Over at New York Magazine, Jonathan Chait responds to this piece by Dan McLaughlin at The National Review.
Chait does not see much difference between the Liz Cheney wing of the GOP and the Donald Trump wing of the GOP.
A taste:
If and when Republicans mount their next effort to subvert an election, it will be in their interest to succeed, though it will not be in the country’s interest. But note that while Cheney’s argument is framed around the country’s interest, McLaughlin’s response is framed around the party’s interest. The reason he doesn’t even bother addressing Cheney’s concern about the ongoing danger of a Republican Party that refuses to accept defeat is that he does not see it as a danger to the party.
There is a long-standing belief on the right that Democratic Party victories are inherently fraudulent. They rely on massive levels of undetected fraud in Democratic-run cities teeming with lawlessness, and mobilize majorities who use their power to illegitimately redistribute wealth from its rightful owners to themselves.
The highbrow version of this belief has long been articulated in conservative organs such as National Review.
Trump expressed a crude, lowbrow version, and employed crude, lowbrow tactics. Highbrow right-wing authoritarians look at their lowbrow cousins with contempt and embarrassment. The lowbrow authoritarians look at the highbrows as snobs and wimps. Ultimately, however, their shared beliefs outweigh their differences.
So when the next right-wing coup attempt takes place, backed by the overwhelming majority of Republican voters who believe Trump legitimately won in 2020, what will the mainstream Republicans do? The answer should already be clear. The next insurrection will be a Brooks Brothers riot.
Read Chait’s entire piece here.
