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I grew up in post-WWII America, in a Republican dominated area. Those boys back from the war were interested in building a future for America. They built the infrastructure for economic expansion, like water projects, waste water treatment, highways, schools and such. They were fiscal conservatives. They knew the bill would come due, so they put their money in a future that would pay off.
Today we are living in the decaying remnants of the future they built. A large percentage of Republican voters are not interested in America's future, because old people don't have a future. Instead of investing a trillion dollars in infrastructure, they are spending a trillion dollars in "economic stimulus" payments that buy nothing of value. They have no vision. They have no future.
No matter how attractive it is, the past is gone. If America wants good times, it won't get there by popping the cork on leftover '55. We have to build a new future. America desperately needs progressive conservatives, but all Republicans are selling is nostalgia. Tax cuts for the rich aren't buying anyone anything. We need to spend that money on something of value to all Americans.
Tom McCall was the first person who came to mind when I read your thread title.
There is no way he'd be a republican these days.
I lived in Oregon when Tom McCall was governor. He was instrumental in working with the Secretary of the Interior to preserve most of Oregon's waterways and old-growth forests from extraction industries. In other words, he was a true conservative, and the last of a dying breed, which seems to have disappeared completely among the current crop of republicans.
It's a shame there are none of them left who care about those who will follow them.
The problem is that the Republican party has placed more emphasis on social conservatism rather than fiscal conservatism.
The party of less taxes and less regulations has no problem spending tax dollars and introducing regulations as it pertains to abortion, gay marriage, religion, etc.
The party has lost its way and unfortunately those Republicans who had the ability to look into the future and negotiate deals are now referred to as RINO's. The infighting is sad, really.
Linwood Holton was a progressive GOP Governor of VA; today he supports democrats. (He's also Tim Kaine's father-in-law.) Bill Whitehurst (GOP) ran unopposed usually; he endorses democrats. In VA, the GOP is devolving into neo-Confederates.
It was Bob Dole who said a while back, that not even Reagan would make it in today's GOP.
There is no such thing as a progressive Republican. If there is then they are a democrat plain and simple.
100% not true. I would consider myself socially moderate to socially liberal, or a RINO as the dittoheads would say.
More importantly I am in favor of cutting spending, taxes, social programs and the like, which used to be a tenet of the Republican party.
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