We Lost the Battle for the Republican Party’s Soul Long Ago

[TDub]

They had a heart wrenching story on NPR yesterday about the (un)intended consequence of government controlled forced-birthing in Texas. A lady was forced to carry to term a child who lived for four hours, causing severe physical, emotional and financial distress to the mother and the family.

Thank you small-government conservatives?

"government controlled" does not equal "small government" you dense Bay area babbler.

small government would never force anyone to carry that child....small government would never get involved in a personal decision such as this.

Touched a nerve, I see. The people who support the politicians who created the forced-birthing government rules are the same ones who want “government out of people’s lives” and want no rules for rail safety and environmental protection.

Call me whatever you want to make yourself feel good.

you're seriously lost.

Oh, and I support no politicians or politics that create forced births. None of that is or would ever be considered small government. You've confused yourself.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

I saw this last night and it helped reiterate my feelings about MMA/UFC.

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-s ... ock-2023-4

[Shirley]

"government controlled" does not equal "small government" you dense Bay area babbler.

small government would never force anyone to carry that child....small government would never get involved in a personal decision such as this.

Touched a nerve, I see. The people who support the politicians who created the forced-birthing government rules are the same ones who want “government out of people’s lives” and want no rules for rail safety and environmental protection.

Call me whatever you want to make yourself feel good.

you're seriously lost.

Oh, and I support no politicians or politics that create forced births. None of that is or would ever be considered small government. You've confused yourself.

Tdub, I believe you missed the irony in Zen's post on Sat Apr 08, 2023 at 11:13 am, where he was making fun of the republican claim to being the "small government party", whilst Texas republicans were forcing a pregnant woman to carry an anencephalic child everyone knew was going to die within hours of birth, 4 months longer than necessary.

[zsn]

TDub- as Feral said, the posts were not directed at you at all. There’s a very, very small minority of people who oppose the Republican agenda of regulating women’s health and are in favor of small government.

However, almost all State governments led by Republicans claim to be for opposing government regulations but have no hesitation in regulating how women go about their lives or what people read. There are no books banned in California, for instance. If I want to read about renaissance art or gay bunnies or Mein Kampf (not that I would want to read it) I can do it. A putative Republican front runner for president is actively banning books. Republican state governments are pursuing legal action to prevent sales of a drug which the FDA has determined to be safe and effective.

Ironic indeed!

[TDub]

I disagree, nobody, absolutely nobody,who is in favor of small government can support government regulations on women's health, men's health, book bans, or any other decision.


none. if you support any of that you arent small government.

There are still millions of us out here, the politicians don't represent that sector.

[Shirley]

I disagree, nobody, absolutely nobody,who is in favor of small government can support government regulations on women's health, men's health, book bans, or any other decision.


none. if you support any of that you arent small government.

There are still millions of us out here, the politicians don't represent that sector.

Who do you "disagree" with? Zen can speak for himself, but imo, he and I both agree with that.

[TDub]

I disagree, nobody, absolutely nobody,who is in favor of small government can support government regulations on women's health, men's health, book bans, or any other decision.


none. if you support any of that you arent small government.

There are still millions of us out here, the politicians don't represent that sector.

Who do you "disagree" with? Zen can speak for himself, but imo, he and I both agree with that.

I disagree with the association of small government with republicans...that hasn't been the case for some time. But the myth keeps perpuating, mostly by democrats.


and, in a larger sense...who do I disagree with? ZSN...in about every aspect of every issue in every instance of every life form on every habitable and inhospitable planet in every galaxy across every universe.

[Shirley]

I disagree, nobody, absolutely nobody,who is in favor of small government can support government regulations on women's health, men's health, book bans, or any other decision.


none. if you support any of that you arent small government.

There are still millions of us out here, the politicians don't represent that sector.

Who do you "disagree" with? Zen can speak for himself, but imo, he and I both agree with that.

I disagree with the association of small government with republicans...that hasn't been the case for some time. But the myth keeps perpuating, mostly by democrats.


and, in a larger sense...who do I disagree with? ZSN...in about every aspect of every issue in every instance of every life form on every habitable and inhospitable planet in every galaxy across every universe.

Jesus, really? Really?

Well then, get in fucking line, because I'm willing to bet that I haven't bought the bullshit republicans have been selling Americans for decades about any number of things, including being the "small government" party, for a lot longer than you have.

Dear republicans, stop appropriating virtues you don't possess, like claiming you're the "small government" and "fiscal responsibility" party, et al., and we democrats will stop pointing out your hypocrisy.

