January 6 committee is testing whether Americans can still agree on a shared

One reason Republican opinions about Nixon shifted so much, many analysts agree, is that nothing existed then like the overtly conservative media of Fox, television networks to its right and talk radio, which are working not only to downplay but also to discredit damaging revelations from the committee.

But another key difference is that during Watergate, Republican leaders respected by rank-and-file GOP voters ultimately validated the criticism from Democrats and courts about Nixon’s behavior.

“In Watergate, there were Republicans … who were very critical of Nixon’s conduct and eventually were willing to call him to resign, including people like [Sen.] Barry Goldwater,” says Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz. Apart from the two Republicans serving on the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, “that’s one thing you really don’t have right now,” he adds.

January 6 vs. Watergate

That sharp contrast points toward one critical variable that could determine how much the committee’s investigation ultimately influences opinion inside the Republican coalition: Will GOP leaders publicly express concern about its findings? Republican leaders, Abramowitz notes, often argue that they can’t publicly criticize Trump because he has such a strong hold on the party base. But one reason his hold is so strong, Abramowitz and others point out, is that so few party leaders have challenged even his most egregious behavior. “It’s … a two-way relationship,” Abramowitz says. Republican elected officials, he adds, “are right that the base has remained with Trump up until now, but part of the reason why they have is because the leaders, except during brief moments, have stuck with him.”

“I do think self-identified Republicans…