A devastating indictment of the Republican Party

Aug 10, 2020

Stuart Stevens, a seasoned Republican strategist behind Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign and author of "It Was All a Lie," dives deep into the identity crisis of the GOP. He argues that the rise of Trump revealed long-ignored truths about the party's core values. Stevens discusses the growing divide between party elites and the base, the role of race and economic issues in strategy, and the failures of past leadership. He reflects on how loyalty to Trump has transformed Republican identity and what it means for the future of the party.

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INSIGHT

Romney's Shift to the Right

Mitt Romney's presidential agenda was arguably further right than his Massachusetts governing record.
This shift can be attributed to the unique political landscape of Massachusetts and the distinct responsibilities of a president versus a governor.

INSIGHT

Republican Party's Divisive Strategy

The Republican Party has struggled to adapt to changing demographics and economic realities.
Its reliance on tax cuts for the wealthy has necessitated a divisive political strategy.

INSIGHT

Stevens' Conversion

Stuart Stevens' conversion wasn't about the Republican Party leaving him, but rather a realization of its true nature.
The party's 'dark side', previously recessive, became dominant with Trump.

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For 30 years, Stuart Stevens was one of the most influential operatives in Republican politics. He was Mitt Romney’s top strategist in 2012, served in key roles on both of George W. Bush’s presidential campaigns, and worked on dozens of congressional and gubernatorial campaigns — building one of the best winning records in politics. Then Stevens watched his party throw its support behind a man who stood against everything he believed in, or thought he believed in.

Most dissidents from Trumpism take a familiar line: They didn’t leave the Republican Party; the Republican Party left them. But for Stevens, Trump forced a more fundamental rethinking: The problem, he believes, is not that the GOP became something it wasn’t; it’s that many of those within it — including him — failed to see what it actually was. In his new book, It Was All a Lie, he delivers a searing indictment of the party he helped build and his role in it.

This is a conversation about the Republican Party’s past, present, and future. We discuss the differences between the Democratic and Republican coalitions, whether party elites could have prevented Trump’s rise, the power the GOP base holds, the relationship between tax cuts for the rich and white identity politics for the poor, where the party can and can’t go after Trump, the GOP operatives trying to put Kanye West on the 2020 ballot, how Stevens played the race card in his first campaigns, why Romney lost while Trump won, and much more.

Book recommendations:

The memoirs of Franz von Papen

Black Cross by Greg Iles

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