Serious question--When and why did it become cool to be Republican?

[Different Drummer]

Personally, I don't think it is cool to be a Republican, but a lot of others seem to feel differently. So, I'm just wondering about the reason(s) for this phenomenon and when it happened.

[mnhtnbb]

1. When it became all about white male supremacy.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

4. Beat me to it... and it helps to have a complicit media!

[TheFrenchRazor]

60. don't forget their female flunkies, which there are far too many of. nt

[democratisphere]

2. Never.

Most rethugs I know are greedy, self-centered, selfish and racist creatures.

[sarcasmo]

17. Agreed.

[ileus]

3. My question is why even allow them to exist in our country.

I can see allowing progressive and less left leaning folks (but still democrats) in our country, but don't really see a reason to have republicans of any type in our society.

I suppose my response to your question is.....It should be illegal to be Republican. We have thousands of years of history on our side, let's make it happen, the next time we're in total power again. (2020 I'm assuming)

[B2G]

19. This post is scarey as hell.

You want to make an opposition party illegal?

What does THAT sound like?

[B2G]

39. Why not just exterminate them? nt

[fescuerescue]

43. seriously?

Why would you suggest such a thing?

[B2G]

45. Is it really any more ridiculous

Than what you are proposing?

[fescuerescue]

47. I'm not proposing anything

Just thinking out loud.

[outrigger]

55. Just thinking outloud

Hitler and Stalin did that a lot too.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

54. I hope you don't mean that.

And regardless, it sure as hell doesn't belong on a progressive web site. That's something totalitarian governments do.

[Freethinker65]

5. Never

The Republican Party is not cool. It is more anti-cool....but there is something to that. Being viewed as anti-intellectual, anti-hipster, anti- "elite", anti-new age bullshit is seen as a positive by many Americans. Thus the make America Great Again which we Democrats saw as a giant leap backwards after all of the progress that has been made, was actually embraced by many who thought that life would return to the fictional 1950s sitcom days. That the Republican Party has little use for the masses except to get voted in so that they can consolidate wealth and power was, as usual, masterfully obscured.

[Generic Brad]

6. All the uncool people gravitated towards the GOP and declared themselves cool

Spoiler alert: That does not actually make them cool.

[doc03]

7. When this black dude became president nt

[kacekwl]

29. BINGO n/t

[FarCenter]

8. 1860?

[randr]

9. It never became "cool" to be a Republican

The backlash against what was deemed "politically correct" stigmatized being "cool". About the same time that environmentalists became "tree huggers". The right wing took Orwells coinage of "newspeak" literally and we now live in a post "1984" world where up is down and Putin is an ally; and some would think Republicans are "cool".
Most Republicans are the people of the 60's and 70's that never made it to "cool" and resented the people who did.

[StrictlyRockers]

10. It's not.

And it never has been.

[Truth321]

11. It was actually formed as a anti slave party in 1854.

The 1st Republican president was Abraham Lincoln.

[BlueMTexpat]

12. While I don't believe

that it was ever "cool" in the latter part of the 20th century and beyond, I do remember when several Republicans were at least somewhat sane. That cannot be said today.

I do believe, however, that a LOT of people starting coming out of the woodwork and calling themselves as Republicans after the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.

[smirkymonkey]

13. It's never been cool. It's just a backlash against the Clinton/Obama

years. Republicans will NEVER be cool. No matter how hard they try.

[NightWatcher]

14. The same time it became cool to be dumb.

I blame religion for the death of common sense and critical thinking. They taught that belief in the absurd is the way to get gold mansions in the sky after you give up on affecting this temporary life.

Evangelical religions that focus on the afterlife are nothing more than Death Cults.

[sarcasmo]

18. Religion combined with Fox News and reality TV.

[Locrian]

15. when it became cool

To win at all costs
To make deals with anyone regardless of the effect
When it's ALL about money
When it's ALL about power
When success is defined as above and worshiped

When it became cool to kiss up and kick down
When it became cool to sell your soul for "success" (see above)
When it became cool to hate
When became cool to let people die if it made you successful

On and on......
Somehow republicans equate this with "strength" instead of evil.

[ALBliberal]

16. 1980 with the advent of Reagan Democrats nt

[hollowdweller]

20. It depends on where you live.

In my area a democrat is somebody who wants to take your guns away, scold you about what you say as offensive to some interest group, and regulate your job out of existence.

Notice I didn't say give benefits out to the lazy and undeserving because in my area it's the white people who are all on checks.

