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After the 2012 shellacking the GOP sustained they vowed to start opening the party up and reaching out to those who felt disenfranchised by the extremists. It was all talk. Instead, we see them narrowing and narrowing and narrowing the scope of what is a "real" Republican. This post is a great example of a party who seems determined to exterminate themselves.
Except the OP was NOT in the GOP, per his own words as I showed in my previous post.
I've been either a conservative or a libertarian leaning conservative my entire life.....but I'm leaving the party because it has gone off the deep end. Since i'm a huge fan of lists I've decided to expound upon why I belive the party is a shell of it's former self.
1). They're irrational. Obamacare is the law. Throwing a temper tantrum and shutting down the government (and yes, basically everyone blames the GOP) is a terrible idea. Just suck it up...meet with the Democrats...agree to fund the law...fund the government...move on.
Why would a libertarian conservative's reaction to Obamacare be "meet with the Democrats...agree to fund the law...fund the government...move on"? Right from the start of your list, your claim to be a conservative libertarian is suspicious. There have been many times that liberals have come on and preface their posts by saying they were once Republicans. But then they go on to say things that no Republican would ever say. I can only hypothesize that they thing by claiming to be a conservative at heart that their ranting will be taken more seriously.
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2). Using political theatre for these debt ceiling talks every few months is a joke and irresponsible.
It keeps the fact that the Democrats' spending is out of control front and center. If they just went along to get along, then it would be tacit approval of deficits over half a trillion dollars a year.
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3). The religious wing of the party is absurdly annoying.
So is the far left wing of the Democrat party. The race baiters and environmentalist wackos and pseudo-intellectual socialists.
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4). Reaganomics is a joke.
Reaganomics produced the best economy we've seen in 50 years.
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5). The deficit isn't THAT big of a deal right now...All CBO estimates show that our debts/deficits are sustainable.
So what? Government should be fiscally responsible whether it is sustainable or not.
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6). The military really doesn't need to be this large.
So what? That's not a Republican thing. That's a neocon thing.
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7). It's blind aversion to scienfitic consensus.
No, it's an aversion to using climate change as an excuse to institute government control of the economy. It makes not one whit of difference what America does as long as China and Russia and India aren't following suit. Green policies are a joke.
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8). Gay marriage is GOING to be the law of the land one day in the very near future. Get over it. If you aren't gay...don't marry someone of the same sex.
Again, this isn't a Republican thing this is a neocon thing.
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9). They're wildly hypocritical. The party of fiscal restraint....really? See GWB budget 2001-2008.
Same is true of the Democrats. Complained bitterly about the horrible economy that "Bush" did, when they controlled both Houses of congress throughout the recession.
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10). They're war mongerers when their guy is in office...peacenics when the other guy is.
Same is true of Democrats.
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Other reasons exist but these are the primary ones that are leading to me taking off my bumper stickers and withdrawing my name from the GOP call lists. Enjoy your journey into mediocrity.
Thanks. We're better off without you. We don't want or need people who don't care about deficits or about the government taking over healthcare decisions for individuals. If you ever were a conservative, which I doubt, then you were certainly a RINO. Good riddance.
I consider myself in the middle .... lean Republican in a few areas but probably more so Democrat certainly in comparing conservative Republicans to the more moderate Republicans in years fast. For me here is my list of issues (and this is for ME only)
1. Social issues... I tend to be a mix... I am pro-choice on abortion...pro gay marriage....generally favor to keep gun laws as they are as most out where I live use guns for hunting and not really for personal protection.... and not for drug legalization.
I tend to base my vote in elections (state and national) more so on the above than economics as I dont feel anyone can really do much on that end.
2. Taxes and what I pay dont bother me much....I do though agree that some controls need to be in place to reduce the abuse....whether that requires an overall I dont know. I want the truly needy to get help but there are many that use the system. I do support most strongly is our local schools (as I have kids in them). Our local school district is quite small though.
3. I strongly dislike the name calling on both sides and the influence of money in campaigns. I would love to see more regulation of that and PACs. Many politicians seem to want to do what their biggest contributors want, even if it means doing something they personally dont want to do. I would not oppose term limits.
4. I am for a well trained military but against the idea that we have to go in and save everybody.
5. I do think there is a lot waste in many of the contracts that the government has with various contractors....they pay way too much for stuff and get raked over the coals. I would love to see some oversight in that area.
So in general with a trend more toward a a more religious and conservative Republican party I and tended to vote more Democrat in the last 3 election cycles.
I realize that no politician I vote for would have all the above....so I tend to go with who has the most.
I generally consider myself to be right of center and certainly fiscally conservative.
It seems to me that the GOP has been hijacked by the extreme right wing of the party. Throwing a temper tantrum and shutting down the government over Obamacare is lunacy. The more so as Obamacare - and I am not a fan - is remarkably similar to the Republican health care policy before Obama came along. Here is a novel idea. Howsabout sitting down with Democrats and figuring out a health care system that works and doesn't cost twice as much as health care in any other developed country?
