The Atlantic

Letters: ‘Tribes Do Not Tolerate Freedom’

Readers react to Peter Wehner’s reflection on what he’s gained by leaving the Republican Party—and discuss how tribalism has shaped the political debate.
Source: Library of Congress

What I’ve Gained by Leaving the Republican Party

Since the political rise of Donald Trump, Peter Wehner has found himself deeply disappointed in—and often at odds with—the Republican Party. Both losses and insights come from being politically homeless, he wrote last week: “The main thing I’ve gained in unfastening myself from the GOP is critical distance and detachment. One can see certain things from outside the silo that one cannot see within it.”


As a lifelong Republican, I pretty much agreed with every sentiment Wehner expressed. And it meant something to me, living in a world where I feel increasingly

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