John Cole switches from GOP to Dem. Read his excellent post on why.

[Hamlette]

His blog used to say he was a republican, no longer. If you don't read him, you should. He's one of the very few "republicans" I can stand to read and he's been great for several years now.

"Long story short, I got up there to register as an independent, said “Fuck it,” and now I am a Democrat. I certainly don’t agree with all their positions, but they are not bat-shit crazy like the GOP. That has to count for something. Additionally, I no longer have to read posts by the 24% crowd calling me a “true conservative” with quotes o’sarcasm (you know who they are). Not any more, bitches. I repudiate you, your party, and whatever the fuck it is you are currently pretending is “conservatism.” It isn’t.

Now send me my check from Soros and the 40 virgins."

More at the link

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=8971

[gatorboy]

1. Kick!

[Coexist]

2. "my check from Soros and the 40 virgins".

that is really funny!







psst...






down here ...




Mr. Cole - just so you know, things on this side can be disheartening, and make you angry, and throw up your hands at the corruption, too.

But we still try very hard, every day, to be the good guys.

[Hamlette]

9. I loved this comment (there are some VERY funny comments at the link)

"Well, maybe this isn’t the best time to tell you this, but all you really get is a discount coupon at Target and 40 bags of Funyuns. There was a transcription error in the original promise."

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

3. You know, I can't help but feel compassion for the real "Republicans" whose party,...

,...has been stolen from them. Sure, I disagreed with some of their positions but still believed we could work together to accomplish great things.

No more. The Republican party is the pro-corporatocracy, anti-democratic, to-hell-with-compassion, hate everyone who fails to toe-the-line, screw the constitution...party. It is THAT aweful.

[Fly by night]

5. I would add to your "The Republican party is the pro-corporatocracy, ...

... anti-democratic, to-hell-with-compassion, hate everyone who fails to toe-the-line, screw the constitution, AND SINCE WE ARE HAPPY TO STEAL ELECTIONS BECAUSE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR THEM, WE DON'T CARE WHAT YOU CALL US ...party"

[starroute]

6. In some ways, liberals today are more like classic conservatives

When I was a kid, probably the most acute criticism that could be made of liberals was that they thought they it was possible to change human nature -- either by the right sort of engineering, by sweeping away the cultural detritus of the past, or simply by earnestly encouraging everyone to play nice together.

Conservatives, on the other hand, were the people who pointed out that human nature wasn't any different in the 20th century just for having lots of gadgets, that the past offers a lot of accumulated wisdom that we ignore at our own risk, and that fundamental change has to be gradual and organic if it's going to work.

But most conservatives these days have taken that to extremes. The typically see human nature as fundamentally aggressive and domination-based and conclude that a state of permanent warfare is the human norm and ought to be embraced. Or else they dig their heels in at the cultural and religious level of 3000 years ago and would rather believe in the world ending tomorrow than in anything ever being different.

The Neocons and extreme free marketeers have gone even further afield -- in that they have grabbed up the old liberal expectations of engineering change and sweeping away the past but have combined them with extreme conservative ideas about elite domination.

That doesn't leave much of anybody on the right who still maintains the old ideals of moderation and gradualism. But at the same time -- surprise, surprise -- the left has become a lot more humble in its aspirations, has gained a (largely New Age-inspired) respect for the wisdom of the past, and has taken on a multiculturalist awareness of the need to work sensitively with different cultures within their own traditions.

This ain't exactly the same thing as the mainstream conservatism of 50 years ago -- but in may ways, it may provide a more inviting environment to anyone who aspires to the old conservative values than anything in present-day conservatism.

[Hamlette]

8. good analysis starroute. I've been saying for a few years there is a realignment afoot

and we can peel off some of the "old republicans." We should take up the balanced budget platform and keep the government off our backs line.

[TheDoorbellRang]

4. Seems like every week or so I read about another GOP defection

Interestingly enough, lots of the commenters were supportive of his switch. Some of them were pretty funny, too. K&R

[skids]

10. The noise machine is behind the curve...

...one would have thought an astroturf campaign of mysteriously successful "democratic" bloggers changing to republicans would have been well under way. Election isn't that far off -- they'd better start finding some unemployed wannabees to foist off as joe six packs.

[TheWraith]

7. BWAHAHAH!

That was pretty good. I really do pity the traditional conservatives--the Goldwater crowd is finally learning that they really are a small fragment of a party thats been taken over by neocons, authoritarians, theocrats, and their followers. It's a rude awakening, and while some of it's deserved, they're still better people than their fellows. I might not agree with a paleocon on most things, but at least I wouldn't be tempted to try and murder them with a salad fork.

It's like what Bill Clinton said before the 2006 election. These days, if you're a conservative--on the budget, the military, the environment, foreign policy--you have to be a Democrat.

[Hamlette]

11. kick