The writer was opposition research counsel for George H W Bush’s 1988 campaign
So much for the Republicans as the party of Abraham Lincoln. The party he made synonymous with his name has morphed into a modern iteration of the Confederate States of America, the rival nation created by the South when it seceded after his election.
Faced with a raging pandemic, President Donald Trump has reiterated that governors should bear the burden of battling coronavirus. The White House is the backdrop for a reality show, with the national government playing backstop to the states. At the same time, the Confederate flag has emerged as a symbol of pro-Trump, “liberate the state” sentiment. Alexander Stephens, vice-president of the Confederacy, must be smiling in his grave.