Deal?

Because, some of us remember when talking out of both sides of your mouth mattered, but that was before republicans like Newt Gingrich made everyone who disagrees with republicans "the enemy", rather than someone with a different pov, and before the republican party became a cult of personality.

[Sparko]

Who do you "disagree" with? Zen can speak for himself, but imo, he and I both agree with that.

I disagree with the association of small government with republicans...that hasn't been the case for some time. But the myth keeps perpuating, mostly by democrats.


and, in a larger sense...who do I disagree with? ZSN...in about every aspect of every issue in every instance of every life form on every habitable and inhospitable planet in every galaxy across every universe.

Jesus, really? Really?

Well then, get in fucking line, because I'm willing to bet that I haven't bought the bullshit republicans have been selling Americans for decades about any number of things, including being the "small government" party, for a lot longer than you have.

Dear republicans, stop appropriating virtues you don't possess, like claiming you're the "small government" and "fiscal responsibility" party, et al., and we democrats will stop pointing out your hypocrisy.

Deal?

Because, some of us remember when talking out of both sides of your mouth mattered, but that was before republicans like Newt Gingrich made everyone who disagrees with republicans "the enemy", rather than someone with a different pov, and before the republican party became a cult of personality.

Righteous

[zsn]

Among the snake-oil the Republican Party has been selling for a few decades consists cattle excrement such as that they are the party of small government, limited regulation, personal responsibility, family values, fiscal discipline and law and order.

Their actions have been the opposite.

[defixione]

Don't forget moral majority. lmao

[jfish26]

Can’t recall if I embedded it here, but a friend of mine tweeted a very good observation, along the lines of: what’s killing the Rs now is they USED to just use the culture war stuff to rile up the base, but without ever really following through on it. What’s happening now is that a generation of True Believers has grown up with that rhetoric, but doesn’t have the experience or perspective to understand just how deeply UNPOPULAR the culture war garbage actually is. So they’re putting it into action, and it might end up costing the party its very existence.

[Sparko]

Can’t recall if I embedded it here, but a friend of mine tweeted a very good observation, along the lines of: what’s killing the Rs now is they USED to just use the culture war stuff to rile up the base, but without ever really following through on it. What’s happening now is that a generation of True Believers has grown up with that rhetoric, but doesn’t have the experience or perspective to understand just how deeply UNPOPULAR the culture war garbage actually is. So they’re putting it into action, and it might end up costing the party its very existence.

In a just universe.

[zsn]

You’re small government Republican, ladies and gentlemen.

https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/9 ... -protester

[twocoach]

You’re small government Republican, ladies and gentlemen.

https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/9 ... -protester

The Party of Law and Order

[twocoach]

Can’t recall if I embedded it here, but a friend of mine tweeted a very good observation, along the lines of: what’s killing the Rs now is they USED to just use the culture war stuff to rile up the base, but without ever really following through on it. What’s happening now is that a generation of True Believers has grown up with that rhetoric, but doesn’t have the experience or perspective to understand just how deeply UNPOPULAR the culture war garbage actually is. So they’re putting it into action, and it might end up costing the party its very existence.

Too bad they were able to add a generation of ultra conservative judges while in their death spiral. It will take 25 years for this nation's judicial system to recover from the recent work of Trump and the Federalists Society.

[randylahey]

This endless republican democrat pissing match has an easy solution: vote libertarian

Maximum freedoms and minimal government

[jfish26]

This endless republican democrat pissing match has an easy solution: vote libertarian

Maximum freedoms and minimal government

I would encourage all rubes to follow your lead.

[randylahey]

This endless republican democrat pissing match has an easy solution: vote libertarian

Maximum freedoms and minimal government

I would encourage all rubes to follow your lead.

Its gonna take people from both Republican and democrat "teams" to wake up the fix up and break the problem of the 2 party system

[jfish26]

This endless republican democrat pissing match has an easy solution: vote libertarian

Maximum freedoms and minimal government

I would encourage all rubes to follow your lead.

Its gonna take people from both Republican and democrat "teams" to wake up the fix up and break the problem of the 2 party system

I would be (pleasantly) surprised if, in my lifetime, there is a viable third party.*

So, what's needed is something more or less like a market function, where the party that has gone off the rails (being, here, the Republican party) must suffer resounding (and repeated) defeats, until it comes to its senses and backs off the cray.

* My timeline will be (pleasantly) blown to smithereens if we manage to adopt ranked-choice voting.