WaPo: The Republican Party's base has an "ugly authoritarian core"

[Torie]

Badger and I have been around here since rocks cooled, and we started out as Republicans. Back then politics as compared to now seemed so benign, and was about fiscal policy and tax rates, and what kind of foreign policy was prudent, and where for most of us, demonizing the other side was not looked upon with favor. Reasonable people can reasonably disagree. Now it is so toxic, and some of the elected persons in our government with considerable power and influence seem to me to be demagogues, or crazy, or hateful, or all three.

When Trump took over my former party, I knew things had changed in a way that was probably irreversible. It proved possible, beyond the issues, for people to assume power who were obviously unfit for office. So I turned to local politics, and wrestling with issues and challenges in my community. While very happy in my personal life, despite some physical challenges, I feel depressed about the condition of our public square.

I would like to believe that the spell of Trumpism will lose its potency over time, but I think the odds of that are not very high. We can't go home again. Younger generations in particular have great challenges ahead of them. I wish them all the best of luck, and wisdom.

[Torie]

In contradistinction to Badger, I do admit my political views have changed some, from a bit right of center overall, to a bit left of center. But the transition of the GOP I think has been considerably more substantial than mine.

On a social level, I have always typically (not always of course) been most comfortable spending time with people that tend to be more liberal. In part, that is because I found them as a generalization to be less strident and more intellectual, and yes, more secular. Obviously these days among politicians, at least, both parties appear to have a greater degree of stridency than I recall back when. Maybe that merely reflects the syndrome of  an old geezer seeing the past on some things through rose colored glasses. That possibility  I admit is more than remote!