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On the latest episode of Inside the Hive, former Republican strategist Stuart Stevens described the GOP under Donald Trump as a party of cynics, stooges, racists, and obsequious enablers whose profiles in cowardice bear an uncomfortable resemblance to 1930s Germany. When I talk to Republican politicians, I hear Franz von Papen, he says, referencing the German chancellor who convinced Germans that so-called radical leftists were a far greater threat than Adolf Hitler. They all know that Trump is an idiot. They all know that hes uniquely unqualified to be president. But they convinced themselves that he was a necessity.

Not surprisingly, Stevens, an adviser to two George W. Bush presidential campaigns and a top strategist for Mitt Romneys 2012 bid against Barack Obama, has become the latest apostate to his party, declaring in his best-selling book, It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump, that Republicans have sacrificed every last belief and principle they held dear on the bonfire of Trumps vanity. And now, not even the catastrophically mismanaged coronavirus pandemic can wake them from their stupor.

It is the combination of the anti-intellectualism, the anti-education elements of the Republican Party, and the anti-elite elements of the Republican Party, so-called, that have culminated in this toxic brew that is killing tens of thousands of Americans, says Stevens, who recently joined the independent Never Trump organization the Lincoln Project. I mean, more Americans are going to die because of this combination of political beliefs than major wars. This virus [is] attacking Americans. And Donald Trump is making it a lot worse, and we all know this. But Republicans wont even stand up to defend America.

Consequently, Stevens calls Trump a traitor to his country. I really think he is against America, he says, blaming the Republican Party for a completecollapse of responsibility that they had to defend democracy inAmerica. The following is an edited transcript of two conversations with Stevens conducted by Joe Hagan.

Vanity Fair: Stuart Stevens, welcome to Inside the Hive. Weve seen a lot of madness this summer and I cant figure out how to think about both the Republican National Convention and whats happened afterwards, and the things that the Trump campaign has decided this election is going to turn on: Chaos in the cities to scare suburbanites, voter suppression, and then the prospect of some kind of fly-by-night vaccine the week before the election. As a tactician, whats your analysis of whether this is a good strategy or not?

Stuart Stevens:I think its fascinating. You have to assume that the Trump campaign did a lot of research, polling, focus groups to determine who does Donald Trump need to be to win this race. And they tried to present that image in their convention. That would be a person who cares about people, who likes Black [people]. Black people like him, women like him. And so then the convention ends and two days later hes celebrating a 17-year-old kid who shoots two unarmed protesters. So its clear they understand that Donald Trump shouldnt be the Donald Trump that he is to win.

I look at the race as very stable. I wrote a piece in the Washington Post saying whats happening in Wisconsin, I think, helps the Democrats. I know it does. Look, this race is about two things that are interrelated: the worst economy in the history of the country and more people dying of a disease than at any time in the history of the country. All the kings horses and all the kings men are not going to make it about anything else. We have a 9/11 every three days in the country, you cant ignore it. You cant just syntactically put it in the past tense and think that works. Youre not diagramming a sentence. Youre living through a pandemic. So until Trump comes to grips with that in some coherent way, hell continue to lose.

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Ill Never Question 1938 in Germany Again: An Ex-Republican Strategist Surveys the Wreckage of Trumps GOP - Vanity Fair

TOPLINE

Though Trump has largely seized control of the Republican party and the loyalty of GOP officials, a number of prominent former GOP officials, and even some of his ex-staffers, have come out in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden.

Former Hewlett Packard CEO and Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina.

Former Gov. John Kasich, who challenged Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016, has been one of Bidens most vocal Republican backers, lauding his experience and his wisdom and his decency at the Democratic convention on Monday.

Biden has won the endorsements of four Republican cabinet secretaries; Obama administration Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and Bush administration Secretary of State Colin Powell and EPA Director Christine Whitman, who appeared at the DNC alongside Kasich.

Anthony Scaramucci, who served as Trumps White House communications director for just two weeks, endorsed Biden and called Trump crazy, while former Homeland Security Department Chief of Staff Miles Taylor accused Trump of withholding disaster aid from blue states and claiming magical authorities above the law.

