Page 165 of 232

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

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:21 pm
by jfish26
Between the Tennessee Three, Abortion, and Trump, the GOP Just Loves Losing

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/04 ... ves-losing
Republicans’ math problem is only getting worse. They have a base that is addicted to a sweet sugar rush of what can only be described as “authoritarianism lite,” but that brand of politics—think Trumpism meets Orbánism, the far-right populism of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán—is like cyanide to the more normal swing-ish voters whom Republicans actually need to win elections. Last week Republicans committed a mélange of unforced errors, the reverberations of which will likely haunt them in 2024 and maybe beyond. While the base was delighted by these debacles, it’s hard to see how they encourage anyone who doesn’t identify as ultra MAGA.

To sum it all up quickly, in the last week, Tennessee state Republicans expelled two legislators for being involved in a gun control protest, a Trump-appointed judge in Texas halted the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a leading abortion medication, and Republicans rushed to Donald Trump’s defense at his arrest and arraignment. All of these events were cases of the GOP’s leadership being unable or unwilling to control the basest aspects of the party. In Tennessee we saw racism, in Texas we saw a zealot seemingly attempting to make the law reflect his own religious theories, and in New York we saw the pure lawlessness that is a key element of Trumpism.

[…]

Republicans have run into a ditch. Their base gets high off displays of authoritarianism and religious zealotry, so they’ve taken up an agenda that actively targets fellow Americans, inflicting real harm on communities with race-baiting tactics and onerous health restrictions. And in doing so they continue to alienate the voters they desperately need to win elections in purple states. How Republicans got here is no mystery; Trump touched the third rail of the Republican base, the people who were so beyond the pale that previous candidates had at least pretended to disavow them. I’m talking about the Richard Spencer types, the racists, the antisemites. After touching this rail, and narrowly eking out a win in 2016, Republicans found themselves dependent on that base for turnout. Now they have gone so far down this road that they find themselves staring down an intractable death ray with crushing defeat—unless, that is, they change the rules to keep minority rule.

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

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:28 pm
by KUTradition
heard this morning that 40% of americans now identify as independent

that kinda flies in the face of the hyper-partisanship narrative being pushed

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

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:32 pm
by jfish26
KUTradition wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:28 pm heard this morning that 40% of americans now identify as independent

that kinda flies in the face of the hyper-partisanship narrative being pushed
I think the 2020 results speak for themselves on this point: there is very much a public appetite for the non-batshit (non-rube) wing of the Republican party. The problem is that the party does not have a clear path to extricate itself from that wing without bottoming out for a national cycle or two.

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

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 3:03 pm
by Sparko
"If only we could bomb Mexico" is the only policy I have heard from the GOP lately. It sounds like a good way to curb exports except to the Hague.

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

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 3:45 pm
by PhDhawk
KUTradition wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:28 pm heard this morning that 40% of americans now identify as independent

that kinda flies in the face of the hyper-partisanship narrative being pushed
Well you can't be a republican and have a brain.

And, if you've been spurned by the republican party, it doesn't exactly make tying yourself to another party seem all that appealing.

I also like making my mind up about things as they present themselves rather than tuning into a cable news network to get my marching orders.

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

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2023 4:46 pm
by zsn
For those keeping score at home, as of this afternoon

Democracy: 2
Fascist Tennessee GOP: 0

Keywords: futility; exercise

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

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:11 pm
by Shirley

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

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:54 pm
by twocoach
Feral wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:11 pm
So he's either too stupid to have really thought through the implications of what he is saying or he is a creep who thinks it is OK for adults to marry and have sex with 12 year old children. Lose-lose.

Today's GOP is sure something else.

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:06 am
by Shirley
twocoach, what is it about "Family Values" party that don't you get?

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:19 am
by jfish26

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:25 am
by Shirley
jfish26 wrote: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:19 am
Imagine if they were 1% as concerned about childhood nutrition, helping marginalized people, infrastructure week, or "law and order"?

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:58 am
by twocoach
Feral wrote: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:25 am
jfish26 wrote: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:19 am
Imagine if they were 1% as concerned about childhood nutrition, helping marginalized people, infrastructure week, or "law and order"?
Just more performance art to maintain their digital personas as tough guy conservatives. He managed to fit all sorts of conservative buzzwords in there.

But mostly this is just someone looking to profit off of conservative fragility. $19.99 for a 6 pack of cheap light beer piss.

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:18 am
by jhawks99
Is that parody? I can't tell.

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:51 am
by Shirley

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 8:24 am
by Mjl
Those are the same folks who spent the last year complaining endlessly about cancel culture, right?

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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:57 pm
by Shirley
Today in: "Family Values" partyI

(Disclaimer. I avoid this theme because...glass houses. Nonetheless, democrats aren't the ones who've been promoting the propaganda that they're hyper-virtuous and Christian god-fearing blah, blah, for decades. But lately, along with all the other chaos they're choosing to rain down on our country with their support for an insurrectionist, fealty to guns and the unending tragedies and fear that causes, etc., etc., they've been flooding the zone with pedophiliacs for a while now. So, wear your clown suit proudly "conservative" Christo-fascists, because lord knows, you've earned it.)




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

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 8:44 pm
by zsn
When a Republican accuses someone it’s actually a confession.

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

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:45 am
by jfish26
This go here?


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

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:43 am
by Shirley

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

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:53 am
by Shirley
jfish26 wrote: Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:45 am This go here?

Following Trump's lead, republican nativist Christo-fascists now trash the very institutions like the military, FBI, et al, they've been using as props for decades in their quest to corner the "Real American", "Patriotic", "My country love it or leave it" vote, is something to see.

"Ask yourself who is the real enemy", indeed.