Understand this. There is no longer a republican party. It is dead and gone. It committed suicide when it decided to stand for nothing larger than power and getting re-elected.
Stop thinking in terms of republicans and democrats. The democrats are about to commit suicide just as the republicans did, and in much the same manner. The entire concept of the republican and democrat parties is no longer valid or worthy of debate. The republican party is gone and the democrat party soon will be too.
The only question that remains is can America survive for long enough to reach the same conclusion and shake off the repubs vs demos mentality and return to a system of limited self-government, or will it morph into a soviet style socialist paradise with “them” at the top and everyone else at the bottom.
Looking at the history of man, I will sadly place my bet on the latter. The whole idea of a democratic republic in America was an experiment. The experiment has run it’s course and we already have an answer. The American people, out of all the potential presidents in the just finished election, chose two leftists, neither of whom represents the ideals of liberty.
I think that concludes the experiment and answers the question, can any people long remain free. The answer is NO, because the work involved in being free and self-sufficient is too troubling for the vast majority. Those of us who would be free are just chips on a millrace now, swept along in the foaming rushing waters of the vast majority who are determined to wear the chains of servitude.
Freedom is a constant fight. It’s always good to know who the quitters are.