Here's how Trump's attempted coup was a success

Former President Donald Trump may have failed in his efforts to overturn the presidential election but a new op-ed highlights the one thing he did accomplish.

The Daily Beast's David Lure' explores how Trump has managed to shake the foundation of the Republican Party and transformed it into an "anti-Democratic" political system that goes against what the United States stands for.

According to Lure, Trump has "succeeded in transforming the GOP into an ever more radicalized party that rewards extremism, and punishes, or even banishes, those members who fail to support ever more audacious attacks on democracy and the nation’s electoral process."

While Lure did surmise that Trump is not a replica of Adolph Hitler, he did note the parallels in the structural dynamics of their political systems. "While Trump is, of course, no Hitler, he and his acolytes have used a similar reward-and-punishment dynamic to relentlessly move the GOP towards a dynamic of ever-greater extremism, in which adherence to legal and moral norms is viewed as intolerable weakness," Lure pointed out.

To make matters worse, this political approach has only become more apparent since Trump's attempt to overturn the election. Lure noted, "The GOP’s dynamic of rewarding extremism, and penalizing restraint, has only strengthened since Trump lost the election."

He went on to offer an example of this disturbing practice as he shared a brief timeline of the treatment Georgia state officials have been subjected to. After President Joe Biden's victory was affirmed, Trump continued to level attacks toward Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R).

"During the succeeding months, Trump’s relentless attacks on Raffensperger and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp have induced other Republicans to join in attacking the two for not undoing the outcome of the 2020 election," Lure wrote, "and to induce opponents who share Trump’s extremist agenda to plan primary challenges against them, making radicalism the norm in the party."

Lure also explained why it is imperative for lawmakers to continue their investigation into the U.S. Capitol insurrection as he urged them to continue to seek answers and hold those involved accountable.

"It is essential that Congress’ Jan. 6 committee, as well as the Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies, continue to seek out every relevant item of evidence regarding this effort to take down the nation’s democracy, and identify the role of each of the schemers," Lure wrote. "The evidence may well establish that individuals, potentially including Trump himself, are guilty of federal crimes arising from the putsch scheme, such as obstruction of the congressional electoral vote counting proceedings."