In suburban Texas, 'it feels like there's no place for lifelong Republicans like me'

[Zorro]

Vanessa Steinkamp is the kind of voter that Texas Republicans counted on. She’s a devoted conservative who volunteered for Bob Dole’s presidential campaign, interned for former GOP Sen. Bill Frist and lives in an affluent suburb between Fort Worth and Dallas that is the reddest pocket of a reliably Republican district.

These days, though, Steinkamp feels alienated, not energized, by her party. The thought of voting in 2020 brings on a weary sigh.

“It feels like there’s no place for lifelong Republicans like me,” she said.

Her unease underscores a larger problem for Texas Republicans: Female suburban voters like Steinkamp are no longer a sure bet for the party, injecting new competitiveness into the Lone Star State’s politics.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-13/texas-congress-suburban-women-republicans

[dlk]

1. When the Leader of the Republican Party Brags About Sexually Assaulting Women,

And is close friends with a sex trafficker, at some point, even lifelong Republican women will be turned off. Especially when adding the sharp increase in mass shootings and locking kidnapped children in cages. Most women, regardless of party affiliation, care deeply about these issues.

[Progressive Jones]

2. The biggest mistakes that the GOP made were

inviting the "riff raff' in under the umbrella in order to get votes.

In the GOP's desperation for more votes, the far-right fringe was let in.
Ego driven, power hungry candidates, right wing fringe evangelicals, white nationalists, tea baggers, gun addicts. The whole lot.
There is no longer any room in the GOP for the principled Conservative.

[Roy Rolling]

7. Hillary called it

Deplorables in, principled conservatives out.

[mgardener]

14. And the Evangelical Christians

It took a while, but you know they were holding themselves to a higher standard that the they would never be able to maintain.
Right to life * compassionate conservative* Trump.
They are supporting a pussy grabbing, adulterer, married 3 times, liar, cheater, racist, bully, proud, arrogant man.
Who would have thought that the holier- then - thou Christians would have Ever supported a man like Trump.

[Hekate]

15. He's pretty much devoted his life to the 7 Deadly Sins, & sooner or later that has to sink in. nt

[Ilsa]

29. And he "takes the Lord's name in vain," another

Ten Commandments violation.

[Blue_true]

17. The death of the party started when it embraced the southern strategy.

Instead of telling Whites that wanted to cling to segregation and racism that they were dead wrong, republicans embraced then, abeit at arm's length. Then they invited in the evangelicals in the 80s to cling to power. Only electoral cheating has kept them relevant since 1992. Really, a Chamber of Commerce person should be a democrat, democratic Presidents have produced better economies for all but around 8 years since 1902.

[uponit7771]

23. +1, and KGOP gets in and spikes the economy with tax cuts mostly for rich people that aren't ...

... organic growth tools and later puff's out of steam and everything comes crashing down.

[Blue_true]

35. Democrats come in and fix the problems the GOP created.

The fix absolutely requires spending money. The GOP, which had spent like druken sailors start crying loudly about deficits and debt. Democrats focus on fixing things, only to have voters choose the GOP during midterms. Democrats don't point out that Bush left President Obama almost $14 trillion in debt and an annual budget deficit of $1.4 trillion dollars. Democrats don't point out that in 4 years, President Obama had reduced Bush's trillion plus dollar deficit to around $500 billion. Democrats don't point out that President Clinton left Bush an annual budget surplus, which Bush promptly turned into a huge annual budget deficit.

[Midnight Writer]

21. Absolutely. The "born again" Republicans I know think that the GOP isn't going far enough.

You can easily get them to say they would vote for Putin over Hillary for President.

[Takket]

3. support a primary challenge against drumpf and vote for a Dem in the general

Democrats are far more fiscally responsible than rethugs so if "conservatives" actually care about spending, they should be voting with us

[spanone]

4. Poor baby.

[SamKnause]

5. Too Bad, So Sad.

I wish all of them would move out of this country.

I prefer the undocumented immigrants.

Republicans never do anything that is good for the people of this country.

They are the enemy.

[vercetti2021]

6. Well Texas won't be your place soon

Once this flips. It will stay democratic for a generation.

[Blue_true]

18. More than a generation.

Once Florida and Texas flip blue, they are California and WestCoast gone for the GOP. That is why the Republican Party is fighting like the dickens to keep Florida and Texas, as well as North Carolina and Georgia (both of which are starting to show signs of a Virginia transistion).

[vercetti2021]

24. That will be the endgame

Arizona as well. From Washington to Texas will be a democratic firewall

[NCLefty]

8. Your world changed. You just noticed. You know what to do.

[CDerekGo]

9. Never understood

Anyone who voted by Straight Party Ticket anyhow. Though my parents have slid the slippery slope into complete and total #MAGAt's, they've always seemed to consider themselves 'Independents', even registering that way when we first moved to Florida over 30 years ago. Me, I was stupid and believed all of the bile they spewed about the GOP, the regurgitation of the GOP talking points at the Dinner Table.

