Yale University historian, Timothy Snyder has written an extensive essay about the Republican Party's embrace of Trump and authoritarianism. Unfortunately, his work is behind the New York Times paywall, but you can read some extended excerpts here.
Snyder’s analysis of how the Republican party has been a coalition between politicians and their supporters who, respectively, want to game and break the system is clear-eyed and chilling. As is his conclusion that both the gamers and the breakers want to get rid of Trump now, since lacking both any sincere ideological commitment or genuine organizational skills he has turned out to be an inadequate weapon for the dreams of both those who wish to maintain our pseudo-democracy (McConnell et. al.), and those who want to destroy even the pretense of it (Cruz and Hawley).
Our history is never behind us. It surrounds us and manifest itself in the present. Democracy is under assault every day by people who want to subvert it to their own purposes. The Republican Party has become the vessel for authoritarians. This is what allowed Trump to subvert our republic and actually launch a coup when his subversion was thwarted by the will of the people in a free and fair election. The next Republican authoritarian is not likely to be as ignorant and lazy as Trump.
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