It's interesting now though because Dems used to be cast as pro USSR and any conciliatory moves by democrats toward other countries were spun as weakness and siding with the international community was unpatriotic.

I see that aspect and the aspect of benefits to the poor and disabled as areas where the dems may be able to seize the high ground on with these people.

For sure there's a redneck culture where GOP is cool. Funny thing is though, so many stereotypes they seem to have about minorities, reliance on checks, men being lazy and siring children by multiple women. Engaging in crime and violence. Hostility toward education and ghetto dress. The rednecks are guilty of all of that.

Before I retired couldn't tell you how many women I worked with who their husbands were on checks or just stayed home and got fucked up. Went hunting and 4 wheeling all the time instead of working. The wives had degrees and good jobs but the men sort of looked down on any sort of job involving your head as sissy.

[hunter]

21. It's not cool in my community, but the Trump supporters sure love to feel persecuted.

It's really disgusting.

They're just like the Fundamentalist Christians that way. Many of them ARE Fundamentalists Christians.

They live in a nation with a Christian majority, a nation that leans significantly to the right compared to any truly civilized nation, and they want MORE.

[Initech]

24. The thing that kills me - they hate us for needing safe spaces.

But no one on the planet needs more safe spaces than the GOP does! Kellogg's pulls advertising from Breitbart? Boycott. Hamilton being mean to Pence? Boycott. Starbucks won't let you pay tribute to Trump? Boycott. Stores don't respect the Baby Jesus during Christmas time? Boycott. And the funny thing is nearly every single one of these backfired!

[herding cats]

22. When hate became vogue. nt

[KamaAina]

23. It didn't.

That's what threw the polls off. People were ashamed to tell pollsters they were voting Orange, but went ahead and did it anyway.

[Atman]

25. Americans love group-think. They like the winning team.

The Republicans "won" (or so they think), so now it is safe to ooh and ahh and say publicly how awesome they are. Oh, and they aren't black.

[MFM008]

26. Since POTUS was black

That simple fact totally short circuited the racists.

[MgtPA]

27. Alex P. Keaton (and his clueless lefty parents) didn't hurt...

[pstokely]

31. but Alex P. Keataon wasn't a biggot

he was probably more educated than many tRump voters, he'd probably be a centrist Democrat by today's standards

[MgtPA]

34. Responsible?? I said no such thing. By the time Michael J. Fox's Alex P. Keaton hit the mainstream

circa 1982, being a Wall Streeter/Republican had become "cool", at least in some circles. Prior to that, the main Republican stereotype was Archie Bunker.

[TeamPooka]

44. ignore the seeds, blame the tree huh?

[TeamPooka]

48. You can ignore or mock the effects that media and pop culture have on our culture.

But the effects are still there.
The most popular TV star of the 80s was a "cool" teenage conservative on TV.
Seeds grow.

[meadowlark5]

28. I think they think they're cool because they are the winners

It's all about winning and losing with so many conservatives. Ever debate one or more on social media? They will never not have the last word. Even if that last word has to be an insult. They are the true "me" society. It's all about them in their opinion, but most live off of the "we" society. Now they won. They are the winners even though their chosen is as unethical and dirty as they come. They don't care how they won, but they did. So that makes them the best! They are finally the cool kids because they won.

Also, all of the stupid redneck reality shows like Duck Dynasty and Swamp people or whatever it is and a whole host of other ignorant, bassakwards shows tend to glamorize rednecks who most likely are republicans.

[Vinca]

36. In this case the winners are the losers.

The social programs Democrats made possible are on the line and the red states depend on them a whole lot more than the blue states.

[pstokely]

30. the 80s?

Alex P Keaton wasn't exactly a biggot alt-righter

[yuiyoshida]

37. WELL, not being a WHITE MALE... I couldn't tell you...

As an Asian-American woman, I can tell you there is no way I would walk into a party headquarters without a pillow strapped to my butt, for when I am tossed out into the street and told to "GO THE FUCK BACK TO CHINER!"

[ConnorMarc]

62. What Part Of The Country Do You Live?

@Warren DeMontague

Your posts are spot on.

[milestogo]

40. Some people think they will become rich

if they vote Republican.

[Orrex]

41. It's cool like being stabbed in the genitals with an icicle

[haele]

42. I think it became cool in some circles to just be an asshole. As opposed to being a contrarian.

Being a contrarian - or rather, questioning and sarcastic - was cool when Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Richard Prior, and other edgy comics would do their acts, or being "Contrarian for a Cause" - sort of a anti-traditional establishment, white-hat anti-hero type was popular up from the 1960's through the 1980's. The Billy Jacks and the Dirty Harrys, the Rambos. Doing good and exposing corruption, protecting the little folks, all while breaking the rules. So cool. Breaking the Rules...

