Six steps to socialism
👉 Watch a video version of this column. Republicans didn't decide to become President Trump's party. They surrendered to him, one stage at a time, over a decade, in plain sight. Democrats swear that socialism's growing grip on their party is different, and can be contained. The early signals suggest otherwise. Why it matters: Party transformations follow a predictable six-stage evolution — recoil, squint, rationalize, submit, amplify, and purge. Each stage has language you can hear long before you see it in the votes. Republicans just finished the full cycle. Democrats might be starting it. Watch how the language shifts, stage by stage, for signs of whether recent socialist wins are an anomaly, or the start of something bigger and broader. Stage 1: Recoil. Denounce, by name. Lindsey Graham called Trump a "kook" who was unfit for office. Ted Cruz called him a "pathological liar." That was 2016. Both later defended him against the exact words they coined. Stage 2: Squint. Support w
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