"If conservatives realize they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism...."

[scheming daemons]

"They will abandon democracy."

Link to tweet

[Crunchy Frog]

1. It's pretty much already happened.

[VOX]

2. It's true, but that train left the station years ago.

However, it’s still an appropriate and timely.

[JHan]

3. Been this way a while now, a long while now.

[superpatriotman]

4. Fuck the right wing

for making me agree with Frum

[2naSalit]

5. Already happened...nt

[DBoon]

6. National Review worshipped Francisco Franco

As a Christian gentleman

They have never believed in democracy

[workinclasszero]

24. Now they have Putin

Whats old is new again.

[Honeycombe8]

7. David Frum has it right. He's a conservative. He knows. nt

[The Liberal Lion]

8. Someone already said it, but I'll repeat

They already have abandoned democracy. No one who loves America and what it stands for could have ever voted for trump. The election of Barack Obama proved that democracy works. Because it does they hate democracy. Trust a trumpist at your own risk.

[Pepsidog]

9. So true

[Beartracks]

10. Because conservatives believe in America. :sarcasm:

==============

[FakeNoose]

11. They will cheat anyway they can - first

Then if they still can't win, they'll abandon democracy!

[Duppers]

12. K & R

+100

They're doing it now.

[kyburbonkid]

13. Like one of the Transformers

Conservatism transforms into Corruptionism and vice-versa. Just name one good thing that a "conservative" GOP republicans(sp) have done... Honestly, I can not think of a single thing from Federal to State, to Local. But they will certainly gerrymander a district to fit there needs.

[trof]

14. Mattress tagging. Brilliant!

A new use for abandoned mattresses.

[TomSlick]

15. Well, in my opinion,

a lot of the problem is that conservatives have abandoned conservatism in favor of Trumpism.

The Republican party is no longer any part of a conservative movement. The Republican party is nothing more or less than a personality cult.

[uponit7771]

17. Republicans have overtly emplimented anti Liberal Democracy policies for at least the last 10 years

... with their tampering with voting in the US.

They can't win with policy and don't believe in liberal democracies either.

[TomSlick]

19. Agreed.

[JHB]

18. I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Tom

I had a rant on this yesterday in another thread. Conservatives don't get to disown what they have built by calling it "Trumpism".

It bears repeating here:


Trump is a result, not the cause.

It is conservatives who rejected any compromise or cooperation with "the enemy", and punished transgressors.

In the 70s and 80s they targeted Rockefeller Republicans to unseat them and drive them out of any position of power, all because the R Rs stood in the way of their complete-deregulation and "damn the deficits, full tax cuts ahead" priorities. They sought out what hot buttons to push to get people single-issue voting, the better to beak up Democratic voting blocs.

In the 90s they faced their worst nightmare: a charismatic "pro-business" Democrat from a southern state, one who was ok with the death penalty and cutting back on welfare. All the usual Republican campaign rhetoric against Democrats were wet noodles against a guy like that. A guy like that could peel off enough support that all the conservatives' pet projects would be stymied for years or completely undone. A guy who wouldn't be giving conservative partisans lifetime judicial appointments.

So they went full hot button: What's your nightmare? Look! Bill and Hillary Clinton are IT! What's your pet peeve? Bill and Hillary Clinton do it! What have you spent years grinding an ax about? Bill and Hillary Clinton are its living embodiment! They ran against Draft-Dodgin' Dope-Smokin' Jazz-Playin' Slick-Talkin' Citizenship-Renouncin' Hippy Bill and Manhatin' Harpy From Hell Hillary. Newt Gingrich enshrined that tactic, and changed the House rules to further discourage "fraternizing" with Enemy colleagues.

In the end Newt stepped down as Speaker because the Salome Caucus he'd built was going to boot him for failing to deliver the head of Bill the Clinton to them on a silver platter.

2008 rolls around, and they take that playbook they built up in the 90s and use it as a starting point, with extra racism on top. Total Opposition. Screw economic recovery, we have to make sure this Chicago guy is a one-term president. No cooperation.

They voted against their own bills when Obama said "Ok, if that's what it takes to get it done, we'll do it your way" because they could not be seen shaking hands and cooperating with the new boogeyman. Anything less would have the Salome Caucus putting them on the silver platter list.

Conservatives treated all internal opposition as slackers, apostates, and fifth columnists. And they've done so for decades. They turned the Party of Lincoln into the Party of Ahab, and anyone who gets in the way of the hunt for the White Whale...

... the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart’s shell upon it.

They built that.

[Cosmocat]

20. Ive posted/said

What you posted start to finish hundreds of times.

SPOT on.

He is a symptom, not a cause.

DECADES of their borg like assault on reason and decency.

[TomSlick]

21. I agree with what you said.

However, my point is that the Republican party has abandoned basic tenants of the conservative movement, like concerns about the federal deficit and free trade. The Republican party has lost touch with its roots. As you say, the party of Lincoln (and Reagan for that matter) has been turned into the party of Trump.

I am genuinely concerned about how clearly the cult of personality around Trump echoes the rise of fascism throughout history.

[uponit7771]

16. K&R,

[dalton99a]

22. Kick

[workinclasszero]

23. It's a damned done deal

The GOP is a treason party.