“I'm watching everybody slowly turn into a pro-Trump zombie that I've ever worked with or been around; everyone's doing their rationalizations.“ So recalls special guest this episode, Sarah Longwell, conservative strategist turned watchdog of Republican populism as Executive Director of the Republican Accountability Project and Publisher of The Bulwark. “The fact that there were a bunch of people that I respected who I had been intellectually interested in for many years — when those people saw the world the same way I did, it kept me from feeling insane." Those people included highly respected conservative journalist Charles Sykes, founder of The Bulwark, and William Kristol, veteran of several Republican White House positions, now Chairman of the Republican Accountability Project (RAP). Longwell goes on to describe perhaps the most visible outcome of her partnership with Kristol thus far, the “Republican Voters Against Trump” campaign, which ran throughout the 2020 election. Not sparing in her criticisms of the left, Longwell also calls out the political hazards of progressive pronoun obsession and legislative overreach by the White House. “Especially if you think that the Republican Party is as dangerous as we do,” she cautions, “you really are rooting for the Democrats to build a broad coalition. And that's not what's happening at the moment.” So much happening yet not happening in US politics these days, with legislation gridlocked but primary elections coming up soon. Join us for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred discussion with one of Washington’s keenest minds and sharpest wits, Sarah Longwell of the Republican Accountability Project and The Bulwark. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Sarah Longwell: Twitter, Defending Democracy Together, The Bulwark Additional Resources ‘I Can Talk To Anyone’: McCarthy Defends His Visit To See Trump At Mar-A-Lago (Forbes) McConnell endorses Herschel Walker, solidifying GOP establishment support for Senate candidate in Georgia (Washington Post) The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results (New York Times) The 2020 Election Was A Good One For Republicans Not Named Trump (NPR) All The Trump Family Members Who Might Launch Their Own Bids For Office (Forbes) Trump Lost the 2020 Election. He Has Raised $207.5 Million Since (New York Times) House Republicans oust Cheney for calling out Trump’s false election claims, minimize Jan. 6 attack on Capitol (Washington Post) Spanberger, one of most vulnerable House Dems, announces she'll run in redrawn Virginia district (The Hill) Bill Kristol (Twitter) Charlie Sykes (Twitter) Find us online! Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja