It is critically important to understand why Liz Cheney lost her Republican primary bid in Wyoming for reelection to the U.S. House of Representative considering that she is one of the most conservative members of the House. She lost because of her opposition to Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and his unsuitability to run for the presidency in 2024.

Her decision to defy Trump was based the primacy of her loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and her wish to preserve democracy over fidelity to the clan leader. She refused to take a knee to the emperor. That got me thinking of how important the fidelity to the cult of Trump has caused his tribal members to ignore Trump’s anti-democratic dysfunction — what David Andress calls “cultural dementia.”

Loyalty to the party and to its leader comes from deep roots of the psyche. The reason it is so easy for people to fall victim to this aspect of tribalism is that we humans are hard-wired to be loyal to the tribe and its leader. According to social-psychologist Johnathan Haidt, “loyalty foundation” is the concept that describes the adaptive nature of forming cohesion in the group–a trait that is fundamental and foundational. Our ancestors found survival value in forming coalitions for hunting and gathering where allegiance and cohesion within the group took precedent over individualism. Our literature reflects the high value we place on loyalty, sacrifice, and chivalry as virtues. It may be a salient human trait of group association where the aggregate becomes more important than narrow self-identification. The individual merges into a greater, more profound entity. It is quite an appealing and powerful psychological transition where self-interest is superseded by something more meaningful. Pro Deo et patria (For God and country) is a concept for which many died in countless wars.

To accuse someone of treason is one of the most serious of all denunciations. History is replete with stories of betrayal. We are reminded of the disloyalty of Marcus Brutus (killing his friend, Caesar) or Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the Romans, or Cain who killed his brother, Abel. The innermost or Ninth Circle of Hell in Dante’s Inferno is aptly named “Treachery.” According to Dante, treachery is the deepest, darkest place in Hell, farthest from Heaven. Thus, disloyalty is the worst among the sins.

Loyalty to the cult can be dysfunctional such as when it overrules allegiance to family and friends. During the Nazi period, Hitler Youth spied for the party and turned in neighbors who were sympathetic to the Jews. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, students denounced their teachers, family, and friends who were critical of Chairman Mao or the Communist Party.

Today in the U.S., the loyalty of many Republicans to Donald Trump’s dysfunctionality supersedes truth, allegiance to the Constitution, and adherence to our foundational democratic principles. To me, Liz Chaney is a true patriot and loyalist for adhering to her oath to “protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic.” She denounced the man who would be king and heroically supported the rule of law against the domestic terrorism that occurred on Jan. 6th. I am hopeful that love of country will convince others to follow Liz’s lead in rejecting the unpatriotic actions of Donald Trump.

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