Or the Moral Majority.

Or let’s go back to the Goldwater days, that other fringe. Or George Wallace. This can be traced back to the official de-segregation of schools, and well before that. Back to the Civil War. And before that.

There is a minority of Americans that believe this continent was given to them by God. But they are a big enough minority that they are courted for their votes.

And they do vote. Give them an emotional push issue and they will walk through a blizzard to vote. Uphill. Both ways.

Perhaps the result would inevitably be as you suggest, but my point really was that Romney is nothing like Trump. He voted to impeach the orange criminal pos twice (btw, calling Trump a piece of shit is an insult to shit). Romney has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics in the GOP, and would have at the very least staved off the crazies for a few more election cycles. He might have even been able to drag some part of his party out of Climate Change denial. Trump brought the full weight of the insane faction of the GOP to control and has damaged our nation and its image possibly beyond repair.

While I disagree with him on a wide range of policy, Romney would have at least slowed the authoritarian progression occuring in the GOP, because he has proven by his actions that he puts the constitution over his party.

Mitt “Corporations are people too” Romney would have done nothing to stop it…

Seriously, Buck- THINK about it…

ANYTHING that gives the GOP power will accelerate the March to fascism. Any GOP president MUST get the insane wing of the base to vote for him in order to win…. that means they will pander to the lunatic fringe- they HAVE to in order to win. That will lend the lunatic fringe more credibility, more power and hasten the day of Authoritarianism.

The GOP must be destroyed and remade into a new party that rejects the lunatic fringe… that will mean a long losing spell as the lunatic fringe dies off- it never will, of course, because right wing media will create a new generation.

You don’t fight a party of bigoted Nazis by electing one of the good and less-bigoted Nazis.

If Romney had won in 2012, then sure – Trump would likely not have won in 2016, instead the authoritarians would have solidified their positions of power withing the government… so when Trump, or -more likely and more dangerous- a smarter wannabe dictator came along, they would have corrupted more of the guardrails that protect our democracy.

There are clear lines here- the GOP is the party of white supremacists and neo-nazis… that is simply a fact. Sure you can point to some ‘good ones’, but if the ‘good one’ gains power the white supremacists and neo-nazis get to come along on the ride.

When there are 2 parties, and one has violent white supremacists in it, decent, and thinking human beings must stand in opposition to it- decent people do not support one of the ‘good ones’ simply so they can pat themselves on the back and smugly feel enlightened because they can see the merits of ‘both sides’…

I think Putin is not only thrilled by the divide over whether we continue, and at what levels, to fund Ukraine. I think he is fomenting it as

well. Putin and his team that does the kind of interventions, covert and overt, aiming to undermine democracy and to suborn political leaders, is a big part of how he sees his role. So, when I see people parroting Russian talking points that first showed up on Russia Today or first showed up in a speech from a Russian official, that’s a big point scored for Putin.

When I see Americans in positions of responsibility talking about how we shouldn’t support the people of Ukraine, they’re corrupt, yes, they are working very hard to be transparent and accountable. And talk about corruption. There is the master of corruption living in the Kremlin.

So there’s an ideological and, sadly, partisan political divide. And I know that the majority of Congress is still in favor of supporting Ukraine. So we have got to get through this period. We have to pass legislation and continue to support.

And, Geoff, this fight is our fight. Honestly, I don’t understand any American siding with Putin, but we have seen it, and we have heard it, and we have to fight against it.