Why We Did It

A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell

By: Tim Miller

Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Former Republican political operative Tim Miller answers the question no one else has fully grappled with: Why did normal people go along with the worst of Trumpism?

As one of the strategists behind the famous 2012 RNC “autopsy,” Miller conducts his own forensic study on the pungent carcass of the party he used to love, cutting into all the hubris, ambition, idiocy, desperation, and self-deception for everyone to see. In a bracingly honest reflection on both his own past work for the Republican Party and the contortions of his former peers in the GOP establishment, Miller draws a straight line between the actions of the 2000s GOP to the Republican political class's Trumpian takeover, including the horrors of January 6th.

From ruminations on the mental jujitsu that allowed him as a gay man to justify becoming a hitman for homophobes, to astonishingly raw interviews with former colleagues who jumped on the Trump Train, Miller diagrams the flattering and delusional stories GOP operatives tell themselves so they can sleep at night. With a humorous touch he reveals Reince Priebus' neediness, Sean Spicer's desperation, Elise Stefanik and Chris Christie’s raw ambition, and his close friends’ submission to a MAGA psychosis.

Why We Did It is a vital, darkly satirical warning that all the narcissistic justifications that got us to this place still thrive within the Republican party, which means they will continue to make the same mistakes and political calculations that got us here, with disastrous consequences for the nation.

Hard to hear but worth the listen

Worthwhile journey through the Eyes of a former Republican into the Trump era and if there are any lessons learned by those who were part of it

Narrator

Because I listen to Tim regularly, it was hard to accept his words through a narrator. But great listen (read), especially for those of us who have spent six years trying to understand why even one person would vote for or work for Trump

Informative

Most of us knew “all things Trump” was based on lies and BS. Tim however shows how people blind themselves to reality to stay in Trump’s orbit even when it goes against their own interests or morals. Buckle up!

It's all about greed and the game

As I listened I could only think the author would do it again for the money and to be in the game.
I had hoped to glean why any self-respecting LGBTQ person would be a member of a party that wants to jail or kill them. The answer is not in this book. It's all about the thrill and money.

100% better than expected.

The writing was witty, entertaining, brutally honest, heartfelt, and informational. The narrator was perfect. Difficult to stop listening to. Excellent read/listen.