Donald Trump has been MIA for a couple of weeks, and a few sane Republicans are finally growing backbones. After constantly playing defense against the MAGA crowd, have they finally learned that appeasement gets you nowhere in a cult that demands absolute fealty, and that the best defense is a good offense?
Let’s start with the ultimate baller: Liz Cheney. During a Republican conference meeting that was partially about her blistering criticism of Donald Trump, she flatly told her colleagues, “I won’t apologize for the [impeachment] vote.” And when some of her fellow Republicans threatened to oust her from her leadership role over it, Cheney confidently called their bluff, saying she wanted a vote. She easily survived the closed-door vote (thanks, in part, to a secret ballot), 145-61.
Next, consider Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who is about to be censured again by the Nebraska Republican Party State Central Committee for showing insufficient loyalty to Trump. “You are welcome to censure me again,” Sasse taunted in a video this week, before adding: “But let’s be clear about why this is happening: It’s because I still believe—as you used to—that politics isn’t about the weird worship of one dude.” Sasse also pointed out that if a Democratic president had “riled a mob that attacked the Capitol,” “we both know how you’d respond.” While I haven’t always admired Sasse’s handling of the Trump presidency, Sasse’s video was, as Republican strategist Mike Madrid told Politico, a “cold glass of water in people’s face, saying ‘the fever’s breaking.’”
My third example, Dominion Voting Systems, is obviously not a Republican politician, but the firm’s actions are consistent with the trend, and its results are even more demonstrable. After My Pillow guy Mike Lindell made allegations on air that Dominion voting machines were used to steal the election from Trump, a Newsmax TV anchor was forced to read from a prepared statement before walking off the set: “The election results in every state were certified. And Newsmax accepts the results as legal and final. The courts have also supported that view.”
Of course, Newsmax has reason for concern. Fox News is currently being sued for billions, and shortly after the voting machine company Smartmatic singled him out in a lawsuit, Lou Dobbs was fired from Fox Business. But the Newsmax segment was especially captivating because the tension between advancing the MAGA message and avoiding a defamation suit played out on camera in real time. After years of watching Trump derive sadistic pleasure from forcing Republicans to ritualistically humiliate themselves with what amounted to signing false confessions, this turnaround feels especially delicious. If you haven’t seen the video, it’s hilarious.
After years of Trump and his minions mocking the weakness of “establishment elites,” could it be they are finally turning the tables on the Trump crowd? These examples all have one thing in common: Instead of coddling MAGA, these individuals (and one company) played hardball.
In the case of Cheney, she made Matt Gaetz—the guy who traveled to Wyoming to campaign against her, and predicted Republicans had the votes to remove her from her leadership position—look like a tool. “The men who’d threatened her almost from the moment she backed impeachment were left looking like what they are—weak, emotional, spiteful and in the end incompetent,” writes Peggy Noonan.
And—here’s the important part—they all survived these examples of defiance. This is to say, they weren’t Jeff Flaked or Bob Corkered or even Justin Amashed. Indeed, the MAGA forces came out with egg on their faces (and, in the case of Dominion, potentially less cash in their pockets).
Why does any of this matter? Because people are starting to learn that it’s possible to push back against the MAGA clowns without paying a price. They did it, and nothing bad happened to them; no effective crackdown materialized. This gives them (and others) more hope, confidence, and latitude to fight back. It’s like the first time Rocky made the Russian, Ivan Drago, bleed in Rocky IV. Success begets more success. Their actions provide momentum. They have created a permission structure that invites and enables others to defy Trumpism without fear of fatal ramifications.
From a psychological standpoint, the creation of this permission structure is an important step. Think of “normal” Republicans as coming out of an abusive relationship. This is not to absolve them of their sins. They are simultaneously victims and complicit (think Patty Hearst) in their captor’s sins. When finally given the chance to escape their attacker, they defend him. Are they in on it? Brainwashed? Suffering from PTSD? Or are they still terrified of their abuser (even after they are liberated from him)? Within the GOP caucus, there are probably members who represent this entire spectrum. For the people who were operating out of fear, they now have evidence that escape is possible. And the sooner they realize it, the sooner they can muster the courage to make a break for it. What they need are leaders.
There’s another reason why these examples of courage are important: Radicals and populists, almost by definition, come across as strong and romantic. People defending liberal democracy unfortunately have a harder time doing the same, but it’s vital because voters are attracted to strength. So it’s crucial that people defending a conservative or centrist position not be temperamentally weak. As Bill Clinton once said, “When people are insecure, they’d rather have somebody who is strong and wrong than someone who’s weak and right.”
Now, I’m not naive. These three instances of pseudo rebellion are not going to open the anti-MAGA floodgates, so to speak. The GOP is still a mess, and multiple caveats are in order. Liz Cheney’s vote for impeachment was heroic, and she showed some real mettle by standing up to Republicans. But then she balked at voting to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees. Likewise, Ben Sasse showed real spine by standing up to his state’s central committee. But he doesn’t have to face the voters again for six years, and he is partly to blame for enabling Trump’s behavior as president for a variety of reasons, including voting against Trump’s first impeachment. (The same could be said for Cheney and Illinois Rep. Adam Kinsinger, who has also shown considerable courage of late.)
Likewise, Dominion is a private company with a vested interest in preserving its brand. They don’t have to worry about winning any Republican primaries, and (unlike most of what happens in our political system) they can rely on the courts—one of our remaining functioning institutions—to enforce the law. And Newsmax anchor Bob Sellers, made a point of declaring Lindell “a friend of this network” the day after walking out in the middle of their live interview.
But this recent outspoken trend is encouraging.
And even if real conservatism is vanquished by Trumpism and the takeover of the Republican Party is final and complete, there’s something to be said for going out with our heads held high.
During the darkest hour, Winston Churchill told his War Cabinet: “Nations that went down fighting rose again, but those who surrendered tamely were finished.” I’ve always thought the same was true for politicians, parties, and movements.
