The recent Trump Cabinet votes have shown that elected Republicans, including so-called "moderate Republicans" like Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have cowed to Trump. "MAGA Republicans" are just "Republicans" now.
The Republican Senate continues to advance dangerous, anti-working class individuals to be Cabinet nominees. There's billionaire Howard Lutnick, whose gambling company violated federal law, tapped to lead the Commerce Department; Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr., who's spent decades attacking vaccines; and Russell Vought, author of Project 2025, a guide for conservative Presidents to attack labor rights, civil rights, and sexual minorities.
When push came to shove, "moderates" Murkowski and Collins rolled over and voted in favor of all three nominees. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a doctor, "struggled" with RFK Jr.'s confirmation—before caving to Republican pressure and voting in favor of RFK Jr.
This should come as no surprise: since his election, Trump has secured an iron grip over the Republican Party. Every Republican skeptical of Trump has been purged from the party: Peter Meijer and Jaime Herrera Buetler were primaried for voting to impeach Trump; Adam Kinzinger and Mitt Romney retired rather than lose re-election for criticizing Trump; and Liz Cheney's career was destroyed for her work on the January 6 Committee.
None of these folks were ever “moderate”, anyway. Kinzinger voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017; Liz Cheney voted 93% in line with Trump's agenda; and Mitt Romney groveled before Trump in 2016 in hopes of becoming his Secretary of State, only turning on him after being snubbed.
But for all their faults, these Republicans were voices of dissent against Trump. Those voices are now gone, and nonexistent "moderate Republicans" are not coming to save you. We have to save ourselves.
