NYT has a great article out today explaining why Trump still holds power in the GOP. For those who aren't subscribers, I'll extract and interpret some of the major points in a thread

SOURCE https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/briefing/winter-storm-president-biden-meghan-markle-pregnant.html

2/ It's a two-part answer

1. In the short term ~ 70% of Republicans support Trump. They're also less likely to vote for a GOP senator who voted to convict. Taking action against Trump might still be a risk to a GOP politician's career.

3/ and...

2. Modern GOP doesn't need to worry about policies because of a disproportionate level of power in their home states and the U.S. Senate.

States with small or large populations each send only two senators to the capitol. WY has ~ 575,000 ppl, CA has ~ 40 million ppl

4/ Other reasons GOP is less concerned about public opinion is their use of gerrymandering gives them an unfair advantage when electing politicians. Voter suppression laws & tactics have been successful in stopping DEM voters. Electoral College also gives GOP an unfair advantage

5/ With these advantages, GOP doesn't need to worry as much about policy & public opinion given their many levers of power

This doesn't mean we don't fight for a more just America. It simply means we need to be strategic in our efforts. I will NEVER stop fighting for democracy