“I’m still a Republican and agreed with certain of Trump’s policies, but think he is a morally bankrupt man and unfit to be President” isn’t a view that you can hold.

The GOP is saying you aren’t a Republican. You can’t be. It doesn’t want us if we don’t bow.

We should leave.
If this is your view, it is wish-casting of the worst kind to insist that we still have a place in our old Party. We don’t. And the longer we stick around pretending that we do, the more we empower Trumpism.

We have argued for change. We have tried. They aren’t listening.
So, I’m a conservative. I believe in the Constitution and the rule of law. I believe life begins at conception. I believe in a limited, effective government and the right to bear arms responsibly. I believe in moral leadership.

That’s why I can no longer say I’m a Republican.
The best counterargument to this path is the institutional Yuval Levin argument: “Better to invest in and improve institutions rather than abandon them.”

But we’ve tried. Tirelessly. For more than five years and the institution is still tearing at the fabric of our republic.
It’s time to break the bonds of old allegiances, as thousands have already done since Jan 6, so the GOP understands the consequences of its actions.

We are in an era of rapid change & the world is moving fast. We should think boldly & chart new frontiers with our politics, too.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Heath Mayo

Heath Mayo Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @HeathMayo

27 Feb
DeSantis strikes me as someone I could’ve supported if he hadn’t jumped headfirst into the crazy pool to win votes. His CPAC speech was more serious & substantive than the others. But he still ignores the big, inconvenient truths that need to be spoken. He’s still a follower.
If you’re on the CPAC stage this week and you don’t have at least one line that the crowd boos or jeers you for, you aren’t being a leader. You’re just hankering for applause and you’ll say anything to get it.
Good grief. This is a real thing that actually happened. This is what I’m talking about. If you jump in the pool like this, there’s no getting out.
Read 4 tweets
25 Feb
You’ll hear a lot from the CPAC stage the next few days, but it won’t remotely resemble conservatism.

Conservatism, properly practiced, doesn’t propagate conspiracy theories about stolen elections; it doesn’t make exceptions to the Constitution; it doesn’t bow to one man.
CPAC should just be honest about what it is now and stop feigning any allegiance to ideas or principles. It exists as an outlet for politicians and grift merchants to peddle their Trumpist wares.

Schlapp charges anywhere from $330 to $2500 per head & takes a big cut for himself.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to pretend everything’s fine; that Jan 6 wasn’t a product of lies; that the GOP cares about serious debate. We can lead instead.

Let’s go in a new, better direction. #PrinciplesFirst 🇺🇸 eventbrite.com/e/principles-f…
Read 4 tweets
30 Jan
If even just 5% of the GOP bolts, it will never win the presidency or the Senate. That would debilitate the party. The rump would only radicalize faster as the MTG slice of the GOP grew its share & marginalized the party.

More will bolt if they have something to bolt towards.
The question for the principled lane is: can we raise enough money and get enough good people to run under an entirely new party banner by 2022 in a way that actually convinces enough voters to break party ranks?

Or are we better off trying to co-opt the GOP with our own banner?
If Trump forms the Patriot Party, he makes things really easy for us—because we’re the only other faction of the center-right with a strong view as to where it should go. Everyone else is just following/positioning.
Read 4 tweets
19 Dec 20
The problem with the “Vote Loeffler for divided government” argument isn’t the divided government part. It’s the Loeffler part.

The fact that seemingly conservative ends increasingly require playing footsie with a QAnon-curious candidate is a damning indictment of the GOP.
I mean, come on. It’s pretty obvious the GOP is entirely bereft of leaders when it can’t even muster a Republican Senate nominee with enough spine & common sense to just color somewhat inside the lines and win *Georgia* by 8 points. These shouldn’t be close seats.
This is actually a potential starting point of post-Trump agreement between principled conservatives and Trump’s former supporters: the GOP in its current form needs to be completely replaced.
Read 4 tweets
3 Nov 20
Remember Charlottesville.
Remember Access Hollywood.
Remember Ukraine.
Remember the planned 9/11 Taliban meeting.
Remember his praise for Kim Jong Un & Putin.
Remember how he applauded Xi’s camps.
Remember how he denigrated a Hispanic Article III judge.
Remember his incompetence.
Remember how he disrespected our troops.
Remember how he suggested those who died from COVID weren’t strong.
Remember how he told us we’d only have 15 cases and it’s disappear.
Remember how he said he’d reform healthcare but never did.
Remember how he lied over and over again.
Remember how he disrespected women.
Remember how he started a trade war that didn’t work.
Remember how he said he’d build a wall and that Mexico would pay for it, but ultimately never built it and still asked you to pay.
Read 4 tweets
20 Sep 20
I can’t associate with these Rs. Under Trump, they’ve abandoned most of what I agreed with as a conservative when it came to policy & worse have so embraced his odiousness in how they engage, there are few left I even respect. They want a shrinking circle & can have it. I’m out.
At first, I was set on writing in a name, b/c I am a conservative. I believe in a strong 2A, I’m pro-life, I support robust federalism & a limited fed. gov’t, and I’m worried about runaway spending that both parties have exacerbated. But this election isn’t about those things.
It’s about character and decency and respect for our institutions. It’s about getting back to a certain normalcy instead of constant chaos at the hands of a reality-TV president. It’s about honor and respecting the troops and respecting the dignity of all people.
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!