Carly Fiorina, a former Hewlett Packard CEO and GOP presidential candidate who was briefly the running mate of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), said she cannot support Trump and that elections are binary choices, while Meg Whitman, another Hewlett Packard CEO, said at the DNC on Monday that Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy.

Former Rep. Susan Molinari of New York spoke at the Democratic convention on Monday as well, joining former Reps. Charles Djou of Hawaii and Joe Walsh of Illinois, a former tea partier who challenged Trump for the GOP nomination in 2020 and voted for Biden in Illinois open Democratic primary in March, calling Trump a horrible human being who must be defeated.

Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain and mother of The View host Meghan McCain (who also endorsed Biden) narrated a video for the Democratic convention detailing her late husbands unlikely friendship with Biden.

Former Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania endorsed Biden ahead of the third night of the Democratic convention, declaring, Its a sad state of affairs when a president endorses a 9/11 truther, in reference to Trumps embrace of Georgia Congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene.

A group of 73 former U.S. national security officials in the Republican administrations, including former heads of the CIA and FBI and Trump administration officials, endorsed Biden, asserting that Trumps corrupt behavior that renders him unfit to serve as president.

Numerous Republican media figures, campaign strategists and government officials have even organized PACs dedicated to supporting Biden, such as Republican Voters Against Trump and, most recently, 43 Alumni for Biden. The most notable among them is the Lincoln Project, whose scathing attack ads on Trump have captured the hearts of anti-Trump resistance-minded Democrats.

The last living former Republican president, George W. Bush, has said he wont back Trump. Nor will his brother Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida who was mercilessly ridiculed by Trump when they fought for the GOP nomination in 2016. Trumps former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly have both expressed opposition to Trump as well, with Mattis calling him the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American peopledoes not even pretend to try and Kelly saying he wished we had some additional choices. Other ex-Trump officials have spoken out against him as well,including Homeland Security advisor Tom Bossert, communications staffer Omarosa Manigault, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security advisor John Bolton.

5. Thats how many sitting Republican senators are weighing voting against Trump, according to Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has said he will not vote for Trump and may write-in his wife, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she is struggling with the decision. Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) has also said he will not vote for Trump and is considering a vote for Biden.

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All The Republicans Who Have Endorsed Joe Biden For President - Forbes

Jake TapperJacob (Jake) Paul TapperTapper asks ex-GOP congressman if Republicans 'now the party of deranged bigots' Mail-in ballot controversy heats up as Democrats call for postmaster general to testify Meadows says Harris is eligible to be vice president, pushing back on birther claims MORE asked former GOP Rep. Charlie DentCharles (Charlie) Wieder DentTapper asks ex-GOP congressman if Republicans 'now the party of deranged bigots' The Hill's Convention Report: Harris to make history accepting VP nod Former GOP Rep. Charlie Dent endorses Biden MORE (Pa.) on Wednesday whether he thinks Republicans are "now the party of deranged bigots," after Dent announced his endorsement of former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHarris pledges to fight for country's ideals in accepting VP nomination Pelosi paints Trump and McConnell as twin impediments to progress Democratic stars unleash fury of assaults on Trump MORE's (D) presidential bid.

"At the end of the day, this really isn't about right or left. It's not about ideology. For me it's about right or wrong. Stability versus instability," Dent told Tapper on CNN's "The Lead."

Former GOP @RepCharlieDent endorses Joe Biden for president. At the end of the day, this really isnt about right or left. Its not about ideology. For me its about right or wrong. Stability versus instability. pic.twitter.com/o0dKxc55V6

Dent served as a member of Congress from 2005 to 2018 before retiring.

He previously announced that he would not support Trump's 2016 presidential, citing Trump's divisive history of comments directed at various minority or religious groups.

"It's a sad state of affairs when a president endorses a 9/11 truther," Dent said Wednesday, referencing the president's support of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a GOP nominee for Congress who expressed skepticism of some events surrounding 9/11 andopenly backedthe QAnon conspiracy theory.

Last week, Trump called Greene a "future Republican star" following her congressional primary win in Georgia.

"All this does is empower the whack jobs and the nuts to come out. With strong leadership we should be able to marginalize folks like that," Dent added.

Dent's endorsement follows several other former GOP officials endorsing Biden's running for president, including former N.Y. Rep. Susan Molinari and former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman.

Another high-profile Republican,former Ohio Gov.John Kasich, spoke at the Democratic National Convention this week to voice his support for Biden's campaign.

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Tapper asks ex-GOP congressman if Republicans 'now the party of deranged bigots' | TheHill - The Hill

On the night the 2020 Democratic National Convention kicked off, Democrats welcomed Republican speakers to the stage in an effort to lure GOP voters to cross the aisle in November. While crossover speakers at party conventions are quite common, Monday nights Republican lineupJohn Kasich, Susan Molinari, Meg Whitman and Christine Todd Whitmanwas designed to show off the Democrats big-tent strategy. In addition to the Republicans were Senator Bernie Sanders, Michelle Obama, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. On Monday night the Biden campaign was trying to signal that all are welcome into the Democratic fold, and that opposition to Donald Trump does not mean their decision should be to stay home.

Will it work?

In any presidential election, there are voters who cross party lines. As the parties have become polarized and party affiliation and ideology have become largely synonymous, crossover voting in presidential elections has become much less frequent. For comparison, CNNs 2016 exit polls show that only 8% of Democrats voted for Donald Trump and 8% of Republicans voted for Hillary Clinton.

Despite Mr. Trumps insistence that his support within the Republican Party is 96%, that claim is simply not true. Past polling has shown that there are a small percentage of people who continue to identify as Republicans who disapprove of President Trump, but that the number may be higher this year. Between June and August, surveys from The Economist/YouGov in the first week of each month showed Republicans approval hovering around 85%, with Republicans disapproval between 14-15%.

There is some ground for Mr. Biden to take a larger percentage of Republicans in 2020 than Hillary Clinton did in 2016. Yet, it is hard to imagine that Monday nights speakers will do the trick and move voters who are on the fence. One of those speakers is a former Ohio governor and another is a former New York congresswoman who hasnt served in the House since the mid-1990s. Republicans likely have a firm idea of whether they support or oppose President Trump, and a Republican endorsement of Biden likely will not affect that decision. At the same time, President Trump has easy ammunition to criticize Monday nights speakers, claiming that John Kasichwho Mr. Trump beat in the 2016 presidential primaryand Meg Whitmanwho endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016are not real Republicans.

Another group of voters getting attention from mediabeyond Republicans looking to vote across party linesare former Republicans who now identify as independents or as Democrats. Those former Republicans surely exist, including media personalities like MSNBCs Joe Scarborough (who has renounced his GOP affiliation) and the Republicans who started the TV-savvy, anti-Trump political action committee The Lincoln Project. Yet, Gallup polling shows that the percentage of the public that self-identifies as a Republican has held stable since Donald Trump was elected president. That number was 28% both in December 2016 and July 2020, and thus, former Republicans are few in number.

For both groupsformer Republicans and Republicans who oppose the presidenttheir choice is not between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Their choice is between Joe Biden and staying home. These voters know who Donald Trump is, and they dont care for what they see. These voters want to hear better policies, ideas, and vision. They also want to see in Mr. Biden a type of leadership they believe America should have, but they do not think America currently has. They know they will not agree with the former vice president on everything, but it is Mr. Biden who must convince him he is the safer bet.

And in fact, to convey that safety, another group of elected officials may actually play an even stronger role in demonstrating to Republicans and former Republicans why Joe Biden is a safe bet: moderate Democrats. Democrats like Senators Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Doug Jones (Ala.) [who spoke Monday night] and Reps. Collin Peterson (Minn.) and Joe Cunningham (S.C.) can present themselves as moderate legislators who will not give Joe Biden a blank check to implement ultra-liberal policies. Even though John Kasich noted that many Republicans may not have imagined voting for Joe Biden and went on to say, I dont believe Joe will turn sharp left, that message would be better received from other sources than a man who came up short in a primary against the president.

