Corporate America has been stepping up by de-platforming people who attempt to overthrow the election and by cutting off funds to those who pushed specious objections to the electoral college results even after the failed putsch. Now a Republican group, the Republican Accountability Project, is doing its part. The group, which has $50 million to defend Republicans who support impeachment, is being led by Sarah Longwell, a top Never Trumper who was the force behind Republican Voters Against Trump, as well as Olivia Troye, a former aide to Vice President Pence, and Elizabeth Neumann, former deputy chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, the group plans on helping primary challengers to knock out the seditionists.
Longwell told the New York Times: "Donald Trump has made it clear he is going to try and politically punish anyone who stands against him. His ability to to do that is diminishing by the minute, but we want to provide a counterweight to say there is real money to back people who do the right thing.”
In short, Republicans who value democracy must reestablish the appropriate boundaries for their party. This has nothing to do with ideology; rather, it is an absolute prohibition on those who do not respect the sanctity of elections, who refuse to hold President Trump and others accountable for inciting the attack on the Capitol, who fail to recognize the legitimacy of the 2020 elections and who do not operate in the real, fact-based world. The latter is critical, as we have learned that lies have become cudgels for authoritarian forces to bamboozle angry mobs.
Consider it a fundamental character test: Do you believe in democracy? If not, you should not be in the Republican Party. Alternatively, if Republicans who do believe in democracy are unable to excise authoritarians from the party, they should leave the rotting carcass of a once great party and start something new.
The stigma of sedition is already hurting its proponents. There are calls for Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who objected to the electoral college results, to give up his post as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for fear he will not raise money. Never Trumper Steve Schmidt challenged the claim from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that corporate America is still with him: “Imagine being the minority leader of the House, who claims credit for unexpectedly picking up so many seats, suddenly having to declare that Corporate America is still with you. That’s you and what a sign of weakness and wishful thinking,” Schmidt tweeted. “Get 5 companies somewhere in America to express confidence in your leadership. Just 5. No one is writing checks to you anymore. You are a risk.” Schmidt then vowed to run “sustained campaigns against the companies” that fund him. Corporate America will not want to be seen supporting a party that is lead by someone who sought to overthrow the results and disenfranchise millions of Black voters.
Individual Republicans can also make a difference. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a ringleader in the Big Lie and the efforts to overturn the election results, saw his communications director Lauren Blair Bianchi resign, following a public scolding from his former communications director and CNN commentator Amanda Carpenter. Longtime backer and head of his 2016 campaign Chad Sweet dumped him, too, writing on social media: “Donald Trump and those who aided and abetted him in his relentless assault on our Democracy — including Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz — must be denounced.” He added, "In particular, I made it clear to Senator Cruz, whom I have known for years, before the Joint Session of Congress, that if he proceeded to object to the Electoral count of the legitimate slates of delegates certified by the States, I could no longer support him.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, similarly threw Josh Hawley (Mo.), another Senate Republican ringleader, under the bus. The Kansas City Star, whose editorial page called on Hawley to resign, reports that the governor “offered no defense of Sen. Josh Hawley when asked Monday whether the senator should resign after he tried to block certification of presidential election results in two states following a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.” Parson told reporters, “You know, everybody has to be responsible for the decisions they make, good or bad, indifferent. That’s what I’ll say.” Ouch. Coupled with the decision by Hallmark, a Missouri-based company, to cut off donations to those who objected to the election results, Hawley’s future looks a whole lot bleaker than it did before he gave the mob a fist pump on Jan. 6. What corporate or individual donor wants to be associated with the guy who gave a fist pump to a fascist mob seeking the violent overthrow of democracy?
More efforts are needed to banish seditionists from the GOP. Donors should spend money to defend Republicans who uphold their oaths and fund primary candidates or third-party conservatives to run against seditionist Republicans. Democrats should recruit the best candidates to run against incumbents in winnable seats.
This is a democracy, if we can keep it. We are about to find out who wants to keep it.
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