And then - well, Greed is Good and attention spans are getting shorter, and it just takes too long to develop a complex storyline where doing the right thing is more important than looking cool doing it, so let's just shorten it to looking cool to attract attention to our product...

So the clever contrarian for the most part turns into an clever asshole beating up other clever assholes, because it's just too hard and takes too much time to talk about important things like trust, honest dealings, responsibilities.
The trend is to marketing society to make money - so all around you, it's not about selling how cool it is to be imaginative while trying to fix a problem or make something in someone else's life better for no profit to you, it's about selling being cool all the time and doing something only when it benefits you.
So, it's cool to be an asshole. Unless not being an asshole a couple times "when it counts" gets you chicks and admiration.

Haele

[Xolodno]

50. The 80's

When Reagan took over. Nixon damaged the party immensely and Ford didn't help matters. What should have been a golden era for Democrats went into the toilet real fast with the Iran crisis, the energy crisis... Carter "scolding" the American people, etc. Reagan came out with a populist message that resonated and got credit for Volkner's economic recovery. So Republican equated with prosperity, and Democrat equated with pessimism. That stigma is slowly changing, I liken the current GOP control to its last hurrah. But demographics, changing attitudes will catch up to them.

[outrigger]

56. Last Huurah...

Maybe, maybe not. A lot of people, especially the mass media, touted 2008 as the death of the Republican Party. Yet here we are with Trump and Congress....

[liberal N proud]

51. It's not, they just are pretending

They have long disparaged being a liberal making out as if it is a bad word.

[TXCritter]

52. In what context?

The Republican party has been around in some form since before it took the name Republican. The theoretical divisions between the two sides has existed from the beginning.

Most people think that Abraham Lincoln was pretty cool. He freed the slaves and held the union together. He was a Republican.

Theodore Roosevelt was pretty cool, he established our national park system. He was a Republican

A whole lot of people *really* Liked Ike. He won WWII for us. He was a Republican.

Between 1968 and 1980, though, things really got mixed up. The southern democrats took their racist butts to the GOP. Nixon embarrassed his party an country. The religious right infiltrated the GOP but all that was covered up by 50s nostalgia with Reagan. At the same time Carter tried to appeal to American's better nature and found out we didn't have one and then the unions wrongly took a lot of blame and lost membership in droves. Neither party did much for the unions since then but the GOP attacked and the DP gave only lukewarm support.

So, I'm not really sure what your question is. When did it become cool to be a racist? Forever. When did it become cool to be jingoist? Forever. It just depends on which part of the country you live in.

[Charles Bukowski]

53. It's not so much that Republicans became cool

It's that liberalism somehow became "uncool".

Years of being slandered as "special snowflake, SJW cucks" have taken a toll.

[BigDemVoter]

57. It has NEVER been cool. It still isn't, and it never will be.

The Repig Party is the antithesis of cool.

[karynnj]

58. Not among my kids, the extended family I was born into in Indiana or the town I live in now

I was actually embarrassed when one daughter regaled her friends with how as kids, she and her two sisters' worst insult when angry was to say that the one they were targetting was a a "republican". Her sisters laughed and joined in explaining we had banned many insults, but not that!

In my extended family - now over 40 adults, counting many in my kids' generation -- all voted, all for HRC in the general.

As to my town - I live in BURLINGTON, VT -- where progressives may be a bigger force than Republicans.

May be a function of where you live, where you are employed, etc.

[BlueStater]

59. It's never been cool to be a Republican.

Just look at our pop culture. The finest movies, television, and music have always been made by liberals. The best Republicans have given the world in terms of A&E is Ted Nugent, Scott Baio, and the Duck Dynasty fuckclowns.

[alarimer]

61. Was it ever? They were always squares, even when they weren't assholes.

I remember "Republican" being synonymous with "sober" (as in serious, not as in "not drunk&quot and sort of unhip. Basically, they were colossal sticks in the mud.

And now they are just assholes. But maybe it's a bit subversive to be an asshole, in counterpoint to all that liberal "political correctness" and being nice to people not like you. But cool? Never as far as I can tell.

[Rex]

63. It is not cool, never been cool.

You misunderstand them, their life is all about being aggressive and forcing you to do what they want. All the people I do know that are alpha type assholes are republicans.