This section would fit better in the Big Belly Laugh thread that’s going right now.
“In the years since Donald Trump's seizure of the Republican Party, some of those "respectable" conservatives have chosen to break away from their party. One can certainly question their past records and current motivations, but in many cases this has demanded great personal and political courage. And there's no denying that those who want to save democracy need as many allies as they can get, irrespective of ideological differences.
Only a few of those conservatives have been willing to reckon honestly with their role in creating and empowering the present-day fascist movement. The temptation to whitewash recent history and present themselves in a noble light can be too much to resist.
As Bill Kristol[/b] wrote last September, it is time to face the facts: "Real, existing conservatism as it exists in America in 2020 is an accomplice to, an apologist for, and an enabler of Trump's nativist, populist, unconservative, and illiberal authoritarianism." But Kristol is still eager to embrace the conservatism of the 1980s, and to deny its clear connection to what we face now.”