The New Republican Party

[TomT]

As a life-long Republican voter, I find the term MAGA Republican repulsive. There is little doubt that my party has become more right-wing and more radical in how it expresses issues and more reactive to the smallest insults, but the pejorative MAGA Republican moniker is not acceptable.

I am distressed by the way the party sees its political opponents as “the enemies of America” and define every political issue as a life-or-death issue.

I worry about our new found affection for paramilitaries, predatory podcasters and QAnon. We have invited racists, holocaust denying neo-Nazis and white supremacists into the tent on a stand back, stand by basis.

The thoughts of Trump are too often treated by the party like the thoughts of Mao; semi-divine and inerrant. He has taught us how to hate those that hate him and love those that love him. His enemies are our enemies. That list seems to grow daily.

Honesty and integrity in word and deed is now a thing of the past because it never makes the news cycle. Standing up for America only if we win is not the party I once knew. We have changed important terminology such as replacing “dictator” with authoritarian. Now we are clamoring for a new “authoritarian” leader when the old authoritarian leader is still ready to make a comeback with $100 million of our money in his pocket.

It is my hope that our Republican leaders as well as Republican critics can stop the MAGA Republican party rhetoric and simply refer to the Republican party as the New Republican Party. Perhaps by changing the name to the New Republican Party it might bring attention to the new ideas and policies in today’s Republican party unburdened by any connection to the Old Republican party that has seemingly passed into history.

I am deeply disappointed in the New Republican party’s focus and fascination with winning the “culture wars.”  In my opinion, the reason that Republicans have been so focused on the Culture Wars is that Americans don't actually like their policies. I disagree about the reasons for the culture wars. I don't think Republican policies are unpopular; they don’t exist. They are no longer a party of policy. Policy requires legislative skill, strategic thinking, integrity and a devotion to America over party.

The current crop of Republicans is not capable of crafting solutions to large problems. In fact, they are incentivized to avoid solving problems. For instance, if they craft a new workable and popular policy for controlling our southern border, they would lose the much more valuable talking point about how Democrats have left the door open to a flood of immigrants on purpose as a means of replacing American jobs and ensuring Democrat party victory. This is a scare tactic they can't afford to lose. A divisive talking point is far more valuable and a whole lot easier than crafting a solution. Same holds true for the environment, inflation, energy independence, support for democracies/Ukraine, healthcare, social security, China, Medicaid, Medicare, NATO, Russia, racism, white nationalism, violent right-wing organizations, medical disinformation, etc.

Not only are they incapable and disinterested in solving these problems, but by not dealing with them, they will have 24 months of open time for get even politics. Expect them to focus on:

·       Investigating Meta’s internet properties

·       Investigating Hunter's laptop

·       Investigating the January 6th House investigation

·       Investigating Biden’s southern border policy

·       Investigating the convictions of innocent American January 6th patriots by an out-of-control DOJ

·       Investigating the corrupt FBI for raiding the President's winter home and taking his stuff

·       Investigating the FBI for not finding massive fraud in the 2020 and 2022 elections

·       Investigating the corrupt Department of Justice who are conducting an unconstitutional and illegal witch hunt against Trump

·       Investigating our corrupt school system and the corrupt FBI's investigation of violent speech and threats made in School Board meetings

·       Investigating Rupert Murdoch for turning against Trump and saying not nice things about Republican "leadership"

·       Investigating how corrupt election systems allow "unelected" Democrats to win

·       Investigating the businesses that stopped donating to the Republican party after Jan 6 i.e. Forever to be known as "Corporate Communists"

·       Investigating ways to block abortion and punish people and businesses who "facilitate" legal abortions

·       Investigating the massive waste of taxpayer money to fuel a war against our strategic friend, Russia

·       Investigating ways to punish Trump's growing enemies list

·       Developing a list of Republicans convicted criminals who are contributors and "friends" to pardon as soon as Republicans win back the White House.

·       Investigating ways of getting more money into the hands of the richest Americans

Given that the Republicans have nothing else to do for the next 24 months, they will be totally focused on punishing, disparaging and crippling their ever-growing list of enemies and rewarding their ever-shrinking list of "friends."

[Nationalist]

Interesting. So the Democrats drag the Republicans through the mud...gain power and trash the economy...and your response is to forgive and forget?

There is no reason to be ashamed of making America great. If you are...perhaps helping the Democrats dig America into an even deeper hole, would appeal to you?

