Here's how GOP 'political dynasties' have become a 'shadow conscience' pushing back on Trump

On Thursday, The New York Timesanalyzed how a group of Republicans descended from the GOP's traditional "political dynasties" have emerged as critics of the president at exactly the moment he needs to unify the party.

"One of the presumed takeaways of President Trump’s victory in 2016 was that he had struck a blow against political dynasties in America. He demolished the early Republican favorite, Jeb Bush, the son of the 41st president and brother of the 43rd, and then vanquished the wife of the two-term 42nd president," reported Mark Leibovich. "But even as Mr. Trump’s takeover of his party is largely complete ... A high-profile club of elected Republicans — all descendants of the Republican establishment of the past, whether rebellious or resolute — has emerged as a kind of shadow conscience of the party during these days of turmoil."

The three prominent Republicans are Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD), whose father was the lone GOP congressman to recommend all three articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon; Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), whose father served as vice president under George W. Bush; and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), whose father was a three-term governor of Michigan and was well known as a pro-civil-rights, anti-war Republican.

As Leibovich wrote, Hogan, in recent weeks, "has been a leading voice of frustration over Mr. Trump’s management of the COVID-19 outbreak," Cheney "has bristled at a number of his administration’s positions ... on the Middle East, Russia and the president’s engagement with autocrats" and "spoke out in support of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman," and Romney "has made plain his disgust for Mr. Trump on a variety of occasions" and voted to convict him in the impeachment trial.

Additionally, wrote Leibovich, "The legacy club includes two emeritus brothers, former President George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, neither of whom have much use for Mr. Trump. The former president released a video in May that saluted health care workers and urged national unity in the fight against the coronavirus. But Mr. Bush’s video, which received bipartisan praise, made for a stark contrast with Mr. Trump’s more combative approach — a slight that apparently upset the president, who then complained in a tweet that Mr. Bush had not properly defended him during his impeachment."

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