I'm 71. I remember "The Loyal Opposition"

[trof]

I remember decent Republicans like Eisenhower and Dirksen.
I remember Senator Edward Brooke (R-MA) the first African American 'popularly' elected to the U.S. Senate. That was in 1966.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Brooke

I remember when they weren't 'repugs' or 'repukes'.
They were the "Loyal Opposition", which meant that, although they had differences of opinions on how government should be conducted, and what it should do, they had the basic best interests of the nation at heart.

I remember when Democrats didn't hate Republicans and Republicans didn't hate Democrats.
I remember when they'd gather together in various legislative offices at the end of a congress business day and have a few drinks. Talk things over in a convivial atmosphere.
Kentucky Bourbon and good Scotch Whiskey probably helped clear more congressional logjams than all the posturing on the floor of both houses.

That began to change with Nixon, who resigned one jump ahead of the impeachment posse, Democratic AND Republican. Winning at any cost, any way you could, started there.

The Republicans never got over that.
And it continued with Clinton.
The repugs sought to invalidate his election any way they could.
They finally impeached him and Newt Gingrich was actually forthcoming about why.
"Because we could."

The 2000 sElection was stolen and no one will ever convince me otherwise.
I'm highly suspicious about the '04 'election', especially the Ohio vote.

The only way repugs can win a national election is to steal it with hacked voting machines or (lately) by suppressing Democratic voters.
Nationally, among registered voters, they are in the minority.
So they have to figure a way to cheat to win.

Don't be surprised if you see some new tricks this year.

[valerief]

1. Well said. You got it all right. nt

[CrazyOrangeCat]

2. A well-written remembrance

I'm 53, and I remember that my folks had Republican friends . . . there was not the hatefulness that we see now. Yes, the Nixon Admin. (with our good friends Cheney and Rummy) changed that.

But, be of good cheer. Their dirty tricks are many. But we've got 'em way outnumbered. Woody Guthrie had it figured out.

[virgogal]

3. I grew up many years ago in a Boston neighborhood and

being Republican was as bad as a mortal sin.


I never even heard the expression "Loyal Opposition".

[trof]

8. Funny, it was the same way in Alabama in the 40s and 50s.

The Democratic 'Solid South'.

[LiberalElite]

4. Me Too

I even voted for a Republican a couple of times (local election, never for president). I recall when there were a few good decent people who were Republican politicians (Jacob Javits for example). Over the past 3 decades they've devolved into a bunch of retrograde, prejudiced, rigid, incredibly IGNORANT wastes of space with absolutely no concept of the common good. And I agree, since their natural "base" of angry white men is shrinking by the day, the only way they can win is to cheat. They're so far gone they can't even see that that's wrong- and neither do the "values voters" who put them in office. Beyond pathetic.

[Donkees]

5. November 22, 1963 Changed America

[David Zephyr]

6. K&R

!

[upi402]

7. Eisenhower would be a leftwing nut today.

"Military Industrial Complex" and "Shadow Government"!!!

[OldDem2012]

9. Eisenhower could be a decent Republican because Nixon was his VP....

...and Nixon did all of the administration's dirty work. The more I read about Nixon, the dirtier he appears to have been.

[trof]

10. Ike didn't like Nixon.

Can't remember how he got saddled with him as a running mate.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

11. I too, was thinking of that exact same phrase today.

When people didn't automatically condemn me because I'm (gasp!) a Democrat or (horrors!!) a Liberal of worst of all, A PROGRESSIVE, LIBERAL DEMOCRAT!!!
What they (the Republicans) seemt o be after nowadays is a ONE PARTY nation. Seems to me that's like communism or something isn't it? The Founding Fathers weren't big on Politcal Partys but certainly they'd want at least 2 to exist, wouldn't they?