In a recent appeal to the residents of Summit County, local Republican leadership framed support for their party in 2026 as an act of “principled conservatism.” Today’s Republican Party is neither principled nor conservative. This isn’t just a mischaracterization. It is a calculated dec eption. This rhetoric is a polished relic designed to evoke the ghost of a party that no longer exists to mask the radicalism of the one that does. True conservatism is not a license for disruption. It is a philosophy of preservation. It is rooted in a reverence for established institutions, the stability of the rule of law, and a profound skepticism of radical, untested change. At its heart, it respects the Burkean (Edmund Burke) partnership: the fundamental understanding that society is a compact not just among the living, but between those who are dead, those who are living, and those who are yet to be born. It demands that we act as stewards, not as liquidators, of our shared inheritance. The modern Republican brand — from the Wasatch to the halls of Congress — has become a vessel for institutional arson. To call this principled is a lie. Yo call it conservative is a delusion. It is, quite simply, a total breach of our intergenerational trust. This breach is nowhere more visible than in our wondrous surroundings. For a Summit County resident, identity is inextricably tied to the stewardship of our public spaces. Yet, the 2026 national Republican platform has moved aggressively toward the mass privatization of federal lands. By using the Congressional Review Act to strip protections from millions of acres, the party is prioritizing short-term industrial exploitation over the great outdoors that defines our county. From the Boundary Waters to our own backyard, they are attempting to bypass decades of expert management to allow mining and fossil fuel development on land that belongs to every American. This is the antithesis of stewardship. It is generational theft. Beyond the liquidation of our physical heritage, the party has engaged in a sustained, systematic assault on our shared reality. A democracy cannot function without truth. When a party institutionalizes disinformation as a weapon, they are dismantling the very foundation of honest governance required by our social contract. By rehabilitating the architects of election subversion and mounting a scorched-earth campaign against the neutrality of our judicial systems, the party has signaled that the rule of law is merely a suggestion. We see this most dangerously in the national push for the SAVE America Act and the president’s March 31 executive order establishing a federalized state citizenship list. These measures represent a radical departure from the conservative principle of federalism, weaponizing the Department of Homeland Security to override state election authorities. There is no conservative principle — none — that justifies a federal takeover of state elections to ensure a partisan outcome. This disregard for established boundaries is not confined to our borders. It extends to the very power to wage war. Traditional conservatism long held that war was a tragic last resort, requiring clear legal authorization. In 2026, the Republican-led federal government has discarded this restraint for the sake of raw executive overreach. By blocking resolutions to curb executive war powers and championing unilateral military campaigns — including the unauthorized and immoral conflict in Iran initiated on Feb. 28 — the GOP has decoupled American force from both the Constitution and international ethics. By bypassing the congressional requirement to declare war, the party has handed the executive branch enormous discretion to risk American lives without a vote from the people’s representatives. Many in our county maintain their registration in the Republican Party because they “grew up in the party” or prefer old-school fiscal policy (now the party of ballooning deficits and tariffs). But in the current political landscape, that distinction is a myth. You cannot purchase the illusion of conservatism without also paying for the assault on truth and the pursuit of illegal conflict. There is no longer a middle ground where one can support a bygone economic platform while ignoring the systemic destruction of our democratic foundations. To vote Republican in 2026 is to provide a silent sanction to a movement that views the U.S. Constitution as a suggestion, truth as an annoyance, and the environment as a clearance rack. You cannot claim to value the rule of law while supporting a party that celebrates those who break it. You cannot claim to value the beauty of our mountains while supporting a party that views them merely as assets to be liquidated. The claim by Summit County GOP leaders that their party represents “principled conservatism” is an insult to our community’s intelligence. In 2026, the Republican identity is a moral liability. If you believe in the rule of law, the sanctity of the public square, and the idea that our shared resources belong to all citizens, the Republican Party has no place for you. The only moral, principled act left is to recognize that the party has moved beyond redemption and to walk away. The time for nuance has passed. This is a clarion call to conscience. Rick Shapiro is a retired public affairs executive and lawyer who lives in Oakley. The post Today’s GOP is neither principled nor conservative appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less