This requires short-term sacrifice.

The idea is not that the Republicans give up conservatism and become Democrats.

The idea is that they switch over and accept short-term political sacrifice for the good of the nation.

The authors give an example of this happening: In 2017, defeated French conservative candidate Fillon called on his partisans to vote for center-left candidate Macron to keep nutcase Le Pen out of power.

2/

Early in her own book, Cheney mentions that her voting record is more conservative than the "freedom caucus" but she wanted nothing to do with them because she could see they were unhinged.

She isn't giving up being a conservative.

She isn't going to become a liberal.

She is doing what Ziblatt and Levitsky said Republicans would need to do to save us from someone who has gone full-on authoritarian.

Their book was widely read. No doubt Liz Cheney read it.

3/

Go ahead. Be angry at the Cheneys for their politics.

But recognize what Liz Cheney is doing and why she is doing it.

She is willing to endorse her ideological rival -- and anger her own base and colleagues--to keep Trump out of power because she recognizes that he is uniquely dangerous.

In her book, she is calling out the Republicans who continue to kiss Trump's ring as moral cowards.

I don't like her politics, but I respect what she is doing and why.

4/