What he has done to a once-proud party (Jennifer Rubin)

[struggle4progress]

... A party proud of its support for law and order has now been lured into the Trumpian world of incoherent conspiracies. (If the FBI was out to spy on the Trump campaign, why surveil Page only after he left the campaign? If the FBI was tilted toward Hillary Clinton, why wade into the campaign 11 days before the election with a spurious concern about additional emails?) ...

... Throughout the Cold War, Republicans accused Democrats of being too solicitous toward and often pawns ("useful idiots" ) of the Soviets. Now Trump and his merry band of sycophants in Congress and the right-wing media spout Russian propaganda ...

After a campaign in which Trump and his team willingly accepted or even solicited "dirt" on Hillary Clinton (including hacked emails) and after the year they have spent denying Russian interference in our elections, it is little wonder the obedient followers in the GOP have adopted views one would never have expected ...

Perhaps after Trump Republicans will revert to "normal." We don’t know ...

https://www.timesleader.com/opinion/op-ed/691624/their-view-look-what-trump-has-done-to-a-once-proud-party

[Make7]

1. It hasn't had much to be proud of for many, many years. ( n/t )

[struggle4progress]

4. I've never been a Republican, but at one time there were principled people in the GOP

who did believe in good goverance and who thought experience and competence mattered

Over the last fifty years, the party has been increasingly riddled with ideologues and with demagogues who want to win at any price

Nixon brought a peculiar mix of dirty tricks, Madison Avenue, and appeal to racists into Republican campaigning; Reagan continued recruiting racists and used his Hollywood experience to distract from what his appointees were doing behind the scenes. Gingrich threw away civil discourse and developed a strategy of constant demonization of political opponents. Rove continued recruiting racists and taught the GOP to regard every move as a step in the next electoral campaign. One by one, the principled people fled and were replaced by goons

They have been sowing dragon's teeth for fifty years now, and we are reaping their crop

[thbobby]

7. Exactly!

Perfectly laid out struggle4progress. Ever since Nixon, the GOP has been going to hell and taking America with them. The repugs that are against trump now dislike him for exposing the putrid core of a criminal organization masquerading as patriots and evangelicals.

[brer cat]

16. Exactly, s4p. nt

[ffr]

11. I'm with you on that.

Something turned in their culture after Ford. They turned into hateful, spiteful unbecoming people more and more with every passing year, until we see the result. Once proud of something, maybe, but like you say, that was several generations ago. There's nobody in that party left that has any moral compass.

[Make7]

15. The Civil Rights and Vietnam Anti-War Movements changed how many people viewed the Establishment.

Big Business perceived the successes of the people to effect those changes, and others (e.g. getting more government regulations - EPA, OHSA, etc.), as an attack on their way of doing things. So they organized to do something about it, and enlisted the Republican Party as one of their partners to help regain their influence.

The Powell Memo: A Call-to-Arms for Corporations

There are many reasons for the changes over time, but the Powell Memo gives us a look at the thinking by some at the time.

[dchill]

2. Yeah, but it was false pride, so no biggie.

[SHRED]

3. Nixon Watergate, Reagan Iran-Contra

W illegal invasion of Iraq.

What "law and order"?

[Gabi Hayes]

6. Really. Ask Smedley Butler

The party of treason for over 80 years

[nini]

5. They did it to themselves when they embraced the wacko evangelicals

Last edited Mon Feb 5, 2018, 01:32 AM - Edit history (1)

It's been building since Reagan and came to a head with him.

This is who they are.. they are now exposed.

[Skittles]

8. let's be clear here

they love to pretend Donald is trashing their party but holy fuck, their decadence for the last few DECADES led to this monster

[Cha]

9. "proud" or not.. trump has taken the gop

into toxic sewage system.. below the swamp.. where the traitors are.

[BamaRefugee]

10. Or more accurately, their COMFORT ZONE

[kysrsoze]

12. He? Or They?

Sorry, but all these Republican shitbags have gone along with this scorched earth policy for years and the election of pResident Assface is the natural outcome of their efforts to dumb down the population and sow conflict. They’ve been the party of no morals for a very long time. Note how they still go along with this asshole on EVERYTHING.

Fuck them all.

[Beartracks]

14. Republicans may perhaps revert to "normal"??

Is that pre-Reagan "normal"? Or is it Newt Gingrich "normal"? Or Dubya/Cheney "normal"? Or McConnell/Ryan "normal"? Or Tea Party "normal"?

Republicans keep redefining normal, and trying to get Americans to go along with that.

=========

[OnDoutside]

17. They've done it to themselves....Trump is just the logical conclusion.

[Javaman]

18. pride commeth before the fall..

and the repukes were once so very proud.

not right or correct, but proud.

[Orsino]

19. Trump didn't do all this.

He's just perfected the rot.