[Infidel Dog]

On 12/7/2022 at 8:31 AM, TomT said:

There is little doubt that my party has become more right-wing and more radical in how it expresses issues

No it hasn't. The rest of the world has simply become more left wing. Even just 20 years ago much of what you're calling radical would be called common sense.

The Republican elite that took over the party during the Bush years are the only problem. Take your Mitch McConnells and your Lindsey Grahams and your Thom Tillis's and start your "New Republican Party" then. You'll be missed less than you think.

This below is the sort of thing that's wrong with the current Republican Party.

Thom Tillis Is Why That Red Wave Didn’t Materialize

[Infidel Dog]

Every once in awhile there's hope the Republican party might return to the sanity of the Pre-Bush years though.

For instance:

Seven More Republicans Vow to Oppose Kevin McCarthy

[Aristides]

Just what Democrats love to hear I'm sure.

[Michael Hardner]

"Right Wing" is a vector not a fixed position.

Obama's tax rates were lower than Reagan's but he isn't considered 'right wing'... the idea is to get tax rates for the wealthy to zero,then eventually pay them to run the country.  "Republican Elite"

But if there's a Republican NON elite is there a Democrat NON elite ??

Hmmmm

 

[Infidel Dog]

1 hour ago, Aristides said:

Just what Democrats love to hear I'm sure.

No. What Democrats love to hear is the sound of no pushback when they sneak in things like early voting, ballot drop-off boxes and mail-out (meaning unregistered mail-out as opposed to mail-in request ballots) voting.

You know...exploitable adjustments to voting regulations.

I bet they were grinning and rubbing their hands together in Arizona when the two McConnellite, Republican voter counters, Gates and Richer were making moves to see America First candidates lost. They must have fallen asleep chuckling when they saw their Candidate for governor was the one managing the election. And the Republican elite did nothing more than deny their Arizona candidates campaign funding for not being their kind of Republicans.

That's what Democrats really want to hear. I'm sure they're chuckling in Arizona and thinking to themselves, "Keep it up, Dummies."

[Aristides]

Discord among Republicans is music to Democrat ears.

[TomT]

Mr Hardner,

That is a good question. What does right-wing mean? I don't think it is a vector. To me, right wing is moving dramatically toward fascism. Fascism has many variations but here are some of the characteristic that have applied since the Italians invented in WW1.

Reverence & Deference for a Powerful Leader - without regard to his actions "all elections are rigged and corrupt"

Hatred for those on the left - who are actively seeking to destroy our country i.e his enemies.

Disregard for laws and a Constitution - i.e. January 6th and the attempted Trump takeover. Trump's many trials and prosecutions are only "witch hunts" by communists and those trying to destroy America. To fix America, Trump will have to break rules, regulations and articles of the Constitution. Exactly as Hitler did.

The identification of the current government as unredeemable - the current government that have been identified as corrupt and filled with people who hate America and communists at all level of the government i.e. According to Trump defeating Democrats is the same thing as defeating communists. His words

Blaming the "other." For Hitler it was the jews and communists that caused all the pain and suffering of the German people. Now is the "hoards" of criminal immigrants flooding into America, taking our jobs, replacing "true" Americans and for the pain and suffering of America. He has drawn near the those who also blame the Jews. He has called out paramilitary private militia on a "stand back and stand by basis.

[ironstone]

On the other side of the coin, what does it mean to be left-wing? I think it's complete nonsense to suggest that it's the Republicans who are moving farther to the right when compared to how far to the left the Democrats have clearly moved.

It is the Democrats that are constantly putting down their own country and it's history. It is the Democrats that are attacking the Constitution, particularly free speech and the right to bear arms. It is Democrats that invite drag queens into schools while denying parents rights. It is the Democrats that sit back while crime flourishes in their cities. Biden appointed a Socialist as one of his economic advisors (Bernie Sanders) ! There are more radical Democrats than there are radical Republicans.

[eyeball]

On 12/9/2022 at 2:15 PM, TomT said:

Mr Hardner,That is a good question. What does right-wing mean? I don't think it is a vector.

The right wing is certainly not a place so it must be a thing moving in whatever direction the vector is pointed at.

Quote

To me, right wing is moving dramatically toward fascism.

What is the right-wing seems a better question to ask, then you could ask why one direction and not another.

