Why We Did It

3.5 stars, rounded down for the author's snarkiness. But former Republican political operative Tim Miller offers a fascinating look into the thoughts and motivations of the people who campaigned for, worked for, and otherwise were connected to Trump in a professional sense.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, it's not because they were all racists. Some of them convinced themselves they were filling a noble role by being the “adults in the room,” sacrificing their principles so that their positions weren't taken by someone even more terrible. Some of them demonized Democrats/liberals/the media, so that whatever was bad for the other side was good, even if it was a lying, cheating, racist, misogynist, dangerous man. Some were just ambitious, or wanted to be “in the room where it happened.” Most them learned to compartmentalize almost constantly, doing their jobs to support their families while sticking their fingers in their ears so they could pretend they didn't know anything about Trump's latest atrocities.

As a gay Republican (yes they exist) who played an active role in centrist campaigns such as John Huntsman, John McCain and Jeb Bush (sorry, that's Jeb! Bush), Miller has a unique perspective. And while he doesn't devote much time to analyzing your basic Trump voter, he does provide some insight into how the Republican party went from recommending a more inclusive, moderate platform after Mitt Romney's 2012 loss to pandering to the trolls who spewed conspiracy theories about Venezuelans rigging our voting machines and Hillary Clinton sexually abusing children at a pizzeria.

Miller doesn't end with any recommendations for how to fix things or any hope that things will be any better in the 2022 election and beyond. This book is troubling and depressing (also snarky) but it is an important reminder of how we got to the dumpster fire of current politics.