Frankly, I've not believed that the GOP was the party of limited government many years before Trump, collectively speaking, with few exceptions. One of the reasons I've sometimes abstained voting for GOP candidates even during the 2000s, was my concern towards their lack of fealty to limited government. Of course, the Trump era had the GOP throwing out whatever conservative creds they had remaining, that was generally sufficient for me to vote for them in the past. Whatever the reservations I had about the Republican party in the Bush 43 era, feel extremely trivial in nature compared to now. It makes sense to hold the GOP to a higher standard, given that they claim to be for limited government conservatism. After all, if I'm going to plunk down 400k for a Rolls-Royce Phantom, it would be irrational for me to expect it to drive like a Ford Focus and be pleased with it. Classical liberalism for me is my Rolls-Royce when it comes to political philosophy.
I'm actually willing to compromise to some extent with the right-populists in the GOP, despite my dislike of populism. I wouldn't withhold my vote for someone just because a handful of his views were too populist for my tastes, so long as I agreed with him on a majority of the issues. I did the same thing for Republicans BT. The problem is that we have people on the right talking about wanting to assassinate people like Gabriel Sterling, Brad Raffensperger, and others, because they refused to kowtow to the Big Lie. You have those like Mike Flynn and Mike Lindell, calling for a Myanmar style martial law to reinstate Trump in August, among other things that are done in a 3rd world banana republic. We're not talking about mere policy differences here, but an outright contempt for our liberal democracy and the Constitution.
Voters tend to have a short term, transient memory, and I believe by the 2022 midterms and 2024 POTUS election, that January 6 won't be much of a factor. Not that I like it, but that tends to be the nature of our electorate, moving from the latest outrage to the next. That is why being relentless in telling the truth(as you guys in the Racket all do), and showing tough love, is necessary to prevent another 1-6 happening in 2024.
I understand where you're coming from but you probably won't be surprised that I have a few disagreements. I really do not know anyone who wants legislation to outlaw kneeling and similar protests but everyone I hang out with has turned off on pro sports. Most of my acquaintances do not worry about CRT but they also so feel it is a simple and totally legal matter for the state government to define the curriculum in state schools. The game is far from over when it comes to the damage the present administration can do - not to mention what could happen if they gain more control.
It's illogical to vote for politicians you hold to a lesser standard just to punish others for electing a president with personality defects. I know that I expect the worst from a democrat party whose stalwarts include Chuck, Nancy, Corie Bush, Pressley, Omar, Tlaib and a few dozen others. But, planning for and designing against the worst cases is what I was trained for and how I made a living. I suspect you do the same but just don't apply the same principles to politics.
The problem is that in the ballot box, there's nothing that distinguishes the SGMan's "But the Democrats" votes from the "I'm a Conductor on the Trump Train" votes. And absent enough of those GOP votes disappearing, the dominant GOP players will see that as an endorsement of those "personality defects" and double-down on them.
And absent enough votes disappearing that the GOP starts to lose elections, it'll never pivot away from "personality defect" candidates like Trump, MTG, Madison Cawthorne, etc. Not voting for the GOP for the next cycle or two is attempting to inflict enough pain on the current Trumpy incaranation of the GOP so that it redirects itself back into something conservatives can get behind without reservation.
That said, if you've bought into the "Flight 93" mindset - it only takes one administration to destroy America - then the "purge the infection" strategy won't make a lot of sense, and you're left without any corrective lever to keep the current party from barrelling down the direction it's heading.
It's hypothetical I know but, given the Increasing number of democrats who seem to hate the USA and lean Marxist, I absolutely buy into the Flight 93 mindset. Just three or four more radical democrats in Congress could result in harmful changes that might never be undone.
Apologies if I've asked this before an you've answered (and I've forgotten the answer), but what specifically do you have in mind?
I was worried that Biden would succumb to the temptation to pack the Supreme Court, but he doesn't seem interested in heading down that road at the moment. The filibuster has been similarly-imperiled, but doing away with that seems to be a bipartisan interest from kooks on both sides of the aisle, so I have a hard time laying that on Democrats. We could argue that our nation is close to the Point of No Return when it comes to spending (and our ability to service the debt) and I'd agree with you there - but spending big bucks has hardly been a Democratic monopoly since the (W.) Bush administration.
Ruination of the military, open borders, unfair trade practices by global competitors, national debt, Obamacare, coddling unions, overregulation of industry, over taxing industry and pretending it doesn't cost consumers, increasing dependence on foreign petroleum, ending the filibuster, packing the court, DC statehood, attacks on Second Amendment, choice of radicals for cabinet positions and agency heads, lying about voting integrity laws.
I’m not promising to vote for anyone. I voted Biden because I thought he was a clearly better choice than Trump. I had intended to vote Perdue and Loeffler until they jumped on the steal-the-election train. For 2022, I’m undecided.
I do not believe there has been a serious attempt to upend the republic since the Civil War. There have been riots and disrespect for authority. The most serious instances have been in democrat cities.