It seems pointless to suggest a new thread for something that probably already occupies a 1/3 of the entire Internet's band width but for what it's worth I think every governing system known to man has a right-wing.  I see little reason not to believe we'll find it's like this everywhere in the universe.

[eyeball]

On 12/10/2022 at 6:03 AM, ironstone said:

On the other side of the coin, what does it mean to be left-wing?

A different thing moving in a different direction.

I'd have to add however that reality has a left-wing bias - it's the direction evolution has been taking nature since things went bang.

I see little reason not to believe we'll find it's also like this everywhere in the universe.

[TomT]

Ironstone,

There is now and has been a radical left-wing in America. In the 30's-50's it was the communist party. While "modern" left wingers begrudgingly have moved on, they have simply kept the core of "old timey communism" and wrapped in a thin veneer of moderenity. Now, instead of the proletariat vs bourgeoisie, it endless categories of classes, groups, genders, races, income levels, historically disadvantaged all fighting against the Male dominated hierarchy and the instrutions that enable them.. They have dominated the non-STEM programs of virtually every university in the US. Their orthodoxy is so rigid that they won't allow disenting opinions to be voice becasue "words are just another form of violence," that we must protect our students from having to endure. One tiny example:

Columbia University

73% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable.

64% of students say they have self-censored on campus.

73% of students say they worried about damaging their reputation because someone misunderstands something they have said or done.

For every one conservative student, there are roughly 6.8 Leftist students.

Leftists pour poison into the American well in at least these areas.

1.       Freedom of speech- restrained speech is not free speech

2.       Destruction of the individual

3.       Destruction of our heritage

4.       Making equity the enemy of equality

5.       Returning to race-based politics

6.       Shell game politics

Destruction of the individual

At core of the American uniqueness is the fact that we are sovereign individuals. We are each born equal and with certain inalienable personal rights granted us by our creator. Each is equal before the law. Each is equal in their quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. American history is a story of the continuous application of these individual rights to more and more Americans. Except in Wyoming, women could not vote in until 1920; a full 144years after the founding. Black Americans did not reach full respect of their rights until 1965; 189 years after the founding. America has continued its mission to ensure that every individual citizen shares the same equality of opportunity as all other citizens. Equality of opportunity is not an achievement. It is America’s unending mission.

Leftist dogma is that there is no such thing as a sovereign individual. We are all part of competing groups. Achieving power for our group is the only objective. We are all oppressed by one or more other groups and all groups are oppressed by the Male Hierarchy which rules the world. Every gain achieved by one group comes at the expense of another group. There is no such thing as an individual. Individuals are comprised totally of the insights, attitudes, life experiences and identity that come only from the groups to which they belong.

Leftist like old line communists, need to see history as one continuous march in one direction; theirs. The process used is called “Presentism.” This is a way to see history through current values, philosophies and a self-righteous political lens. Thus, all of American history is one of total disaster awaiting only the arrival of the “new” age, be that Leftism or Communism. One result of this distorted view of history is to see only villain’s and corruption in America’s past. The founders are despised as slave holders, religious bigots, rapists of the environment, vicious despoilers of native people and cultures. Later America was run by warmongers, predatory Capitalists and corrupt political leaders. Of course, the only way history can be viewed this was is by applying current political, ethical and moral values to those who came before us. Their intent is to describe an America absent of any moral or ethical value. It’s founding documents only crafted to serve the political and economic interests of a tiny minority of rich white land and slave owners.

Each American generation is called upon to expand equality of opportunity. The historic approach to expanding equality of opportunity is to identify the root causes of inequality and bring forward solutions in law and in social services such as education and healthcare. The fundamental belief is that equality of opportunity will result in a vibrant meritocracy in which each individual is free to achieve their aspirations through the ever-increasing value of their contributions.

To Leftists, the solution to all forms of inequality is to call for equity. They believe that the single source of solutions is governmental regulations that provide direct advantages to those deemed “disadvantaged.” The leftist theory, extracted from communist dogma, is that it is responsibility government is to make outcomes “equal.”  

[WestCanMan]

TomT is the American version of a Michael Hardner here.

He's a leftist who feels like his opinions will pack more punch if he starts his sentences with "I'm a conservative, but...." and then he rattles off a litany of CNN talking points such as "I believe in Russian collusion, the FBI's crimes don't matter, Trump's characterization of the amount of rainfall during his inauguration is the most serious lie ever foisted on the American people, etc".

