Republicans and Conservatives

In a letter to the Editor of The New York Times former solicitor general Charles Fried rightly criticized mainstream media for calling Republicans “conservatives.” It’s irresponsible to use the terms interchangeably. Almost without exception, Republicans in Congress have thrown conservative values and principles overboard. Journalists should call them “McConnellites,” “right-wingers,” “party loyalists,” “Trumpian toadies,” or some other accurate synonym of Republicans. Calling them “conservatives” won’t do.