AXIOS (Jim VandeHei) - 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…
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…Open