No Moore pretense: Republicans offer a sham defense of Roy Moore. Why Trump stands by Roy Moore, even as it fractures his party. Olivia Nuzzi goes inside the Breitbart Embassy, where Steve Bannon entertains elites and plots his populist takeover. Karl Rove has seen the enemy and he is Steve Bannon. Is Tom Cotton the future of Trumpism? The junior senator from Arkansas is a hybrid of insurgent and old guard. Wackadoodles, establishment hacks, and the big, ugly, local battle for the heart of the GOP: The “whiteopia” of North Idaho has become one of the most desirable places in the West for conservatives to relocate — so why is the local Republican party tearing itself apart and who’s responsible?
Conservatives reap the whirlwind of their war on the media. Republicans’ beliefs are bending to Trump — here’s why they might not even notice. Republican governors’ 2018 dilemma: What to do about Trump? Julian Zelizer on why we can’t stop watching Donald Trump. For some conservatives, one identity trumps all others. Republicans can blow raspberries at honest wonks all they want, but this is the result: For anything complex, they’re incapable of passing legislation that’s worthwhile even from their own point of view. “I want this for George”: Iraq, a family dynasty and George H.W. Bush’s secret pain over his son’s complicated legacy. Beware the Bush family image-rehab machine.
D.R. Tucker on the melting of Republican snowflakes. We’re with stupid: The problem is not the Russians, it’s us — a huge percentage of the population can’t tell fact from fiction. Ben Shapiro, a provocative “gladiator”, battles to win young conservatives. Alex Nichols on the lame nonprofit that’s trying to make young conservatives cool: Turning Point USA’s overtures to the youth are embarrassing. “Oh. My. Fucking. God.”
Women exit the party of Trump: After laboring for years to close the gender gap, GOP strategists are suddenly facing a gender chasm. Democrats are always in disarray, but Republicans are doomed. Martin Longman on how the Republican Party will die.