Just think about the blatant partisan idiocy of this one comment:

Quote

I am distressed by the way the party sees its political opponents as “the enemies of America” and define every political issue as a life-or-death issue.

The Dems have gone so far as to say that anyone who supports Trump is a danger to America, they talk about how conservatives are the main terrorists in America, they ran America through the mud for 3 years with their bogus Russian collusion BS, they used covid as a wedge issue instead of fighting it along with Republicans, they tol their voters to "get in the faces of Republican politicans and push back on them", they pretended that calls for violence against the president were freedom of speech issues, they called protests at SCJ's houses free speech, etc.

Democrats are the very worst in the world at defining their political opponents as “the enemies of America”, and it's not even close.

TomT = Michael Harnder with a southern drawl.

Edited December 13, 2022 by WestCanMan

[Infidel Dog]

1 hour ago, WestCanMan said:

The Dems have gone so far as to say that anyone who supports Trump is a danger to America, they talk about how conservatives are the main terrorists in America, they ran America through the mud for 3 years with their bogus Russian collusion BS, they used covid as a wedge issue instead of fighting it along with Republicans, they tol their voters to "get in the faces of Republican politicans and push back on them", they pretended that calls for violence against the president were freedom of speech issues, they called protests at SCJ's houses free speech, etc.

Democrats are the very worst in the world at defining their political opponents as “the enemies of America”, and it's not even close.

TomT = Michael Harnder with a southern drawl.

I don't know if I'm ready to jump on the Tom = Mike wagon based on this post. He was dead-on with the equity is Commie talk point. But somebody was talking McConnellesque uniparty talk on another thread. Was that Tom?

In any case, WCM, I'm on board with you on what's above that and I would like to head off the first dummy that's learned a new term without considering what it means and tell them that's not "whataboutism."

That's saying when an offense is so aggressive it demands a reaction the gloves come off. The phrase "equal and opposite reaction" comes to mind.

 

[Michael Hardner]

"To Leftists, the solution to all forms of inequality is to call for equity. They believe that the single source of solutions is governmental regulations that provide direct advantages to those deemed “disadvantaged.” The leftist theory, extracted from communist dogma, is that it is responsibility government is to make outcomes “equal.”  "

Simplified pap.

Let's talk about "united we stand" "right to work" "corporate payouts" "limited liability" and all of the pro-combine, business protectionist policies that Republicans invoke to please the masters that pay for their campaigns.

If access is so equal, why are working people falling behind ?  Even the right-wing folks on this board seem to think so, although they'll attribute it to an 11 cent carbon tax or TFWs working at Tim Hortons...

[Michael Hardner]

On 12/7/2022 at 11:31 AM, TomT said:

As a life-long Republican voter, 

Also TomT - pretty rich that you would decry disregard for 'laws' given that you have disregarded this forum's rules around cross posting:

https://repolitics.com/forums/guidelines/

 

Quote

No Cross-Posting
 
Cross posting is defined as posting the same information in more then one forum on the Internet. It is also considered cross posting if you post the same information in different areas of these forums. If you want to propose a new topic, find the appropriate category and only post once.

All cross-posts will be deleted without warning.

And here's Tom aka Richmondc7 on debate politics.com:

 

https://debatepolitics.com/threads/introducing-the-new-republican-party.497643/ 

Quote

• #1

The New Republican Party

As a lifelong Republican voter, I find the term MAGA Republican repulsive. There is little doubt that my party has become more right-wing and more radical in how it expresses issues and more reactive to the smallest insults, but the pejorative MAGA Republican moniker is not acceptable.

Also - stock photo... likely a Russian bot hooray...

Edited December 13, 2022 by Michael Hardner

[eyeball]

2 hours ago, Michael Hardner said:

"To Leftists, the solution to all forms of inequality is to call for equity. They believe that the single source of solutions is governmental regulations that provide direct advantages to those deemed “disadvantaged.” The leftist theory, extracted from communist dogma, is that it is responsibility government is to make outcomes “equal.”  "

Simplified pap.

I'll say.  Speaking for myself this old lefty thinks it's the government's responsibility to simply ensure the playing field isn't unfairly tilted one way or another - to make opportunity less unequal.

Good luck with that given how much lobbying is conducted in secret away from the public. The problem isn't outcomes so much as all the inputs and through-puts that precede them.

