My opposition to Trump, first and foremost, had nothing to do with policy. That's not to say I liked most of his, but it wasn't the primary issue. "Process" is how you go about trying to achieve your policy goals. It involves politics, but it also involves following established norms.

For example, Mitch McConnell blew up the process of nominating and confirming a Supreme Court justice in 2016 and then completely reversed course in 2020. Regardless of what you thought of Merrick Garland and Amy Coney Barrett, that's a bell that can't be unrung. The legitimacy of the Supreme Court in the eyes of Americans took a huge hit since 2016, and that's an institution that needs legitimacy to be effective.

Trump refused to say he would accept the results of the 2016 and 2020 elections, which was a first. We saw how that played out on Jan 6, but it wasn't at all surprising. He's baselessly alleged election fraud over and over again in different places from both elections. Politics doesn't work if American voters don't trust the results of elections and, right now, a lot of them don't.

Now we have Jim Jordan supporters calling their representatives and threatening them for not supporting him for Speaker, while Jordan and his allies try to bully the holdouts. That's process coming home to roost for the GOP. If you break with precedent, violate norms, and bully/threaten your opposition, I view any policy outcomes as fruit of the poisoned tree. It's also why I don't give Trump any credit for the few policy successes I might otherwise support. How he achieved them matters.
[Post edited by CMUHoo at 10/22/2023 3:54PM]