Well, yes, but this isn't my fault, but the fault of the translations. The Latin original is more ambigous
et senatus in asserenda libertate adeo consensit, ut consules primo non in curiam, quia Iulia vocabatur, sed in Capitolium convocarent, quidam vero sententiae loco abolendam Caesarum memoriam ac diruenda templa censuerint.
The key question this republican should ask himself is, what does a senator (republican or not) fear most of all. And exactly here you start with a different imperium for the princeps.
Actually this republican must hide like Augustus hided his non-republican mindset. Just the other way around. Until it is too late for the monarchs.
Sorry but Augustus his nothing. He just had an intense propaganda to put words and public symbolic gestures that deceived nobody among the social elite.
There were times of tension in the caesarian-augustan party when Augustus acted in a too openly monarchic way. The most obvious being the promotion of his 2 grandsons/adoptive sons as Principes Juventutis, the of the praetorian guard, the fact that he retained command of most of the armies and of the most important provinces and that he had authority over other proconsuls, and the cult of the emperor.
It's very, very difficult to save the Roman Republic after Marius and Sulla, let alone Caligula.
Someone would have to come up with a workable system that would prevent strongmen from taking over, which means some brand new constitution. And have fun doing that!
