Thread by @SethCotlar

A regular reminder that at any time, any time at all, GOP elites in elected office & prominent "conservatives" in the media can disaffiliate from the GOP and urge others to never vote for a Republican again until the party retracts its endorsement of domestic terrorism.

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1489670105768370177

Parties will sometimes endorse things individuals disagree with. That's normal. But also, sometimes parties can step over a clear line that is simply unacceptable. And in that situation, if one does not act, one becomes complicit with that line crossing behavior.

Republicans have agency. It's not just up to the ~70% of Americans who are not Republicans to deal with the problem of the radicalized GOP.

The only thing that will push the party in a less radicalized direction is for it to lose some elections in the short run. Hard to see how anyone willing to trade a GOP victory in 2022 for the greater likelihood of political violence 2024 is able to look in the mirror.

Good for Mike Pence for saying this. It'll be interesting to see how this gets squared with the GOP's endorsement of Jan 6 violence.

https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1489700837475733512?s=20&t=JkqG8bNgKNyMu63Z6NXUGQ

Words matter. But also, talk is cheap if that's all one does.

https://twitter.com/MittRomney/status/1489611374930141184?s=20&t=JkqG8bNgKNyMu63Z6NXUGQ

Imagine how powerful it would be for the last GOP POTUS nominee not named Trump to temporarily disaffiliate from a party in order to "shame" it into reforming itself. Romney is not just a spectator or commentator here, he has agency.

Lisa Murkowski has agency. Susan Collins has agency. George W Bush has agency. Chris Christie has agency. Lindsey Graham has agency. Every day they choose not to use it. They don't have to become Democrats, they just have to stop empowering a party they know is dangerous.

Fun fact from GOP history: In 1973 George HW Bush, at Nixon’s request, put significant pressure on Maryland US Attorney George Beall to shut down the investigation into Spiro Agnew that resulted in Agnew’s resignation. Beall knew right from wrong, so he told Bush to take a hike.

Beall, Richardson, and several other heroes of the Watergate era were lifelong Republicans. It's not like American public servants have never crossed their party to do the right thing.