Off the bat, I ask anyone participating in this thread to try especially hard to avoid broad attacks on any other poster simply because of their political orientation/identification. I realize this board skews liberal - as do I.
I, and I believe most Dems/liberals, are very disturbed at Trump’s post-election actions which are seemingly aimed at undermining democratic processes, and at the majority of Repub leadership’s silent acquiescence to his efforts. I’m imagining that there is some subset of Republicans/conservatives out there who acknowledge that Trump lost fair and square, and who simply desire to move on from here in support of the views and positions they feel important. It is that sort of folk I would like to hear from, and I request the indulgence of my fellow liberals in not jumping all over them. There are plenty of other threads in which we can vent our spleens.
So - if you are a non-Trump Republican - how do you feel about the actions taken by Trump’s team and the majority of Republican leadership over the past month? Have productive efforts been made which you support and which I may not be sufficiently aware of?
Or - I guess - feel free to express your opinion if you feel that Trump’s post-election actions are just fine and dandy, and consistent with what you consider to be Republicanism/conservatism?
I’m not expecting anyone to try to persuade anyone to change their views in this thread. Instead, I’m just hoping for someone to dispel my ignorance as to the how others view recent events.
Hell, I’ll settle for anything. I’m harkening back to when I grew up - pre tea-party - and Repubs stood for somethings like fiscal conservatism, and certain foreign and social policy positions - but nevertheless understood the importance of compromise, certain near-universal values, and responsible governance.
I’m assuming at least some such folk still exist, and I’m wondering what their thoughts are about the current situation and current Republican leadership.
So I despise Trump but I grew up with Trump always publicly around as I’m a Jersey/NYC guy. We know he’s a snake oil salesman and a jackass.
What he is doing to our Democracy is shocking to see the Republican Party to stand by and accept. Disgusting in fact.
I was a Fiscal Conservative, I was a Hawk, I’ve mellowed a lot on both.
Trump’s team is horrific. I know Reagan did damage to the country but I feel he also did good for the country. There is almost no good from Trump.
I would have voted for McCain over Gore happily in 2000. McCain was much more my type of Republican. Hell I could defend a lot of Nixon’s policies and maybe show while he was a horrible human he had some really strong points as President.
Trump and his clowns are like a terrible Hollywood Script. I never would have believed all this could happen and he would still be popular.
I’m a registered Republican (going back to Reagan), though I don’t necessarily vote straight Republican, and I guess I lean towards the conservative side.
I did not vote Trump and never cared for him. I was certain he was going to somehow win in 2016.
I don’t like what Trump has done and what he is doing, and I think the Republican Party as a whole lost it’s backbone and should not be defending Trump nor his antics. I haven’t switched parties yet, but am seriously considering it.
My Republican congressman was reelected (who I like), but he hasn’t said much about what Trump has done so far as the election results. I think all he said was that there wasn’t any fraud. But he has not congratulated Biden nor publicly spoken out against Trump’s antics. I did fire off an email to his office with my unhappiness about it.
Sure, I’m Republican, but I wonder, as the Republican Party has definitely changed since 1980 when I registered.
It has, I think the worst thing Reagan did was bring the Dixiecrats (mostly racists and theocrats) into the Republican Party. It destroyed the party from within. It is so far from the party of even Nixon, nevermind Ike’s or Teddy’s.
I know there are a few others left but I feel like Olympia Snowe and John McCain were the last 2 old school Republican Senators. If a Republican Senator doesn’t follow the will of McConnell and the right wing of the party, they get taken out by RNC.
^^I usually watch the nightly news (ABC). I watch CNN sometimes. Sometimes FOX News (but I click the remote usually when folks like Tucker Carlson or people like him come on).
For reading the news on-line [which is where I get most of my news]: local news website, USA Today, NBC News, CNN, and occasionally FOX (mainly for interesting stories).
I have to agree with you there. I always liked McCain, but I didn’t like him as a presidential candidate. His demeanor always made me think of someone with a very short fuse.
I don’t mean to detract in any way from the OP. I hoped it might add to the conversation to try to gain an understanding of where those who feel like their party has left them turn for news.
