Why Marjorie Taylor Greene Gives Me Hope
People don’t change—but they can remember who they are.
The central political question of our time is:
Will Republican voters recommit to liberalism? Or will they continue the pursuit of their authoritarian project?
I can give you all of the usual caveats, if you like:
Not all, or perhaps even most, Republican voters affirmatively prefer authoritarianism.
The authoritarian preference is not unique to the Republican party.
There has always been a strain of authoritarian preference in American society—as there seems to be in all societies, at all times.
But the unavoidable reality is that over the last decade, enough Republican voters have developed a preference for authoritarianism that the party installed a strongman who:
Attempted a coup.
Established a kleptocracy of unprecedented scale.
Created a masked federal secret police force.
Uses the power of government to reward private businesses that render him tribute (and punish those that don’t) and to consolidate private media companies and tech platforms under the control of his his allies.
Does not recognize any check on executive power aside from rulings from the Supreme Court. (And even that check seems to be conditional.)
Is in the process of purging the senior ranks of the military in order to install loyalists.
Is attempting a takeover of the central bank.
You can say that this authoritarian project is experiencing pushback, or that it is doomed to fail, or that it is more clownish than menacing. But you cannot reasonably deny that it exists.
And here is the brutal, depressing truth: The only thing that can stop this authoritarian project is Republican voters choosing to abandon it.
The Democratic party cannot save liberalism, in perpetuity, by itself. The Democratic party is not a messianic construct. It is subject to all of the weaknesses, failings, and corruptions of a normal, healthy political party. It will win elections; it will lose elections. It will make good choices; it will make mistakes.
All of which is why I am genuinely heartened by Marjorie Taylor Greene. She is the best hope for liberalism in America.
[record scratch]
Wait wut?
Yeah, you heard me. Let me explain.