Stuart Stevens | The Conspiracy to End America

Join former chief Republican strategist Stuart Stevens as he raises a provocative question: Will 2024 be America's last free and fair election? Stevens, whose clients included President George W. Bush and several senators and governors, warns that the GOP is veering towards autocracy, posing a threat to American democracy.

In his new book, "The Conspiracy to End America," Stevens explores the forces driving the Republican party towards autocracy and examines the elements necessary for democracies to slide into authoritarianism. As an advisor to the Lincoln Project, Stevens offers a stark warning and a call to action to preserve democratic governance in the face of growing threats.

Don't miss this important discussion as Stevens sounds a blinking red distress alert and offers insights on how to counter this existential threat to American democracy.

Photo courtesy the speaker.

October 26, 2023

SPEAKERS

Stuart Stevens
Senior Advisor, The Lincoln Project; Author, The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy; Twitter @stuartpstevens

In Conversation with Brian Watt

Discover the rich history of The Commonwealth Club of California, the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Founded in 1903 in San Francisco, the Club has hosted a diverse range of speakers, from Teddy Roosevelt to Hillary Clinton, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. With over 20,000 members, the Club organizes more than 400 annual events covering politics, culture, society, and the economy. Join us as we explore the legacy and impact of this esteemed institution on public discourse and civic engagement.

[emma]

''That is not a denial of an election: it is a coup! We have to call it what it is!'
Thank you!

[ArtiodactylaSlayer]

As a journalist if one side states it's raining and the other side states it's sunny it's NOT your job to be fair and balanced and quote them both, it's your job to go outside and see what the weather is doing.

[Upstream]

I was about fourteen when Reagan became president. I knew next to nothing about politics nor did I care to. However, I was a snoopy child and often eavedropped on the conversation of the adults around me. There seemed to be a lot of concern that because of Reagan's policies, mentally ill citizens were going to essentially be abandoned, because outpatient mental health facilities would soon be closing. I heard the adults predicting people with serious, but previously monitored and treated mental disorders would soon be wandering and living on the streets. My mother, a nurse, was very certain this would happen.

By the time I was fifteen, I saw those predictions had been spot on. The downtown area my friends and I had always enjoyed exploring and hanging out in had changed. We now often encountered some seriously disturbed individuals, some likely decompensating into acute psychoses, acting out in bizarre ways, and sometimes approaching us inappropriately. At times, we were frightened. Being teens, it didn't stop us from going downtown, but we were more wary of who was around us. When alone, I avoided the outdoor escalators and stopped cutting through alleys.
There was only one inpatient mental hospital in our city. This very old facility has always lacked adequate funding. It lacked the capacity to accommodate the patients formally served by the facilities that closed. It was the beginning of the mental health crisis that plagues so many of our cities to this day.

[PKellyTeacher]

Thanks Stuart for exposing the danger represented by Thiel, Koch brothers, DeVos.

[doniphanblair]

Love the guy, even though he’s way more conservative than I. Brilliant analysis, thanks so much. “Autocracies are based on fear, democracy on hope. ‘

[designchik]

As a liberal, the reverence for Reagan has always puzzled me. The way he handled the AIDS crisis – or didn’t handle it – and that trickle-down-economics nonsense that led to the destruction of the middle class are what I remember. 🤷‍♀️

[FoodCriticalThought]

I’m 51 and the GOP has always been what it is today. Today they just say the quiet part louder.

[janeenlewis]

Just wanted to say, as a liberal woman, these discussions are bringing me some peace. I was traumatized during the Trump years from the mental abuse by friends trying to "own the libs." To the good people of the Common Wealth Club, Thank You.

[umbomb]

45 minutes in:
There's nothing mysterious about people who've benefited from a system wanting to do away with that system after they've used it to amass personal fortunes.

[VirileDelphic]

He did not know what Trump was? Wow! I figured that out the very moment he opened his mouth after descending that escalator.

[kathleenm]

“Straight up racism, and we should call it as such.” So true.

[maryannwaddell]

I am a Democrat, but I can relate to what Stuart Stevens is saying. And it is so refreshing to hear from a reasonable Republican.

[dalegribnitz-lott]

It's greed that drives these PEOPLE, , , , They simply don't want the competition and don't want to share piriod full 🛑**!

[nostradamus]

Stuart Steven's analysis of the Republican party is excellent! Loved every minute of the interview. Thank you! Vote Biden, Convict Trump!

[piratessalyx]

Thank you Lincoln project and associates this was educational and brilliant!

[PKellyTeacher]

I appreciate anyone who admits they were wrong.

[letsRegulateSociopaths]

"trumpism is a hate movement"- too damn true

[oldionus]

I have never been a Republican and disagree with people like Stuart Stevens on many issues. But we share a common belief in the democratic principles of our foundation and Constitution, and that transcends the corruption of politics in general and the fascism of the modern Trumpist GOP in particular.

[susancarpenter]

An outstanding conversation. I'm deeply grateful to Stuart Stevens for his leadership on all of our behalf.

[sharondavid-melly]

Seems Germany learned a crucial lesson. They don't put up with lying from fascists anymore
. God bless them💕