Conservative, With Reservations

After Donald Trump’s 2016 victory — and even more so post-January 6th — challenging the party line became a ticket to political irrelevance. Voicing unease at the election denialism meant being primaried by Trumpian ultras, and relegated like Liz Cheney to the status of heretic.

But in the aftermath of the Republicans’ midterm meltdown, the MAGA deep-freeze is thawing and voices of dissent are once again sprouting everywhere.

Whichever version of the GOP emerges from the reckoning, the new openness could serve as a springboard for some fresh thinking about the way in which we ourselves think about the great questions of the day.

I’m referring to an embarrassing byproduct of the Orthodox world’s increasing identification with the Republican Party: the phenomenon of Torah Jews spouting conservative talking points seemingly heedless of the fact that our own mekoros might have something different to say on the matter.