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Hunting Heretics in 2023

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John White: “The late political analyst Mark Shields was fond of classifying partisans into two types: those who seek converts and those who carry on crusades to root out heretics. Former President Trump is the ultimate heretic hunter. After Trump claimed the 2020 election was stolen, membership in the Republican Party required an oath of fealty to Trump’s ‘Big Lie,’ and anyone who believed otherwise was automatically labeled a RINO.”

“Among the excommunicated were former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), nearly all those who voted to impeach Trump and anyone who testified before the Jan. 6 committee. Today, 65 percent of Republicans say their leaders should accept the premise that the 2020 election was stolen, and any prospective presidential nominee who believes otherwise stands little chance with 2024 primary voters.”

“Several Republicans are emulating Trump’s strategy of hunting heretics.”

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About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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