[Michael Hardner]

10 minutes ago, eyeball said:

1. I'll say.  Speaking for myself this old lefty thinks it's the government's responsibility to simply ensure the playing field isn't unfairly tilted one way or another - to make opportunity less unequal.

2. Good luck with that given how much lobbying is conducted in secret away from the public. The problem isn't outcomes so much as all the inputs and through-puts that precede them.

1. Old rightys think that too.  They call them 'tariffs' not 'taxes' but it's the same thing.
2. In camera lobbying is hard to dislodge.  What if we had citizen observers involved ?  I haven't turned down the idea after all these years btw.

[Infidel Dog]

If you're looking for Big Corporate today Mike, look left. You probably haven't noticed because it's too close.

On another thing though, pardon me all to Hell. The uniparty talk was on this thread. Stuff like this:

Quote

It is my hope that our Republican leaders as well as Republican critics can stop the MAGA Republican party rhetoric and simply refer to the Republican party as the New Republican Party. Perhaps by changing the name to the New Republican Party it might bring attention to the new ideas and policies in today’s Republican party unburdened by any connection to the Old Republican party that has seemingly passed into history.

I am deeply disappointed in the New Republican party’s focus and fascination with winning the “culture wars.”  In my opinion, the reason that Republicans have been so focused on the Culture Wars is that Americans don't actually like their policies. I disagree about the reasons for the culture wars. I don't think Republican policies are unpopular; they don’t exist. They are no longer a party of policy. Policy requires legislative skill, strategic thinking, integrity and a devotion to America over party.

Tom has mixed up the terms New and Old.

Bush Republicans are old. Breitbart, "politics downstream from culture" Republicans are newer.

[eyeball]

55 minutes ago, Michael Hardner said:

2. In camera lobbying is hard to dislodge.  What if we had citizen observers involved ?  I haven't turned down the idea after all these years btw.

I suggested citizen observers right from the get go years ago.

It's both the first step and really the only step required in guarding the decision making process from undue influence.

If they try to get around the process by doing their lobbying around the 18th hole or clubhouse on the weekend we could simply execute them. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by eyeball

[Michael Hardner]

34 minutes ago, Infidel Dog said:

1. If you're looking for Big Corporate today Mike, look left. You probably haven't noticed because it's too close.

2. Bush Republicans are old.  

1. Lots of people have fallacies about corporations, including how they align.  But the common fallacy is that the Republicans are closer to corps.  I think they're both cozy to different players.
2. Well, so, the younger Republicans are changing things to... what exactly ?

[reason10]

2 hours ago, Michael Hardner said:

1. Lots of people have fallacies about corporations, including how they align.  But the common fallacy is that the Republicans are closer to corps.  I think they're both cozy to different players.
2. Well, so, the younger Republicans are changing things to... what exactly ?

Actually, the Republican Party is the CIRCLE THE FIRING SQUAD party. It has the most independent thinkers in the world. We can't agree on lunch.

There are the blue blood Rockefeller Republicans who are traumatized if ONE Democrat says a bad thing about them. There are the Reagan Republicans, (who make up most of America, by the way) who believe in free market capitalism, the rule of law, liberty, and secure borders.

Problem is, we can't seem to get out of our own way. It doesn't help that we're up against a bunch of uneducated Democrat libs who march in Nazi  lockstep to whatever their George Soros financed masters say. Doesn't help when elections can't be counted on to be accurate.

[Infidel Dog]

7 hours ago, Michael Hardner said:

2. Well, so, the younger Republicans are changing things to... what exactly ?

Tom or whoever he's copy and pasting seems to be worried about the emphasis on culture. 

That moved to the forefront with the next gen Republicans during the Breitbart days and I say good on em'.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Infidel Dog

[Nationalist]

On 12/9/2022 at 11:53 AM, Michael Hardner said:

"Right Wing" is a vector not a fixed position.

Obama's tax rates were lower than Reagan's but he isn't considered 'right wing'... the idea is to get tax rates for the wealthy to zero,then eventually pay them to run the country.  "Republican Elite"

But if there's a Republican NON elite is there a Democrat NON elite ??

Hmmmm

 

I been-a-thinkin' about this and I've decided that yes, there is a Democrat NON elite. Here's one now...

https://deadline.com/2022/12/pelosi-attacker-tom-hanks-hunter-biden-1235199514/

And here's another...

I would venture to guess...

?