I’m guessing Post-Standard ? Met my now-wife in Skaneateles in the 90’s
Trump is scum, and what he’s done since the election is no different than the way he conducted himself before the election, and throughout his life.
The Republican Party leaders are in a tough spot. They mostly see Trump for what he is, but they can despise him personally as much as they want, but they can’t go against the views of the Republican Party electorate. If they do, then they won’t be the Republican Party leadership (e.g. Paul Ryan). So they try to keep a low profile and say vaguely supportive things and hope it blows over. If Trump drops dead tomorrow they would be thrilled.
By way of comparison from the other side of the aisle, the Democrats could not get support for a resolution condemning anti-Semitic remarks by one of their members. First it was watered down to be a general condemnation of anti-Semitism and avoid mentioning her remarks, then it was watered down further to be a general condemnation of all forms of bigotry. That doesn’t mean the Democratic Party leadership is anti-Semitic. It just means that they can’t cross their base.
That’s the nature of Democracy in a world where most people are ignorant idiots.
I don’t think I would ever have identified as a conservative. My news shifted over the years from Walter Cronkite and the local paper to CNN & NPR and NPR.org and Home - BBC News dropping CNN as the dumbed down.
Thanks all - I truly appreciate the tone of discussion.
If I may go a little further - what do you think of McConnell?
I’ll go first - I’m not sure exactly WHAT his values are, but he typifies what I consider the worst possible “win at all costs” attitude in politics. I am not going to suggest that he - or Repubs - are unilaterally responsible for the current extreme bipolarity, but I have a hard time identifying anything quite as extreme as his stated intention to oppose anything the Obama administration proposed, and - of course - holding up the Garland nom. Personally, I think McConnell is more toxic than Trump. What conservative/Republican values does he stand for/advance?
Do you feel the Repubs (and possiby BOTH parties) are being held hostage to their extreme wings thru primaries?
Finally, can you think of anything that could improve things?
As someone who would describe himself as a libertarian more than a conservative I voted for the Republicans mostly for two decades until I voted for Obama in 2016.
One thing that turned me against the GOP is when became apparent to me that they were largely going to be blind defenders of a police state and not recognize that reform is needed to end police brutality and corruption.
As for Trump I have never been a fan of him and I am baffled how anyone who calls themselves a libertarian could support him. (There are some that do that.) His recent actions about refusing to concede scare me and I am not sure what his end game(if he has one) is. Is he trying to provoke violence? I don’t know. I hope there is not any.
McConnell is actually more evil than Trump. He’s smart, he’s organized and is more of a Dick Cheney mastermind type. Trump is a buffoon and wanna be dictator.
I absolutely believe the parties are restricted by the Primary system. Though the Dems less so it seems. The far right exerts a lot of pressure on Republican candidates. The far left doesn’t seem to exercise as much. I’m trying to figure out the last time a lefty Dem was nominated.
What could improve things?
no more Electoral College
find a fairer method for redistricting states where the shapes become more regular.
Put back voter rights protections
Restrict what the President, (from either party) can do by basically decree.
I don’t see any fundamental difference between him and any other politician as regards to “win at any cost”. While the ostensible rationale for holding up the Garland nomination was completely bogus, it was just a continuation of a tit-for-tat escalating war initially begun by the Democrats for the Bork nomination and continued for later nominations as well.
Much as you might prefer a genteel attitude of cooperation, you can’t be the only side being genteel, and you need to play the game the way the game is played. McConnell is very good at playing the game the way the game is played.
I don’t believe McConnell ever stated his “intention to oppose anything the Obama administration proposed”, and doubt if his attitude in that regard is out of the ordinary for politicians these days.
This would be a test. Biden is about to have his nominations come up for approval in a possibly Republican-controlled senate. Let’s see if the Republicans oppose the Biden nominations as intensely as the Democrats opposed the Trump ones.
I’m happy to entertain the position in the first section above. Who are a few of the Democrat politicians who express such a position as blatantly? I’d imagine the examples would be legion.
The second portion I quote kinda surprises me. I didn’t think this was even questioned. This is just the first site to come up.
