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R.I.P. the G.O.P.
Apr. 6th, 2010 12:06 amOnce upon a time, there was a respectable political party that intelligent people could feel comfortable belonging to called the Republicans. (No, really. If you've never heard the words "respectable", "intelligent", and "Republican" used together without irony, here's a history lesson: "Do You Remember the Republicans?" http://reconstitution.us/rcnew/?p=7629 ) Somewhere in the 1970s-1990s, the party leadership went nuts. People argue over exactly when and exactly why, but that it happened is undeniable. By 2010, the nutcases currently in charge are waging an all-out war to "purge" the G.O.P. of the sort of moderately conservative voters who used to form the core of the Republican Party. One of those folks is not going quietly. He's written an eloquent essay on how the party he joined as a young man has now become a mockery of itself called "How the GOP Purged Me". Here's the opening:
I am an old Republican. I am religious, yet not a fanatic. I am a free-marketer; yet, I believe in the role of the government as a fair evenhanded referee. I am socially conservative; yet, I believe that my lesbian niece and my gay grandchild should have the full protection of the law and live as free Americans enjoying every aspect of our society with no prejudices and/or restrictions. Nowadays, my political and socio-economic profile would make me a Marxist, not a Republican.
I grew up in an era where William F. Buckley fought the John Birch society and kicked them out of the Republican Party. I grew up with -– in fact voted for the first time for –- Eisenhower. In 1956, he ran a campaign of dignity. A campaign that acknowledged that there are certain projects better suited to be handled by the government. See, business thinks in the short term, as he said. That’s the imperative of the marketplace. I invest and I expect that in a few quarters, I garner the fruits of my investment. Government, on the other hand, has the luxury to wait a few years, maybe decades, for a return on a given investment. As a former businessman, I know that first hand. Am I a Marxist for thinking that?
The rest of the article can be read here: http://www.frumforum.com/how-the-gop-purged-me
No, sir, I wouldn't call you a Marxist. I'd call you sane.
Unfortunately, I'm in my forties, and I can't personally remember when the Republicans were not nutcases. Even more unfortunately, many of the people who vilify this man can't either, and that's the way they want their Republican Party to be. But those who want more from this country's conservative political party than bigotted lunacy are gathering here to see if they can come up with something sensible the Republicans can be for instead of against: http://republicansunited.us/2010/04/whats-the-game-plan/
As a lifelong diehard liberal, I wish them well. We've all seen the mess that results from electing conservative nutcases simply because they were the only conservatives on the ticket. Government works best when it's run by intelligent people willing to work together with other intelligent people even if they disagree with each other, not by demogogues who praise intolerance as a virtue.
I am an old Republican. I am religious, yet not a fanatic. I am a free-marketer; yet, I believe in the role of the government as a fair evenhanded referee. I am socially conservative; yet, I believe that my lesbian niece and my gay grandchild should have the full protection of the law and live as free Americans enjoying every aspect of our society with no prejudices and/or restrictions. Nowadays, my political and socio-economic profile would make me a Marxist, not a Republican.
I grew up in an era where William F. Buckley fought the John Birch society and kicked them out of the Republican Party. I grew up with -– in fact voted for the first time for –- Eisenhower. In 1956, he ran a campaign of dignity. A campaign that acknowledged that there are certain projects better suited to be handled by the government. See, business thinks in the short term, as he said. That’s the imperative of the marketplace. I invest and I expect that in a few quarters, I garner the fruits of my investment. Government, on the other hand, has the luxury to wait a few years, maybe decades, for a return on a given investment. As a former businessman, I know that first hand. Am I a Marxist for thinking that?
The rest of the article can be read here: http://www.frumforum.com/how-the-gop-purged-me
No, sir, I wouldn't call you a Marxist. I'd call you sane.
Unfortunately, I'm in my forties, and I can't personally remember when the Republicans were not nutcases. Even more unfortunately, many of the people who vilify this man can't either, and that's the way they want their Republican Party to be. But those who want more from this country's conservative political party than bigotted lunacy are gathering here to see if they can come up with something sensible the Republicans can be for instead of against: http://republicansunited.us/2010/04/whats-the-game-plan/
As a lifelong diehard liberal, I wish them well. We've all seen the mess that results from electing conservative nutcases simply because they were the only conservatives on the ticket. Government works best when it's run by intelligent people willing to work together with other intelligent people even if they disagree with each other, not by demogogues who praise intolerance as a virtue.