biden gain further support that otherwise would not have been there. Additionally, Republicans who shifted to third party candidates like Jo Jorgenson of the Libertarian Party helped contribute to this outcome as well. The end result of these individuals’ efforts to distance themselves from the norm of Republican voting has stuck them with a president who contrasts the most basic fundamental principles of the Republican Party as a whole. We have now arrived at a point where Republicans as a party are no longer united over the same ideals as they once were and the “party of the working man” has slowly crumbled into the party of indecisiveness.

     That inability to work together showed itself, and now Joseph Biden Jr. — former Vice President and professional Amtrak commuter — is the leader of the free world. 

     Not to be misinterpreted, Biden as president is not inherently a bad thing, just as Trump as president is not inherently a bad thing. But what it does mean, however, is that Republicans missed the chance to put the orange billionaire (and by proxy, Republicans) back in the Oval Office. 

     Plus, now the Senate is 50-50. Ouch. 

     What does that mean for the future of the party? 

     That depends. The Republican Party has  lost control over all sections of the federal government, and the policies that may be passed through while they have virtually no say could very well redefine the chances Republicans have to gain a foothold. Concepts like DC statehood, Puerto Rico statehood and Supreme Court packing are all very real policies that could seek to further upset the chances of a Republican majority. This, paired with Biden’s executive order rampage puts the ball in the Democrats’ court, and one can only imagine they’re preparing to take advantage of this.

     Republicans are now faced with a decision. They can either choose to roll over and die, which would be the preferred solution by some, or they can begin making proactive changes within the party itself to become more attractive to younger voters. The Republican Party as of now is legitimately dying (the average age of a Republican is nearing 60), so in order to have any chance of preserving the ideals put forth by the party, there needs to be a shift in how those ideals come across to individuals who are much younger. The youth vote is incredibly important, and as such, efforts need to be made to reach out and get them involved with the party. One of the primary ways this can be done is through social media.

     Social media is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to obtain political information, especially among those younger voters. Democrats know this. They recognize their target audiences are clustered on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, and that information can spread like wildfire if given the opportunity. This is a genius strategy. Democrats have consistently been able to attract the attention of younger individuals on these platforms because they are rarely bound by validity. The carrot-on-the-stick method used by politicians such as Bernie Sanders, who actively promise things like free college and healthcare, consistently leave out the details of the ramifications of implementing institutions like these. These ideas carry large momentum but ultimately would result in tremendous consequences once in place. For example, the idea behind policies such as free college sound spectacular in theory, but would ultimately raise taxes on the working class, and would burden those Americans who made the active decision to skip college for trade schools or other ventures instead.

     If Republicans could use these same media outlets to focus their energy on disproving these ideas as well as offering alternative solutions that would be more economically friendly as well as more fiscally responsible, one could assume that the carrot on the stick would begin to look less appetizing. This must be the strategy of Republicans going forward. In order to preserve both the party and the ideals the party holds, the youth vote must be obtained. Without it, the Republican Party will slowly age upwards to the point where the average Republican is six feet underground. 

     Of course, all of this is contingent upon having the ability to get Republican voices out there into the abyss of social media to begin with. Realistically, with big names in the party being removed from social media left and right, the chance to get that voice out is slowly dwindling.

      The reality of the situation is that there likely is no comeback. Republicans have been left broken with no real way to come back together. If they can’t regain a majority somewhere in 2022, Conservatives and Republicans alike might as well pack their bags, bury their guns and most importantly keep their mouths shut, because they did it to themselves with incessant in-fighting.