Hi, Readers. Thanks so much for being a part of our small but growing audience to date. I kicked off Democracy Diary to share digestible but nuanced perspectives on the very troubling issues facing our democracy. I try to understand what’s happening in the U.S. in the context of history, anchoring it all in data and referencing experts across the political spectrum. In these posts, I try to answer the questions that friends ask of me and those I ask myself.
My original goal was to distribute 2-3 Democracy Diary entries per week. I’ve been writing much slower than that as I fine-tun my approach, topics and tone. But I plan to ramp up the pace of these posts going forward. Please share your comments and feedback.
I have also pledged to provide not just commentary but opportunities to take action in defense of democracy, and that begins this week. Scroll to the end of the post to see my recommendations.
And as always my opinions - and errors - are mine alone!
What a week—Super Tuesday and the State of the Union Address within two days of each other. I’ll tackle President Biden as a candidate and SOTU in a future post, but my focus here is Super Tuesday and what exactly it means to be the Republican Party's nominee.1 The best way to understand the GOP today may be to look at what it is NOT.
Former President Donald Trump has clinched the Republican nomination (was it ever really in doubt)? His one remaining challenger, Nikki Haley, officially exited the presidential race after polls closed on Tuesday night. In her speech to supporters, she said: “I have always been a conservative Republican and always supported the Republican nominee.”2
One might think that Haley calling herself a “conservative Republican” was redundant because the two terms have long been almost synonymous. With its roots in the 18th-century philosophy of Edmund Burke, conservatism centers on religion, tradition, individual liberty and established order. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, U.S. conservatives have stood for upholding traditional values, investing in a strong military, world leadership and limiting government’s role in the economy. Conservatives respect institutions and believe in the rule of law.3
For decades, the Republican Party has been the home of American conservatives. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, 77% of Republicans identify as conservative, while only 30% identify as moderate or liberal.4 The Republican Party platform historically reflected this. For example, in 2008, when John McCain was the Republican nominee for President, the platform called for lower taxes, smaller government, and a balanced budget. The party also emphasized the importance of a strong military and homeland security. Under the banner of traditional values, the platform, not surprisingly, opposed same-sex marriage and abortion and supported school prayer.5
It seems obvious, therefore, that the Republican Party is the home for conservatives. But since Trump has become the de facto leader of the GOP, conservative values have gone from a must-have for rising politicians to beside the point, or even, in some cases, a liability. Historian Simon Schama noted that the pillars of “American conservatism in the 1950s and ’60s…whose watchwords were fiscal responsibility, limited government and a forward position in the world assuming American leadership — would not have recognised much in the Trump presidency embodying those principles.”6
Let’s take Liz Cheney, former Congresswoman from Wyoming. Few politicians have the conservative bona fides that she does. Cheney voted with the Trump agenda 93% of the time she was in Congress yet she vocally refused to deny the results of the 2020 election, voted to impeach Trump in 2021 and became the Vice Chair of - and one of only two Republicans serving on - the committee investigating the January 6 attacks.
Trump retaliated by calling Cheney "a crazed lunatic" and "worse than any Democrat." He then backed Rep Elise Stefanik (NY) in her successful bid to replace Cheney as House Conference Chair, the number three Republican leadership role. Stefanik boasted a less conservative voting record than Cheney (she aligned with the President 78% of the time), but she became an enthusiastic election denier and voted against certifying the 2020 election.7 In 2022, Cheney lost her primary by almost 30 points to Trump-endorsed Harriet Hagemen (also an election denier), a stunning turnaround after winning that primary two years earlier with 73% of the vote.8
The political fate of the other nine Republican members of the House who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 has been equally dismal. Only two of them are still in Congress, the others having lost their bid for reelection to a Trump loyalist (like Cheney) or announced their retirement, knowing they would likely be primaried by a pro-Trump candidate. All had reliably conservative voting records that aligned with the President’s agenda between 80% and 90% of the time.9
Loyalty to Trump is the new litmus test in the Republican party, and traditional conservative values are secondary when in conflict with the MAGA agenda.10 For example, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) prominently features the 7 Core Principles of Conservatism on his website. “Rule of law” is one of these - but the posts focus primarily on immigration and the southern border. Johnson himself played a “key role” in masterminding the legal strategy around the 2020 insurrection and has formally endorsed Trump (“I’m all in”).11 It’s fair to conclude that Trumpism has superseded conservatism as his central guiding philosophy and was likely crucial to his successful bid for Speaker.
