But no one could seriously argue that they are any longer the animating purpose of the Republican Party. Instead, the one thing that unites the right and drives the GOP is hatred of liberals. The Republican Party has proved that its hatred of liberals is so foundational that it will abandon any pretense of commitment to democracy, if democracy allows for the possibility that liberals might win an election. All elected officials worry about contradicting their base, but in today’s Republican Party, that worry is almost completely divorced from policy. That’s what the Republican Party and the conservative movement are about today, and it might take a long time for them to change.

Source: Washington Post December 11, 2020 17:50 UTC