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GOP Patriotism ca. 2019: "We love the Constitution so much that we have no choice but to kill it."
But seriously, this is a horrifying poll. And it is 100% no coincidence that Jerry Falwell Jr from [cough] *Liberty* University tweeted out this idea of an extra 2 years in office.
But seriously, this is a horrifying poll. And it is 100% no coincidence that Jerry Falwell Jr from [cough] *Liberty* University tweeted out this idea of an extra 2 years in office.
The other big takeaway from this poll is that 77% of Republicans think there is a "deep state" trying to undermine Trump's presidency. That is a terrifying number.
It's worth noting that this seemingly fringe idea of "the deep state" has become standard issue GOP talking point. Constitutional "scholar" Mike Lee even put the term in the title of his new book.
Back in December 2017 I started noticing the phrase "deep state" turning up more and more on conservative Twitter, so I tried to figure out when it started.
This "deep state" messaging is not complicated folks. It's ripped straight out of the authoritarian handbook. The fact that "law and order" Republicans have been going along with this playbook since 2017 is just example #389 of why it now functions as a radically illiberal party.
One last finding from that poll worth surfacing. Half of Republicans agreed that the nation needs "a strong leader willing to break the rules." If this is not a textbook definition of an authoritarian-friendly political culture, then I don't know what is. 