Appealing to moderate voters (a group that can include Republicans and former Republicans) is essential for Mr. Bidens success, but it is part of a difficult balancing act that the Democratic ticket must undertake. Progressives do not want to hear from an anti-abortion, union-busting conservative governor from Ohio. Republicans dont want to hear from a self-proclaimed socialist who supports Medicare-For-All and the Green New Deal. It is incumbent on the nominee to give both of those groups a reason to see in him the better path forward, but there may be limits to what even Mr. Biden can accomplish on this front.

In an already abbreviated party convention, Democrats have precious time to fix some of the divisions that exist within their party, generate enthusiasm in the base, and communicate to independents that they are more than just Not Donald Trump, but a party of ideas that they can support. And for Trump-skeptical Republicans and former Republicans, they see a three-way race among a tax-and-spend liberal, a print-and-spend conservative, and the decision to stay home. John Kasich speaking on the DNC stage Monday night may not switch many voters. Instead, Donald Trump is the Republican with the greatest capacity to push Biden-curious Republicans to go to the polls and vote Democratic.

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Kasich cant help Biden win over Republicans but Trump can - Brookings Institution

* Sun-Times

Illinois Republicans plan to send three delegates to their partys presidential nominating convention next week, but there will be no delegation brunches, news conferences or just about anything else beyond nominating Donald Trump, apparently.

No other media advised events organized by the ILGOP are taking place next week, state GOP spokesman Joe Hackler said in an email to reporters.

The state GOPs move is the complete opposite of their Democratic counterparts, who were told to stay home, but have streamed state caucus meetings and news conferences for the media and others to follow along. []

Republicans plan to have 336 delegates at the Charlotte Convention Center, six from each state and territory, according the convention website.

So, the state GOP is sending half its allotted delegates?

* So far, media coverage on Illinois Democrats during their convention week has focused mainly on Speaker Madigan

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has kept a low profile at the virtual Democratic National Convention underway this week, but he was more vocal Wednesday evening.

As Illinois Chairman of the Democratic Party Michael Madigan leads Illinois delegation to the convention, but is somewhat implicated in an alleged bribery scheme with Commonwealth Edison, he has avoided the spotlight recently. But Wednesday night at an online delegation discussion on racial and economic justice, Speaker Madigan gave more than a welcome.

He said Democrats this week have laid out the case for removing Donald Trump from office, including his assault on the rights of women and workers.

Among the worst of Donald Trumps actions is his deliberate efforts to fan the flames of hatred and racial and ethnic division for his own political purposes, Madigan said.

* And

Pinning down Democratic congressional nominee Marie Newmans position on state House Speaker Mike Madigan during the Democratic National Convention is not quite as difficult as tracking down the powerful party leader himself but its close.

Two years ago, Newman said the powerful speaker should immediately step down as state party chief because he failed in his handling of sexual harassment complaints in his political organization.

Anything less would put the Democrats political prospects at risk in November, the La Grange businesswoman said then, before she lost her 2018 primary bid against Madigan ally Dan Lipinski.

But after vanquishing Lipinski in a bitter rematch earlier this year and after Madigan was implicated in federal investigation Newman on Wednesday sidestepped a question on whether she would join the growing list of Democrats calling for Madigans immediate resignation over the ComEd criminal case, calling it a distraction ahead of a critical election.

* And

Meanwhile, the leader of the Democratic Party in Illinois, House Speaker Michael Madigan, is embroiled in controversy amid alleged ties to a ComEd bribery scheme.

Im not going to sit here right now and say that we should decide that someone is guilty for political reasons, Casten said. The allegations are extremely concerning. We should make sure we go through, find out what the truth is.

If the allegations are true, Casten said Madigan should resign. Kelly agrees.

If he is guilty I think that he should resign, and thats my bottom line, Kelly said. But right now, to be honest, the number one thing Im focused on is getting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris elected, flipping the Senate and helping the down ballot races.

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Your Illinois News Radar State Republicans won't hold any media advised events during their convention - The Capitol Fax Blog