Frankly, I've not believed that the GOP was the party of limited government many years before Trump, collectively speaking, with few exceptions. One of the reasons I've sometimes abstained voting for GOP candidates even during the 2000s, was my concern towards their lack of fealty to limited government. Of course, the Trump era had the GOP throwing out whatever conservative creds they had remaining, that was generally sufficient for me to vote for them in the past. Whatever the reservations I had about the Republican party in the Bush 43 era, feel extremely trivial in nature compared to now. It makes sense to hold the GOP to a higher standard, given that they claim to be for limited government conservatism. After all, if I'm going to plunk down 400k for a Rolls-Royce Phantom, it would be irrational for me to expect it to drive like a Ford Focus and be pleased with it. Classical liberalism for me is my Rolls-Royce when it comes to political philosophy.
I'm actually willing to compromise to some extent with the right-populists in the GOP, despite my dislike of populism. I wouldn't withhold my vote for someone just because a handful of his views were too populist for my tastes, so long as I agreed with him on a majority of the issues. I did the same thing for Republicans BT. The problem is that we have people on the right talking about wanting to assassinate people like Gabriel Sterling, Brad Raffensperger, and others, because they refused to kowtow to the Big Lie. You have those like Mike Flynn and Mike Lindell, calling for a Myanmar style martial law to reinstate Trump in August, among other things that are done in a 3rd world banana republic. We're not talking about mere policy differences here, but an outright contempt for our liberal democracy and the Constitution.
Voters tend to have a short term, transient memory, and I believe by the 2022 midterms and 2024 POTUS election, that January 6 won't be much of a factor. Not that I like it, but that tends to be the nature of our electorate, moving from the latest outrage to the next. That is why being relentless in telling the truth(as you guys in the Racket all do), and showing tough love, is necessary to prevent another 1-6 happening in 2024.
I understand where you're coming from but you probably won't be surprised that I have a few disagreements. I really do not know anyone who wants legislation to outlaw kneeling and similar protests but everyone I hang out with has turned off on pro sports. Most of my acquaintances do not worry about CRT but they also so feel it is a simple and totally legal matter for the state government to define the curriculum in state schools. The game is far from over when it comes to the damage the present administration can do - not to mention what could happen if they gain more control.
It's illogical to vote for politicians you hold to a lesser standard just to punish others for electing a president with personality defects. I know that I expect the worst from a democrat party whose stalwarts include Chuck, Nancy, Corie Bush, Pressley, Omar, Tlaib and a few dozen others. But, planning for and designing against the worst cases is what I was trained for and how I made a living. I suspect you do the same but just don't apply the same principles to politics.
The problem is that in the ballot box, there's nothing that distinguishes the SGMan's "But the Democrats" votes from the "I'm a Conductor on the Trump Train" votes. And absent enough of those GOP votes disappearing, the dominant GOP players will see that as an endorsement of those "personality defects" and double-down on them.
And absent enough votes disappearing that the GOP starts to lose elections, it'll never pivot away from "personality defect" candidates like Trump, MTG, Madison Cawthorne, etc. Not voting for the GOP for the next cycle or two is attempting to inflict enough pain on the current Trumpy incaranation of the GOP so that it redirects itself back into something conservatives can get behind without reservation.
That said, if you've bought into the "Flight 93" mindset - it only takes one administration to destroy America - then the "purge the infection" strategy won't make a lot of sense, and you're left without any corrective lever to keep the current party from barrelling down the direction it's heading.
It's hypothetical I know but, given the Increasing number of democrats who seem to hate the USA and lean Marxist, I absolutely buy into the Flight 93 mindset. Just three or four more radical democrats in Congress could result in harmful changes that might never be undone.
Apologies if I've asked this before an you've answered (and I've forgotten the answer), but what specifically do you have in mind?
I was worried that Biden would succumb to the temptation to pack the Supreme Court, but he doesn't seem interested in heading down that road at the moment. The filibuster has been similarly-imperiled, but doing away with that seems to be a bipartisan interest from kooks on both sides of the aisle, so I have a hard time laying that on Democrats. We could argue that our nation is close to the Point of No Return when it comes to spending (and our ability to service the debt) and I'd agree with you there - but spending big bucks has hardly been a Democratic monopoly since the (W.) Bush administration.
What specifically has you that worried?
Ruination of the military, open borders, unfair trade practices by global competitors, national debt, Obamacare, coddling unions, overregulation of industry, over taxing industry and pretending it doesn't cost consumers, increasing dependence on foreign petroleum, ending the filibuster, packing the court, DC statehood, attacks on Second Amendment, choice of radicals for cabinet positions and agency heads, lying about voting integrity laws.
He doesn't have much besides some bigotry related to LGBTQ people, and nebulous regulations.
Trying to upend our republic isn't a "personality defect". When you can understand that, then you will understand why some Rs aren't staying Rs.
I’m not promising to vote for anyone. I voted Biden because I thought he was a clearly better choice than Trump. I had intended to vote Perdue and Loeffler until they jumped on the steal-the-election train. For 2022, I’m undecided.
I do not believe there has been a serious attempt to upend the republic since the Civil War. There have been riots and disrespect for authority. The most serious instances have been in democrat cities.
"BUT THE DEMOCRATS!!!"
Yep.
Vote your principles, not your fears. You let the Democrats drive your agenda in purely reactionary terms.