I finished reading ‘Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell’ a few days ago, and Tim Miller’s explanation for how we got to both the trump presidency and January 6th left me feeling rather depressed.

Over and over again in the book refers to the various figures in the republican party who participated in one shape or form with the Trump presidency. Outlining several archetypes from compartmentalist to strivers, and combinations of them all. It reflects back on Tim’s life as a closeted gay man, and his challenges as a republican operative, and not surprisingly this also aligns closely with many folks who went from never Trump to a staunch supporter.

What I saw when I read this book was a group of people who collectively realized what was happening didn’t align with their morals or values, but they still went along with it. Folks lost in a career rat race who couldn’t imaging doing anything else, or someone who thought they could be the sane person in the room; in most of these cases they knew the outcome was bad for the country but they did it anyways. It leaves me deflated, and without hope for our next election cycle.