ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- Republicans need a new mascot that is more in sync with their current vibe.

Like a crying baby. Instead of competing with Democrats for beer-drinking blue-collar voters, Republicans could corner the market on Americans who prefer whine.

As part of Generation X, nostalgia for the 1980's comes with the territory. Better music. Bigger hair. Simpler times.

Still, I didn't expect to have all the feels about the president for whom many X'er cast their first votes: Ronald Reagan.

The Great Communicator told Americans to ditch excuses, don't be victims, and take responsibility for our actions. Before Fox News came along, that message was echoed by conservative media outlets like the Wall Street Journal and National Review. Americans were told to focus on opportunity, not obstacles. And if they came up short, the argument went, don't complain. Just work harder.

Forty years ago, that was the Republican Party's spiel. At least it was to groups on the margins like immigrants, the homeless, the disadvantaged, African Americans and Latinos. If Republicans didn't see you or have anything to offer you, they told you to suck it up and get on with your life. And whatever you do, they said, do not blame others (read: white people) for your misfortune. That's on you, buddy.

Old school Republicans who lost elections -- Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney et al. -- didn't complain that the fix was in.

Republicans also had no tolerance when Democrats refused to concede defeat. In 2000, when George W. Bush beat then-Vice President Al Gore, after an exhausting Florida recount, Dems refused to accept the results at first. Republicans printed up t-shirts that read: Sore-Loserman. Trust me, I bought one.

I wasn't a Reagan supporter back in the 1980's. But I love his message about owning up to your mistakes and not playing the victim. I appreciate the tough love approach and the sermon about accepting the consequences of one's bad behavior.

Speaking of bad behavior, have you taken a good look at the present-day Republican Party? It's not Reaganesque. It's repugnant.

Reagan would be ashamed at how so many in his party believe the election game is -- to borrow a word -- "rigged."

Cut to a recent interview of President Donald Trump by NBC's Kristen Welker, moderator of "Meet the Press." The whole thing reeked of victimhood, whining and complaint. Trump is the most powerful person on the planet, and yet -- when he alleges without evidence that elections are being stolen, but only those that Republicans lose -- he projects weakness. As victim-in-chief, Trump doesn't control anything. Some mysterious force in the universe is secretly running the show.

And that includes the circus in California, where the vote count continues and the results of the June 2 primary election should be known by Christmas. Fingers crossed.

When Welker said Republicans are "doing well in California," Trump disagreed. "No, they're not. They're dropping fast because it's a rigged election," Trump said. He also called California election officials "crooked" with no evidence to back up the slander.

One Republican who dropped fast was Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star and first-time candidate who came in third in the race for Los Angeles mayor with 26% of the vote behind two Democrats: incumbent Karen Bass, who led the field with 34%, and city council member Nithya Raman, who got 29%.

While the votes were still being counted, Pratt was already sowing doubt by referring to the election as a "literal crime scene."

No, Spencer. It's literal math. According to voter data for the city of Los Angeles, Democrats outnumber Republicans 4-to-1. How did you expect this race to turn out?

The fact that, in California, it can take state election officials up to a few weeks to count millions of mail-in ballots only fuels MAGA conspiracy theories about an alleged heist in the Golden State.

There is a simpler explanation: Republican candidates in California are terrible.

In this deep blue state where Democratic wins are a foregone conclusion, Republican candidates for office represent -- to borrow another phrase -- a "basket of deplorables." You'll find white supremacists, anti-government activists and conspiracy theorists. Many have never run for office before, and some have never even voted.

These people are unelectable. And so, when they run anyway and -- shocker! -- they're not elected, Republicans recycle unfounded accusations about stolen elections.

That message comes straight from the top, amplified by a president who -- because of his own personal flaws -- can't accept failure. So he blames it on others.

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To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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