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here is a thread with remarkable comments from respected former Missouri Republican Senator John Danforth about what's happened to his party: "It's losing its grip on the country as a whole. It's becoming increasingly a regional party... we're in decline." https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/gop-a-grotesque-caricature-of-what-it-was-before-says-former-sen-john-danforth
more Danforth "the Republican Party today is not just different from what it had been. It's the opposite of what it had been. America needs a strong, responsible conservative party. That has been the Republican Party. It is neither strong, nor responsible, nor conservative today"
"former President Trump lost in 2016 by 3 million votes...he lost in 2020 by 7 million votes. We're going in the wrong direction. But the worst thing is we have become a kind of grotesque caricature of what the Republican Party has traditionally been."
"We were founded as the party of the Union, of holding the country together. And now we have got on this populist tack, which is very much us against them."
"There are conspiracies out there involving liberals and corporations and big tech. 'They're picking on you, the American people. You should resent this. You should feel your grievances. We feel them for you.' And we're going to continue to create wedges to drive Americans apart"
Danforth on his fellow Missouri Senator "what Hawley did was..he repeatedly said the election was in doubt, January 6 was going to be the decisive day..then he appeared in front of the Capitol building in that famous photograph encouraging what was going on."
on the pressure on Republicans in office, what they're "hearing from their constituents, what they're hearing from the Trump types & from Trump is, if they don't toe the line, they're going to lose their jobs. And most people, understandably, are motivated by self-preservation."
Republicans "don't want to lose their jobs. So, all the pressure now has come from what I would call the populist wing of the party, the Trump wing of the party. And the rest of us have been just pushed & pushed & pushed. And it's really time now for us to start pushing back."
"the real question is, what is the position of the Republican Party with regard to Pres Trump & how he behaved in office and what he did to our country? I think anything other than a strong vote of conviction by Republicans is going to be viewed, rightly so, as condoning Trump."
as for Republican Senators saying the impeachment trial is unconstitutional: Danforth says "they're looking for some reason to duck the vote. I think they're looking for a reason not to condemn Trump for what Trump did...but I don't think we can afford to do that anymore."
former Republican Senator John Danforth: "I mean, is this guy going to be in control of the Republican Party, or is he not? Is he going to define the Republican Party going forward, or is he not?"
"it now is time for a clear expression on the part of Republicans that this whole populist strategy we have been following is just plain wrong...."
"...we're going to return to the Republican Party that is a responsible party, that is a conservative party, and that is a party that is capable of being a national party again, which it is not now." former Republican Sen John Danforth of Missouri @NewsHour tonight
