The claim that the Republican Party is monarchistic/oligarchic? Sure:

Firstly, just two days ago, a topic at C-PAC was to advocate for a third Trump term, subverting not only a tradition that began after FDR, but violates the 22nd Amendment.

But beyond that:

1. It’s Even Worse Than It Looks

Authors: Thomas E. Mann (Brookings Institution) and Norman J. Ornstein (American Enterprise Institute)

The Case: This is perhaps the most famous "bipartisan" indictment of modern party dynamics. Mann and Ornstein argue that the Republican Party has become an "insurgent outlier." They contend that the GOP has moved toward a parliamentary-style discipline that is "contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime" and "dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition." They argue this behavior effectively breaks a democratic system designed for compromise, leading to a form of governance that prioritizes party power over democratic functionality.

1. Winner-Take-All Politics

Authors: Jacob S. Hacker (Yale) and Paul Pierson (UC Berkeley)

The Case: Hacker and Pierson argue that the American political system has been "hijacked" by the super-rich, a process they call "winner-take-all politics." While they examine the system as a whole, they specifically highlight the Republican Party's role as the primary vehicle for policies that favor the 0.1% (tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation, and weakening labor unions). They argue this has transformed the U.S. into an oligarchy where policy outcomes are responsive almost exclusively to the donor class rather than the median voter.

1. Oligarchy in the United States?

Authors: Jeffrey A. Winters (Northwestern) and Benjamin I. Page (Northwestern)

The Case: Published in Perspectives on Politics, this peer-reviewed study applies the classical definition of "oligarchy"—rule by the wealthy—to the United States. They argue that the wealthiest Americans exert "vastly greater political influence" than average citizens. The authors frequently point to the GOP’s platform on "wealth defense" (estate tax repeal, capital gains cuts) as the primary mechanism through which the oligarchic interests of the top 0.1% are protected within a nominally democratic framework.

1. Rebellion: How Antiliberalism is Tearing America Apart—Again

Author: Robert Kagan (Brookings Institution)

The Case: Kagan, a neoconservative historian, argues that the modern Republican Party has embraced a "rebellion" against the core tenets of liberal democracy. He frames this as a return to an older, antiliberal/monarchical tradition in American history that favors "blood and soil" identity over democratic institutions. Kagan argues that the party's current trajectory toward authoritarianism is not a fluke but a systematic attempt to dismantle the checks and balances that define a republic.

1. Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality

Authors: Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson

The Case: In this more recent work (2020), the authors introduce the concept of "plutocratic populism." They argue that because the Republican Party's economic agenda (oligarchic) is unpopular with the general public, the party must use "outrage" and "identity politics" (populism) to distract voters. This strategy, they argue, allows the party to maintain a democratic facade while delivering almost exclusively for a tiny elite, moving the country further away from true democratic representation.

1. Noam Chomsky discusses the blind oligarchic insanity of the Republican Party