In 2020, the Republican Party tellingly abandoned a formal platform entirely and instead issued a short statement that the “party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda.”12 For his part, Trump, in rambling Super Tuesday victory remarks, said “Republican” or “party” only three times; he uttered the word “conservative” not once. Why bother when it’s all about him?13
It’s important also to remember that Trump retains his iron grip on the GOP not only by ostracizing Republicans who fail to fall in line but also by the threat of violence. Read my last post, Sticks and Stones, for more about that.
Why does this all matter? In an editorial on March 6, the New York Times warned of the stakes. “As an individual, Mr. Trump has demonstrated a contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law that makes him unfit to hold office. But when an entire political party, particularly one of the two main parties in a country as powerful as the United States, turns into an instrument of that person and his most dangerous ideas, the damage affects everyone…A party without dissent or internal debate, one that exists only to serve the will of one man, is also one that is unable to govern.”14
In her Super Tuesday concession speech, Nikki Haley quoted British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who “provided some good advice when she said, ‘Never follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind.’”15 Haley did not endorse Trump, but neither did she reject Trumpism and its deeply anti-conservative message. In the first Republican presidential debate earlier this fall, she was one of the 6 (out of 8) candidates who raised their hands to say they would support Trump as a nominee even if he were convicted in a criminal trial16. Despite her increasing willingness to take on the former President in the waning days of her campaign, “there was one subject that Haley couldn’t handle. And it proved, ultimately, to be her undoing: How does a Republican tackle Donald Trump?”17
And just like that, Trump has become a party of one.
Republican Party Debate, 8.23.2023. Six out of 8 candidates, including Nikki Haley raise their hand confirming they will support Donald Trump even if he is convicted of a crime. Win McNamee. Getty Images - Licensed.
Well, that’s depressing, you might be thinking. But what can I do about it?
Here are my recommendations:
Learn from conservatives who are calling out Trumpism:
You can read Liz Cheney’s book Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning or listen to her 11-minute NPR interview here.
Read former Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s book, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country. Kinzinger served on the January 6 Committee with Cheney.
Lincoln Project Co-Founder
Substack, particularly this recent post, Nikki Haley Stares Into the Abyss.Anything
, but would particularly recommend this piece from the New York Times about what Trump’s cabinet-level appointees had to say about him.
Invest in pro-democracy candidates in races throughout the country. Support them - even if you are a lifelong Democrat. Examples:
Phil Heimlich (R, OH-2) - A mainstream Republican who served on the Cincinnati City Council and Hamilton County Commission, Heimlich has been speaking out against the Big Lie and election denialism for the last several years. A graduate of Stanford University and University of Virginia Law School and a former prosecutor, he serves as legal advisor to Republicans for the Rule of Law, an organization devoted to defending against election subversion. He helps lead Operation Grant, an affiliate of the Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump, dedicated to encouraging Ohio Republicans to vote for Joe Biden in this November’s election. He also led efforts to urge Republicans and independents to vote against J.D. Vance for U.S. Senate from Ohio. Phil was named a Candidate to Watch by the Leadership Now Project, an organization of pro-democracy business leaders (I am a member of and an advisor to Leadership Now). Early voting in the primary has begun and election day is March 19. Donate to his campaign here.
