Then something happened in the 1990s. The leaders of the GOP grew belligerent. They became too religious, almost zealots. They became intolerant. They began searching for purity in Republican thought and doctrine. Ideology blinded them. I continued to vote Republican, but with a certain unease. Deep down I knew that a schism happened between the modern Republican Party and the one I grew up with. During the fight over the impeachment of President Clinton, the ugly face of the Republican Party was brought to the surface. Empty rhetoric, ideological intolerance, vengeance, and religious zealotry became the common currency. Suddenly, if you are pro-choice, you could not be a Republican. If you are for smart and sensible taxes to balance out the budget, you could not be a Republican. If you are pro-civil rights, you could not be a Republican.
It started with minorities: they left the party. Then women; they divorced the GOP and sent it to sleep on the couch. Then, the young folks; they left and are leaving the Republican Party in droves. Then, someone stood up and told my niece and my grandchild that they are not fully Americans — just second class Americans because they are homosexual. They wished hell and damnation upon my loved ones just because they are different. Are we led by priests or are we led by rational politicians? Now, we have became the party of the Old Straight White Folks. We should rename the Republican Party the OSWF rather than the GOP.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
What's Happened to the GOP?
I stumbled across this piece by Chris Curry at frumforum.com. Here is a very small sample of his post.
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What happened to the GOP?
William F. Buckley and his then Movement Conservatives. They now go by Neoconservatives. They rose in popularity in the late 1960s (Barry Goldwater) upon a platform of dog-whistle racism. In the 60s, Ronald Reagan also used that hammer. According to Paul Krugman in his book "The Conscience of a Liberal", “he (Reagan) attacked Aid to Families with Dependent Children with a story about a woman with seven children who wanted a divorce because her welfare check would be larger than her husband’s paycheck” (105)
Southern Democrats who had the same ideology became known as "Reagan Democrats" most of whom have traveled over to the dark side.
Great site you have here!
All the best,
Tom Degan
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