There are no words that describe my utter disgust with the Republican Party.

It is perplexing to me that our party has been infested by RINOs (Republican In Name Only)—millions of people without a clue of the party’s history, policies and accomplishments and who have chosen to embrace fear and fantasy as a platform.

There are now, as I see it, two distinct factions within the GOP, constitutional and nationalist, and tens of millions of “wandering Republicans” will have to determine which best exemplifies the party going forward.

Constitutional Republicans remain limited-government, fiscal conservatives with a clear respect for the rule of law, facts, communication and cooperation. They strive to build strong alliances to further the influence of the United States, keeping firm to the principals of Lincoln and Reagan. They are pragmatic and allow themselves to remain objective and dispassionate when it comes to debate and consensus. They staunchly protect our Constitution without placing party or personal ambitions above such. 

Nationalist Republicans place domestic or national issues first above all other treaties, alliances, partnerships and pacts the United States is engaged in. They allow fringe media to converge with conspiracy-based theories directed to undermine our cultural diversity with white supremacy at its core. They do not recognize party leadership, only one personality and many within their ranks are ignorant and filled with deep animosities that have been sadly manipulated by fear. They openly support an armed insurgency against the duly elected and appointed individuals who have taken an oath to “protect and defend” our constitution and wish to seize power at any cost, moral or ethical. 

These are the two factions that are now in the midst of an increasingly heated civil war that will determine the future of the party. But there’s some good news for the nation and the rest of the planet: The Democrats are in full control, and millions in major corporate and private money have vanished for those Republicans whose seditionist behavior has now been exposed to the nation.

Make no mistake, the Nationalists control the party and see no reason to further admonish their anointed leader, impeached twice, who failed them at every point. Their goal is clear as witnessed on January 6 that, whatever the cost, whatever it takes to protect a sad, scared white minority, is paramount to the stability of the nation. It is faulty and dangerous reasoning.

Senators Paul, Cruz, Hawley and Graham lead the Nationalists in the Senate, while the ever-duplicitous McCarthy, along with Jordan, Nunes and Gaetz, lead the movement as the minority in the House. Today, we know 147 seditious members of Congress backed the elimination of certified 2020 election results and an increasing number of GOP personalities now are backtracking on commentary protecting the mechanisms of our Constitution in favor of accessing the former president’s base to further their own political ambitions; all should be removed from Congress, fined and imprisoned.

When you listen to the divisive rhetoric coming from two freshman members of Congress like Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Lauren Boebert, you see clearly that chaos and confrontation have replaced communication and cooperation. Sen. Paul’s stunt with 45 members of the GOP voting that the Constitution doesn’t have the authority was a scapegoat and will have serious repercussions to the party in the eyes of the majority of citizens.

Republicans wanted a war, and now, they have one, with the future of the party and that of our nation hanging in the balance. Whatever the outcome, it’s clear that the party of Lincoln and Reagan is dead, and a future party with the personality of Trump at its core represents the greatest threat to this nation it has ever seen.

Ned Sader has more than two decades of public affairs experience working for corporate and nonprofits with a specialty in the development of public/private partnerships (P3). He has served on numerous regional boards and is a lifelong resident of Wayne County.

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