“This is the party of Donald Trump." – Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
I can recall when both major political parties actually stood for something and could/would walk the walk.
The Republican Party prioritized limited government, responsible fiscal policy, strict adherence to the Constitution and skepticism toward centralized governmental power. Out of the two parties, it was also the one generally better at business.
Last week, the defeat of Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, who served for eight years, by Ed Gallrein, illustrates just how far the party has drifted from its noble, laudable principles here in 2026.
Massie committed heresy by going against President Donald Trump on a few issues, and of course, in the modern-day MAGA-ran GOP, even criticizing how much ketchup Trump eats on his Quarter Pounders is enough to become the subject of an unhinged late-night Truth Social post.
Today’s GOP is not so much a party of ideological consistency as much as it is about unwavering, unquestioning loyalty to Donald John Trump. Massie, although I was never a constituent of his, is the kind of politician I can easily admire. He consistently voted against bloated spending bills that didn’t have the people’s best interests at heart and challenged governmental overreach. In many ways, although he ran as a Republican, he maintained many views consistent with Libertarians.
Massie later referred to the circumstances around his loss as an “all-out war” concerning the future of our country. He did, after all, push for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and demand the release of any and all documents in the possession of the Department of Justice relating to the late monster Jeffrey Epstein. The GOP primary race between Massie and Gallrein was said to be the most expensive in our history, with more than $32 million spent, and that included millions from pro-Israel groups backing the obscure challenger, while the incumbent relied primarily on grassroots donors.
With Massie’s loss, and several other examples that spring to mind, the question with the GOP is no longer “who is the most conservative?” but one of “who is most loyal to Trump?”. If you take a gander at posts on Facebook referencing Massie’s loss, you’ll find scatterings of MAGA faithful proclaiming the long-serving Kentucky lawmaker as “liberal,” a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only…a beyond-tired pejorative for those who don’t toe the MAGA line) or, worse, the one they wield like a kindergarten cuss word – “woke.” Massie, given his voting record, is far from liberal, but none of that matters in 2026 within the party. Positions on debt, free trade (no tariffs), foreign intervention or governmental spending get the old once-over in favor of how much a politician can stroke Trump’s ego.
The two or three loyal readers of these scrawlings know by now that there’s no love lost between me and either of the major parties, but out of the two, at least historically, the Republicans had stood on principle, even when it was politically inconvenient. Now, voting for principle is seen as a liability, if it runs counter to Trump’s whims. Obedience and devotion are rewarded in today’s GOP, and dissent is looked at as betrayal, or even sacrilege in the eyes who look at Trump not as a public servant but as some sort of deity.
When Massie refused to float Trump’s boat on the Epstein files, it became his greatest flaw and opened a door for Gallrein to be framed as “the real Republican” in the race. The ostracization of Massie reminds me of another MAGA deflector, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who dropped a bombshell a while back regarding the Epstein Files. Greene claimed that in a phone call with Trump over the matter, the President told her that his “friends will get hurt” if the files were to be made public.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I know that speaking for myself and for the people closest to me that if we knew, or heard about someone doing horrible things to children, law enforcement would be contacted, and it would not matter if those allegations involved close friends or family members.
The transformation that has hollowed out ideological coherence and any idea of actual service within the party has come at a heavy price regarding humanity, and the Epstein Files issue makes that clear. Leaders who once warned fellow lawmakers about deficit spending now shrug at enormous tax cuts that reward billionaires, because speaking out against it would put them at odds with Trump. It’s the same thing with wanting justice for the victims of the late monster Jeffrey Epstein.
Principles have become flexible, while loyalty is mandatory, and as Massie’s loss proves, long-established conservative credibility and good ideas regarding governance are no sort of protection against accusations of disloyalty. The man’s record and reputation for consistency doesn’t mean diddly in today’s political culture that is driven by identity, grievance and, most importantly, tribal affiliation.
Good ideas that would benefit We the People have become secondary to solidarity, and politics within the mainstream GOP have become less about philosophy on governance and serving but belonging to a movement. Loyalty has become a moral litmus test to where if a politician criticizes Trump, or breaks ranks publicly with him, voters are led to believe that it’s not independent thinking, but treason.
The primary for Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District was one race but represents a broader evolution of the Republican Party into a movement where personal allegiance is all that really matters; where proof that a candidate will not stand apart from the tribe is paramount.
Massie might get something of a last laugh, however. He went on Meet the Press the other day and announced that he will read more names of those accused in the Epstein Files on the House floor before leaving Congress next January.
Still, while the ruling class argues over who is more loyal to Trump, We the People are left fighting over scraps, and taking out second mortgages just to pay for fuel.
