Such an indication of physical courage is uncommon — most of us never know how we behave in such situations. But when physical courage is rare, moral courage, that is, the willingness to confront what one believes to be right, even in the face of social pressure, is even less. And moral courage is very prominently lacking in Trump’s companions and Republicans.
Is this partisan? It’s not really clear how the other members will react if the Democratic president attempts a similar coup, partly because such attempts are more or less unthinkable. Because, as political scientists have long pointed out, the two parties are very different not only in policy but also in institutional structure.
Democrats may be more unified than ever, but remain a loose coalition of stakeholder groups. Some of these stakeholder groups are commendable and some are less, but in any case, the slack gives Democrats room to criticize their leaders, and they make their choice. If you do, you are on the principle.
Republicans are much more monolithic organizations, and political parties compete for who adheres to the party’s policies most faithfully. That line was previously defined by economic ideology, but more recently it is about its position in cultural wars and its personal loyalty to Trump. Republicans need great moral courage to defy the party’s Diktat, and those who do so are excommunicated immediately.
There are exceptions that prove the rules: Neocon, the amazing democratic position of those who gave us the Iraq War. It’s a terrible sin and will never be forgotten. But in Trump’s day, most of the Republicans knelt on a man who fully understood its terribleness, so almost every prominent neoconservative, from William Kristol and Max Boot to, yes, Liz Cheney. Firmly supported the rule of law. ..
Where did this come from? It is insensitive to the courage of these people to note that neocons have always been separate groups, never completely assimilated into Republican monoliths, and their careers were partially dependent on outside party reputation. I don’t think it is. This definitely frees them more than Republicans of cultivars to act according to their conscience.