Three of the four GOP factions–the CLs, CDs, and PBPs–find the events of January 6 to be totally deplorable. Only the Reactionaries defend the rioters. And yet, the orthodox GOP position is that the riot was either justified, was caused by antifa, or wasn’t a big deal; anyone who openly disagrees is treated as a heretic and cast into darkness. How can this be explained?
It means that: the Reactionaries currently have more clout within the party than the rest of the factions combined; the focus of the right during the next presidential campaign will be on destroying liberal democracy and fighting culture wars, not tax cuts and deregulation; and the real question in the next GOP administration will be the extent to which the powers of the federal government will be used to limit the First Amendment rights of the left.