And while I am at it, keep your religious views out of my life and stop trying to tell people what to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms.
Not that the Democrats are any better. What I really want is a moderate centrist government taking pragmatic bi-partisan decisions for the good of the country.
Thanks. We're better off without you. We don't want or need people who don't care about deficits or about the government taking over healthcare decisions for individuals. If you ever were a conservative, which I doubt, then you were certainly a RINO. Good riddance.
To the bolded: you're right, it's much better when it's left in the hands of a corporate bean counter. Poor people should not have access to any healthcare whatsoever because they will not have free reign to have any medical procedure they want. Still can't figure out how that's any different from someone being insured by a private insurance company. I believe in the idea of universal healthcare (like public education). Perhaps Obamacare isn't perfect, but it's a step in the right decision. A public affordable option is necessary IMO.
However, we agree on the deficit spending. That obviously can't go on forever with the expectation that it'll somehow work itself out. For starters, we could stop starting costly wars and re-allocate the money that we do have to domestic issues.
Lastly, the GOP needs better outreach. Maybe it's by making some concessions (particularly on social issues) or maybe it's through education of how their proposed policies could benefit us. Instead, the pride gets in the way and it's "good riddance to all y'all".
I've been either a conservative or a libertarian leaning conservative my entire life.....but I'm leaving the party because it has gone off the deep end. Since i'm a huge fan of lists I've decided to expound upon why I belive the party is a shell of it's former self.
1). They're irrational. Obamacare is the law. Throwing a temper tantrum and shutting down the government (and yes, basically everyone blames the GOP) is a terrible idea. Just suck it up...meet with the Democrats...agree to fund the law...fund the government...move on.
2). Using political theatre for these debt ceiling talks every few months is a joke and irresponsible.
3). The religious wing of the party is absurdly annoying.
4). Reaganomics is a joke.
5). The deficit isn't THAT big of a deal right now...All CBO estimates show that our debts/deficits are sustainable.
6). The military really doesn't need to be this large.
7). It's blind aversion to scienfitic consensus.
8). Gay marriage is GOING to be the law of the land one day in the very near future. Get over it. If you aren't gay...don't marry someone of the same sex.
9). They're wildly hypocritical. The party of fiscal restraint....really? See GWB budget 2001-2008.
10). They're war mongerers when their guy is in office...peacenics when the other guy is.
Other reasons exist but these are the primary ones that are leading to me taking off my bumper stickers and withdrawing my name from the GOP call lists. Enjoy your journey into mediocrity.
My list is much smaller, but it looks like I too will be a former Republican.
My quibbles and comments with your list:
#4: (disagree) The alternative is the belief that we can restore prosperity only if we waste enough money. Krugman/Obamanomics is way less credible than supply-side economics.
#5: (disagree) Without entitlement reform, we are totally screwed in the future by the debt and the deficit. My reading says the CBO long-term projections all show this to be the case.
#1: (strongly agree) Ted Cruz and his minions in the House have no concept of what they are doing. We can't stop now, enough of the ACA is already in place to wreck the flawed system we had. We have to keep on going, and reform the health care reform. Otherwise the 8% of us who buy insurance in the individual market are getting thrown under the bus--we gotta have ACA marketplaces to simply buy protection. The ACA (or Obamacare if you prefer) sucks in many ways, some tragically--so start fixing it already.
#8, agree.
Some of the other points are true of both parties. Democrat radical orthodoxy makes me puke, so I'm headed for independence.
McCain was firmly behind Iraq. This is something I don't understand. How can you say you left something because of a position but then say you support someone that held the same position?
Apparently you don't follow timelines very well.
First- Bush threw McCain under the bus in 2000. He ran a decent man into the mud with the help of the Neo-Cons. That is one reason I disliked Bush.
Two- Bush and the Neo-Cons fabricated a BS smoke screen to convince Congress to go to war in 2003. No evidence. Just go do it. And he deployed a lot of troops to do it.
If McCain HAD been elected- I'm quite confident that our effort to remove Saddam would have been a little more thought out, wouldn't you agree? One thing that McCain is not is some cowboy- "Mission accomplished!" butt-wipe war dodger. He knows the repercussions of WAR better than Bush Jr. or any of his dream team.
The Bush GOP/Neo-cons set their sights on McCain because he was/is a moderate republican.
5. I do think there is a lot waste in many of the contracts that the government has with various contractors....they pay way too much for stuff and get raked over the coals. I would love to see some oversight in that area.
Wouldn't it be great if we had Wal-Mart's corporate office review these contracts and see if they could negotiate better prices and terms for the government? The reason we see waste is that the government has failed to use leverage in its negotiating strategy, when no one has more leverage than the federal government.
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