Here’s hoping everyone had a restful Memorial Day weekend and had the chance to reflect on the sacrifice of our fallen brothers and sisters who died serving our country.
In May, we saw the continuation of trends on the American political right. Trumpism is fully in control of the GOP. Those of us who come from other (former) factions of the Republican party are looking for a place to thrive and are slowly gaining momentum through publications and projects like #PrinciplesFirst, Stand Up Republic, The Dispatch, The Bulwark, and others. Here’s the latest:
Cheney shows fortitude in leadership. After a few months of rejecting the Big Lie while remaining in her staunchly conservative lane, Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) was ousted from party leadership. Her floor speech response to the reactionary vote from her caucus is one for the ages - a battle cry for what Principles First looks like, which is why we rallied behind her.
Evangelical crisis under review. A leaked letter from Russell Moore, the former President of the Southern Baptist Convention, details the circumstances of his ouster last year. Moore left over his attempt to lift the veil on coverups of sexual abuse allegations in member churches. He was pushed out by a board which was made uncomfortable by Moore’s efforts. This denominational infighting is especially meaningful in light of the work the The Experiment podcast did detailing political operative Ralph Reed’s work to co-opt evangelical Christianity for the GOP and how the move alienated many in the church.
Insurrection rug-sweeping. A bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6th insurrection on the Capitol failed following 35 Republican Senators blocking it on grounds such a commission will hurt their re-election chances in 2022. The most likely outcome now is a Democrat led committee to investigate which will surely be suspect by most folks outside of Democratic circles.
Voting legislation a-plenty. GOP statehouse efforts in Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Arizona, and elsewhere largely focused on curtailing voting windows, limiting convivence and safety measures like mail-in voting, and increasing ID requirements. Most folks agree securing our elections and increasing access are desirable outcomes, but the legislation serves Republican re-election bids more than bolstering the functions of government. These efforts will likely decrease participation in our elections, something we already struggle with.
Don’t miss these opinion pieces by Principles First members:
John Storella: The Crisis Of Legitimacy
Justin Louis Pitcock: Memorial Day Message
Justin Louis Pitcock: Voting Participation is the Real Problem with our Elections
Have something we should be reading? Send your recommendations for the Principles First Rollup to pfrollupeditor@gmail.com.
This month’s Principles First Rollup editors are John Storella (twitter: @jrstorella) and Justin Louis Pitcock (twitter: @jlouispitcock)
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