Banana Republic
Bo Hines was an actual Republican candidate for Congress when he appeared on a right-wing talk show and humiliated himself by confusing the term "banana republic" with the clothing store chain of the same name. One assumes that actual Republican Congressman Mike Kelly knew the difference when he described the rioting at the capitol on January 6, 2021, by using the term as a simile: "we look more like a banana republic than the United States." For the record, "banana republic" has evolved into a metaphor synonymous with any cheap-looking dictatorial ruling authority that came to power through illegitimate means.
Evil
One of the most common complaints made about the supporters of Donald Trump is their level of delusion in being willing to believe the most insane conspiracy theories. The author forwards an explanation that goes back millennia. "Amid the tangled threads of American life, only one strand straight and true stood out, evil. It was omnipresent, stable, and oddly stabilizing, a kind of dark lodestar to measure one's worth against." The extended metaphor of tangled threads, a lodestar, and stability all lead to the ultimate metaphor of evil. Trump's supporters are far from the only group of like-minded people in history who have successfully turned the metaphor of evil into a goal to fight against. When something is evil, as the author observes, facts are not required.
Gubernatorial Loser
The book covers the period following Trump's massive defeat that extends all the way to the midterms of 2022. One of the biggest supporters of the Big Lie was the Republican nominee who would eventually lose overwhelmingly in his race to become Governor of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano. "Last year was dark year. I could not believe my country had become such a dark, evil place with the power being used...to oppress innocent civilians." The landslide victory for his opponent may actually be the result of Mastriano's frequent engagement with such hyperbolic use metaphor.
Obscure Referencing
One of the stranger metaphors the author uses in his narrative prose strives to make a point from an obscure pop culture reference. "Rather, a few of the more performative members on the right—the TV-friendly William Hurt characters, one could say—had seized upon an appealing talking point." The starting point for this odd metaphor is Oscar-winning actor William Hurt. The problem is that Hurt's career as a film actor is not exactly defined by TV-unfriendly roles. It is difficult to parse exactly what the author is trying to suggest with this attempt at turning a highly respected but not exactly meme-level-famous actor into a metaphorical touchstone.
Same Planet, Different Aliens
A much more familiar and instantly understandable metaphor is used by Liz Cheney. "As a child surrounded by Republicans, she had strained to imagine what it would be like to attend a Democratic convention. It's like a different planet, she would think." Cheney is one of those whom the author lends far too much credit to by identifying them as the GOP's "reality-based wing." It is a testament to just openly extreme the party has become that the implication here is that even Cheney finds her Republican colleagues the ones who now seem to be alien life forms.