It wasn't until I got a DECENT PAYING UNION JOB, that made me see the light, and realize that GOP wasn't out for the working man, and NO, I was not a millionaire, I had no chance of winning a million dollars, and stopped buying those stupid Lotto Tix long ago. I determined the only person who was going to put money into my back pocket, was the poor sod looking back at me in the bathroom mirror every morning, as I got ready to go to work, yet another day.

But, I did realize, that NOW, with a UNION JOB, I was finally getting paid a Union Wage, a Living Wage, WITH benefits, WITH Retirement, WITH a Pension Plan, as well as many, many other perks. Those other poor idiots I grew up with in North Carolina, who believed that "Union" was a dirty word, are now celebrating their 40 year High School Reunion, showing up in their Walmart Finest, simply because that's all they can afford with their Walmart Employee Discount.

No thank you, I'm super happy I figured out how to VOTE BLUE! May I suggest to this 'lifelong Republican' STOP voting against yourself!

[Ligyron]

16. I'm always amazed at the number of Dems whose parents went all MAGAt.

One could almost understand someone being a Bob Dole, GHW Bush type Republican, but you'd think those type of folks would be horrified by Trump, get a clue and leave. I mean, most of the people my parent's age had good manners and a filter.

But then I have to remind myself that Trump pretty much kicked the ass of every well mannered candidate on that debate stage and won handily in all those state primaries. I think a lot of old time R's with half way decent manners got disgusted, stayed home and skipped the primaries. Then, with Faux ooze playing in the background, the thought of Hillary being President overcame their disgust of Trump and now we have this mess.

IDK...

[Mariana]

25. It didn't happen to them overnight.

They've listened to many thousands of hours of right-wing propaganda, day after day, year after year. For 30 years they've been told that Hillary Clinton is evil incarnate. This is also what has affected their manners, I believe. They listen to these right wing talk show hosts being disrespectful and rude and hateful to their guests and callers who disagree, day after day, year after year. They come to believe such behavior is normal and acceptable in real life. So, when Trump acts like that, It doesn't disgust them at all. On the contrary, they applaud and cheer, because they approve of it.

Also, most of them are Christian, and lots of Christian churches are preaching that Trump is God's own chosen president, and that support for Trump is essentially a tenet of the faith. As a result, the majority of Christian voters in 2016 cast their ballots for Trump, and most of them will probably do it again in 2020 if given the chance.

[Ace Rothstein]

10. Even these people being discouraged enough to just stay home would be great for our party.

And in turn the country.

[Wounded Bear]

11. So much this...

If they are that disgusted, just stay home.

[rpannier]

26. Agreed

That way they don't decide to vote for Republikkans for other offices, like the senate, house, etc

[Texasgal]

12. Aweeee!

Too bad... With Trump these elections are going to landslides.

You fucked up GOP. Good luck!

[LudwigPastorius]

13. "It feels like there's no place for lifelong Republicans like me," she said.

What a snowflake! She needs a safe space.

Try Mississippi or Alabama, Vanessa.

[TheBlackAdder]

19. Sure there is, it's called Russia!

[Vogon_Glory]

31. No, there isn't, lady. The old Republican Party is dead, dead, dead

Last edited Wed Aug 14, 2019, 09:17 AM - Edit history (1)

If you can’t stomach these people but you can’t bring yourself to vote Democratic, then do right by yourself and for the country and stay home on Electiion Day.

[Ferrets are Cool]

20. You have voted for ALL the asswipes that have put this country in it's dire

catastrophic condition. FUCK YOU. You are just an idiot. One that negatively affects ME and my family. So again, FUCK YOU.

[PandoraAwakened]

32. This! n/t

[Ferrets are Cool]

33. ,,,

[KPN]

22. Too bad. So sad. Yippee!

[rpannier]

27. Do us all a favor... Stay Home

This will provide certainty that you will not be voting for the Republican running for the senate, the house, etc

[anarch]

28. as a suburban Texan, sure there is: vote Dem!

as somebody or other said, "what have you got to lose?"

[JCMach1]

34. Since I moved here, I have watched my neighborhood turn Bluer and more diverse every year...

Collin County as a whole is now only about +5 Red. It will probably be less this year.

Collin County is the fast growing northern burbs of Dallas.

[duforsure]

30. They no longer exist, and now have become the KGBOP

And have put Putin in charge by taking laundered money, and have been corrupted, and compromised. They are destroying Democracy now, so a vote for them is a vote to destroy America as we know it.