Republicans aren't "republicans" anymore. This is my reason why.

[Kagemusha]

I was glancing at quotes of Joe Klein here:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2005_04_03_digbysblog_archive.html#111302617708745234

What occured to me was this:

Republicans used to be "republican" in outlook, with a love of the rule of law and a suspicion and even disdain for unbridled democracy. Today, as we stand now, it is Republicans who desire unbridled democracy so they can ram a religious agenda in defiance of separation of powers and the rule of law, and the Democrats who are now the party of the rule of law.

In other words, "Republicans" are now democrats, and "Democrats" are now republicans.

Incidentally, that's why I find myself on the "Democratic" side more often than not. I haven't changed. Republicans have - immensely. I just didn't change with them, pre-Bush election to today. I still believe in the rule of law...

[Tactical Progressive]

1. Republicans were never for the rule of law

They never wanted rules or laws restricting child labor, protecting workers, helping consumers, mandating financial visibility, enforcing antitrust regulation, and now starting wars and using torture, etc etc etc.

Nor do they like Democracy. Overthrowing democratically elected leaders worldwide, and now right here in the USA, is no problem for them. Not in the past, and not now.

What Republicans like is no laws and no democracy standing in their way ever for any reason. Laws against someone else, sure. Democracy that only goes their way, sure. But that's not really pro-rule of law or pro-democracy, is it? You are the one who has indeed changed. Don't sell yourself short.

[seabeyond]

2. smaller gov, state powers, fiscal responsibility

constitution, were always important to me. what made me vote democrat were the social issues. now, i can vote democrat and get all i want in one instead of having to let go of some to vote for the social issues, wink

[pacalo]

3. Not true! If anything, Republicans are trying to emulate Democrats,

but there's a huge difference:

When the Democrats worried about the judiciary's role in our public lives, it was in regard to ALL people.

Repugs worry about the judiciary's role in "their" public lives when it affects their special interests only.

The federal budget cuts reveal how little they care about our lives.

[number6]

4. slip sliden toward fascism .....

:(

[Selteri]

5. As Ray-Gun said, I didn't leave the...

Well, we all know he said he didn't leave the democrats, they left him.

Well, I didn't leave the republican party, they left me, way before I ever joined.

THe ideals they used to espouse were great.

Balancing the budget

Keeping taxes managable

Small Government

Those are great ideas, I can't argue with any of them, in theory.

The problem is that the Repulicans haven't been for shrinking government, it's always grown under them, they haven't balanced the budget, they're the tax ansd spenders that they accuse 'liberals' of being and for keeping taxes managable, well, they're not managable when you've got the top paying the least and the middle suffering the burden, that isn't making taxes managable, that's punishing those who aren't a part of the elite.

I've been a moderate since I was given the option of chosing between the democrats or repuiblicans 12 years ago, since then I've left beig independant to becomming a democrat because there is no way that I can not stand in opposition to the republicans that have become the party of...

corruption

graft

War

No responsability for the rich

police and corporate rights

big government

huge spending

unbearable debts

slavery for the poor and destruction fo the middle class

no education other than the bible

This isn't the republican party as it is or how it was represented, the reality is that sadly, these are little more than the ideals that brought about the second and first world war because they have allowed thier fanatacism to take over their party.

The democrats made that mistake as well (See Dixiecrats) they are the same group that has always been in the back of every political party, pulling the strings of religious fanatacism. They drop their roots anywhere hatred allows their seed to take fertalizer and must be stood up to be people who will not allow their freedoms to fail under the destructive attacks these truly despicable people offer under the countless lies they throw to people.

[Erika]

6. The GOP party has been hijacked by theocrats

who also have no abilities or desire to balance the budget.

[lala_rawraw]

7. Ah, no

Republicans are now Neo-Fascists/NeoCons, Democrats are now Centrists (yeah, I know, not sure what that means either) and Progressives are now the old Democrats. The old Republicans are Libertarians. That about covers it.

[fujiyama]

8. That sounds about right

I agree with your analysis, though I'd also include Buchanan/isolationist types as old republicans.

The GOP is a strange coalition of wealthy corporate interests and the theocratic right.

The Dem party is a barely functioning collection of regional parties because we can't seem to really figure what and whom we're about. What was that old saying? Something along the lines of "I belong to no organized political party. I'm a Democrat"?

[applegrove]

9. America is officially Tribal becuase all we are is a stereotype:

"Or maybe it's this thoughtful conservative who heads the Coalition For A Fair Judiciary. Here's what she thoughtfully had to say today, (via Sam Rosenfeld on TAPPED):


My job is stand in the breach between the left and the president’s judicial nominations . . . You know who they are. You’ve seen them. The pro-abortion fanatics and the radical feminists, the atheists who file lawsuits attacking the pledge of allegiance and the ten commandments, the environmentalist tree-hugging animal-rights extremists, the one-world globalists who worship at the altar of the United Nations and international law, the militant homosexuals and the anti-military hippie pieceniks, the racial agitators who believe we are all created equal but some are a little more equal than others, the union bosses and the socialists posing as journalists and college professors, the government bureaucrats and the tax-and-spend junkies, the Hollywood elitists, the air-headed actors and singers who think that we actually care what they think, the pornographers who fund the leftists and who won’t be happy until every Bible in every child’s hands is replaced with the latest copy of Hustler magazine, and of course the gun-grabbing trial lawyers and their willing accomplices in the United States Senate who won’t be happy until they disarm every last citizen down to the last bee bee and paintball gun."

Coalition For A Fair Judiciary Head Kay Daly

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2005_04_03_digbysblog_archive.html#111302617708745234