From "The Bulwark" by Nicholas Grossman "The Non-Education of Ross Douthat 9/7/2021

These are highlights from the Bulwark that I follow on Twitter.  I would think the Republican Party of today would be proud that Lincoln was able to keep the from splintering into the slaveholding south and industrial north.  I've been told that the Republican Party of my youth and while living in Illinois has changed and it is not the same.  

The saddest thing about that comment is that change in the discussion has manifested itself in ways that are more worrisome than ever.  

The never Trump folks failed in 2016 and did their best to ignore Trump, as much as possible except for appointing judges which was sort of baked into a process that became a political rubber stamp.  

The "Big Lie Election" which began before the election and continues to this day still seems like somebody hit the mute button where you might say one thing to your friends about the 2020 Election or say nothing if you think it might sully your reputation amongst the "believers" of "The Big Lie".  

I ask the question of the quiet, why are you still quiet about November 2020 and just as quiet about misinformation about the pandemic which has killed many unnecessarily and prolonged a bad situation and driven some otherwise reasonable folks to distraction.  This isn't being Republican.

"But Trump and Team MAGA never cared much about policy in the way Douthat means. Trump’s top priority, by far, was (and is) very obviously more attention, money, and power for Donald Trump. For the MAGA movement, it’s grievance, culture war, and owning the libs, which sometimes involves government policy — e.g. reducing immigration, especially of Latinos and Muslims — but often sought and celebrated symbolic victories; “wins” that made the base feel America belongs to “us” rather than “them."

"Narrowly avoiding being shot doesn’t make one impervious to bullets. Most people in such a situation dive for cover."

• A majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives (139 of 221), along with eight Republican senators, voted on January 6 to reject Electoral College results (after their safety was threatened earlier that day by a Trumpist mob, no less).
• The House Republican conference has made a litmus test out of 2020 election lies, ostracizing Rep. Liz Cheney for her refusal to let the Capitol attack slide.
• Republicans have sidelined state election officials who wouldn’t help Trump’s coup attempt, including Raffensperger, who now faces a primary challenge from Rep. Jody Hice, who went along with basically every aspect of the coup attempt he could.
• Right-wing think tankers are openly calling for an “American Caesar,” while Tucker Carlson, the most-watched pundit in conservative media, travels to Hungary and touts its authoritarian government as a model.