Many liberals have long wished for the death of the Republican party, and that day is quickly approaching. It will not, as many of us may picture it, be a day of rejoicing, angels singing, trumpets blowing and the arrival of a new utopia.

What the failure of our two party system represents is a failure of democracy and level-minded humanity.

Conservative values used to mean a favorable view of limited government, states’ rights, political integrity and social responsibility. In their 1956 platform, they promised to “continue [their] far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of social security—broadened coverage in unemployment insurance—improved housing—and better health protection for all our people.”

Such claims sound extremely liberal today, and these are policies that conservatives oppose with fervor in the modern age. Where the Republican party used to support the same ideals and vision that we all generally share, albeit through different methods, they now represent a fierce and violent loyalty to the leaders of their party and little else.

The decline has been gradual but exponential, properly beginning with the Nixon administration. Whereas Watergate ended with Nixon’s resignation and a series of political reforms, the January 6th insurrection resulted in … nothing.

While about 500 defendants who participated in the Capitol attack have been sentenced to some period of incarceration, with a few being given harsher sentences, these are merely everyday Trump supporters who were active enough on Twitter and crazy enough to participate.

Trump, meanwhile, has pushed off the trial indefinitely. What has gone to the Supreme Court instead of the question of his guilt (with rather damning evidence) is the idea of whether or not a former president can be tried at all for actions taken in office.

It doesn’t take a great leap of imagination to connect Nixon’s famous quote from the Frost interviews.

“If the president does it, that means it is not illegal.”

Well. If that isn’t filling you with hope and optimism, I don’t know what could.

With Nixon, markedly unlike Trump, his right to the presidential office and support from half of the country wasn’t incontestable. The attempted impeachment of Nixon was a bipartisan effort, with voting across party lines to do what they believed was in the interest of justice and the country’s prosperity.

Don’t be mistaken; the responsibility for this doesn’t lie solely with Trump. Rather than acting as the originator, he was the flint that set a spark to the massive pile of firewood that had been building for decades.

From Rick Perry’s 2014 scandal to today’s dirty politics regularly happening at the national, state and local levels, the blame can hardly lie exclusively with Trump.

In the Republican party of 70 years ago, a candidate like Trump wouldn’t have gained any traction and would have fizzled out without even getting his foot in the door. His success and ravenous support are symptomatic of a much larger issue.

The GOP has long emphasized loyalty to politicians and the rich above all else. Luckily for Trump, he’s both.

The fanaticism and near-religious fervor, often spurred on by true religious fervor, has driven them off the traditional scale of liberal to conservative. The far right has gone even further, and the current Republican party can’t be considered Republican anymore.

As the Federalists became Whigs, and the Whigs merged with the Republicans, the modern conservatives have evolved fully out of the 170-year-old party. Whether the name eventually changes or not, the Republican party is a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, given recent polls and projected election numbers, Trump is gearing up for his second term in office. The estimates currently show Biden and Trump tied up, but given the 2016 polls and actual result, I wouldn’t put too much stock into it. When loyalty is prized above all else, felonies, sex scandals and extreme abuses of power don’t stand in the way of the presidential office.

In other words, our democracy is once again heading into uncharted territory. Whether we stay in a two party system or even a democratic society remains to be seen. Buckle up.

Virginia Doherty is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].