For a long time, GOP elites imagined “they cld exploit racism & conspiracy theorizing while remaining focused on a plutocratic agenda. But w/ the rise...of the Tea Party, then of...Trump, the cynics found that the crazies were actually in control...” 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/opinion/republicans-democracy.html

2/ “You might have hoped that a significant # of sane Republican politicians would finally say that enough is enough, & break w/ their extremist allies. But Trump’s party didn’t balk at his corruption & abuse of power; it stood by him when he refused to accept electoral defeat..”

3/ “... and some of its members are responding to a violent attack on Congress by complaining about their loss of Twitter followers.”

“And there’s no reason to believe that the atrocities yet to come — for there will be more atrocities — will make a difference. The G.O.P. has reached the culmination of its long journey away from democracy, and it’s hard to see how it can ever be redeemed.” 4/

5/ Opinion piece by @paulkrugman