President Donald Trump and a radicalized Republican Party are destroying political norms — and risking long-term destruction of democracy, according to a pair of Harvard University political scientists.
Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, authors of the new book How Democracies Die, said the GOP has radicalized as the electorate grew larger and more diverse — which has left Republicans with a shrinking base that once enjoyed unquestioned dominance.
“The parties are now divided by race and religion,” the authors said in a promotional interview. “This is a big deal. Partisan differences aren’t focused just on taxes and spending anymore; they now encompass our identities and culture. And, crucially, the Republican Party has become the political home for white Protestants — a majority ethnic group in decline. This is the underlying source of the party’s radicalization.”