Stephen Richer (R - AZ - Maricopa County Recorder) - "’I think a lot of people just appreciate somebody who upholds conservative values and runs the office. That's what I am,’"18 Richer said. In 2020, Richer was elected Maricopa County recorder in a jurisdiction that is the second-largest in the United States, with nearly 2.5 million registered voters.19 Among other honors, he was recognized by the Phoenix New Times as “Best Republican Politician of the Year” for his work and refusal to endorse election denialism.20 He is also suing former gubernatorial candidate, current Senatorial candidate and MAGA star Kari Lake for defamation over false statements she has made about him and the 2022 election.21 Donate to his campaign here.
Adam Kinzinger launched a PAC to support pro-democracy candidates called Country First. Learn more and donate here.
If you read two pieces about the State of the Union and Biden, I’d recommend Joe Biden’s Last Campaign by Evan Osnos | New Yorker | 3.11.2024 and Joe Biden comes out fighting against Donald Trump | The Economist | 3.8.2024 (for a quick take on SOTU)
Nikki Haley exits Republican presidential race | CNN | 3.6.2026
The Roots of Modern Conservative Thought from Burke to Kirk | Edwin Feulner | The Heritage Foundation | 7.9.2008
Republicans More Conservative Than Democrats Are Liberal | The Chicago Council on Public Affairs | 9.2.2022. The survey also found that 58% of Democrats identify as liberal, while 42% identify as moderate or conservative.
The American Presidency Project | UC Santa Barbara; The 2008 platform also included references to “asserting family rights in schooling” and protecting against voter fraud, two issues that have risen to significant prominence among today’s Republican base. Additional key source: GOP platform through the years shows party’s shift from moderate to conservative | Washington Post | 08.28.2012. Marc Fisher’s extensive analysis of the evolution of Republican Party positions over time was hugely helpful to me in writing this post.
The real Rino: Trump vs conservatism | Financial Times | 9.1.2023. The two conservative pillars of the 50’s and 60’s Schama mentions are political theorist and social critic Russell Kirk and William F Buckley Jr, the National Review editor.
Liz Cheney's likely replacement, Elise Stefanik, isn't nearly as conservative, but she tells 'MAGA tales about the election with gusto,' expert says | Business Insider | 5.13.202; Just last month, Stefanik joined 60 lawmakers in asserting that Trump “did not engage in insurrection” . Dozens of House Republicans Declare Trump’s Jan. 6 Actions Were Not Insurrection | NY Times | 2.6.2024
Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump | 538 | 1.13.2021
More on what exactly Trump and MAGA Republicans actually stand FOR next week
C SPAN; On a Bright Night for His Campaign, Trump Again Conjures a Dark Vision | New York Times | 3.5.2024
Trump’s Conquest of the Republican Party Matters to Every American | New York Times | 3.6.2024
Nikki Haley Stares Into the Abyss | Rick Wilson’s Substack | 3.6.2026 Republicans who voted for Haley “saw her as a Republican rooted not in Trumpism but in a return to the old incantations, rituals, and beliefs of the party Trump killed. They saw Haley as a tough foreign policy leader who would pick America over Vladimir Putin. They saw her as a fiscal conservative.”
The real Rino: Trump vs Conservatism | Financial Times | 9.1.2023
Haley ran a near perfect race. She just couldn’t figure out Trump | Politico | 3.7.2024
County recorder Richer readies re-election run in GOP primary | Axios Phoenix | 12.18.2023
Meet the Faces of Democracy: Stephen Richer | Issue One | 9.20.2023
The Best of 2021 | Phoenix New Times | Richer “hasn't been afraid to call out the endless bullshit flowing out of the so-called Arizona election audit and its supporters”
Let the bloodbath begin as the hard right kicks off its drive to oust Stephen Richer | AZ Central | 2.26.2024; Richer sues Lake for defamation | AZ Mirror | 7.22.2023| “Lake has also claimed that 300,000 illegal early ballots were cast in Maricopa County on Election Day. The total number of early ballots received that day was 298,942, indicating that Lake claims every single early ballot turned in that day was illegally cast. In the suit, Richer accuses Lake and her campaign of defaming him to garner donations, pointing out that many of Lake’s claims on social media and emails about Richer’s supposed misdeeds included a link to the Save Arizona Fund site, and solicited donations.”