# The GOP is the party of Authoritarian Bullies and Gaslighting now **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 23, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943 "2019-04-23T15:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/41 "2019-04-23T22:50:45Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > The non hive side. I thought that was obvious. You can tell this is a hive mind because Great Debates is completely devoid of posts. We are all of one mind on things, after all. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/42 "2019-04-23T23:36:32Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Apparently, it doesn’t take more than their hardcore base to get re-elected. So why would they? I’ll give you an example: when GWB was running for re-election, he cared about the Hispanic vote - his relative popularity (or at least his lack of unpopularity) with Latinos was crucial to his winning re-election. Even as recently as 2013, there was the “post mortem” and supposedly a moment of introspection about how they needed to do better with Latino and minority voters, or at least well enough to not rely on gerrymandering. But somewhere between 2012 and 2016, the political Rubicon was crossed, and there was no going back. That’s an example. When Trump ran for president in 2015, he had this idea that I’m not even sure he totally believed would win him the White House, but I think that he knew that it would create a stir, and that idea was to stoke white Christian identity. It seemed insane and counterintuitive at the time. After all, the 2012 post-mortem said that doubling down on racism was exactly the wrong thing to do. But Trump had an idea: he believed he could go into moderate blue states with large rural white populations and win people over by doing nothing more than exploiting their fears of a changing society. And that’s partly how the blue wall crumbled. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/43 "2019-04-24T12:23:24Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > But Trump had an idea: he believed he could go into moderate blue states with large rural white populations and win people over by doing nothing more than exploiting their fears of a changing society. And that’s partly how the blue wall crumbled. Seemed to be quite effective. As proof, I offer the 2016 election. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/44 "2019-04-24T13:07:27Z")
I’m pinning all my hopes on the young voters coming online. If 2016 wasn’t the Pickett’s Charge of authoritarianism (specifically, that moment when his troops breached the wall, the “High Water Mark of the confederacy”), we’re fucked. The democracy suppression efforts have only just begun. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/45 "2019-04-24T14:21:54Z")
Nobody responds to your embarrassingly partisan claptrap, so it warrants its own thread. Liberal narcissism on full display. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/46 "2019-04-24T14:32:34Z")
Will Farnaby: “Look at me! Look at me, everybody! Look at me!” ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/47 "2019-04-24T14:49:28Z")
If I wanted the attention of the barely verbal I would jiggle my keys in front of your face. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/48 "2019-04-24T14:54:43Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Nobody responds to your embarrassingly partisan claptrap, so it warrants its own thread. Liberal narcissism on full display. Asshole. Somebody PM’d me and asked if anyone had responded to this particular post. I saw that nobody did. So I reposted it. So go eat shit. Asshole. By the way your reply still doesn’t dispute anything in my post. What are the GOP running on? What are the policy ideas that they are putting forward? Anything? All you guys have is more bullying shit. Just proving my point. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/49 "2019-04-24T14:58:37Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Will Farnaby: “Look at me! Look at me, everybody! Look at me!” Hmmm. Think I’ll steal this. I’ll only use it when he happens to be the final post in a thread that I’ve opened, of course; it’s not like I’ll be following him around. Who knows? This might turn out to be more popular than throwing stuff into quarries. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/50 "2019-04-24T15:15:38Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Asshole. > > Somebody PM’d me and asked if anyone had responded to this particular post. I saw that nobody did. So I reposted it. So go eat shit. Asshole. > > By the way your reply still doesn’t dispute anything in my post. > > What are the GOP running on? What are the policy ideas that they are putting forward? Anything? All you guys have is more bullying shit. Just proving my point. I can’t tell whether my response upthread — that opposing various liberal ideas seems to be enough — wasn’t noticed, or is what you say proves your point. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/51 "2019-04-24T15:49:09Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I can’t tell whether my response upthread — that opposing various liberal ideas seems to be enough — wasn’t noticed, or is what you say proves your point. That’s exactly what I mean, they have no ideas of their own, its simply all about destroying the libs. We can’t have constructive debate if one side has no interest in that and only wants to bully the other side into submission because they currently have the power. Like what are Republicans voting _for_ at this point? It seems like its nothing but voting against what they’ve been told to hate. I can’t even get anyone to suggest one policy proposal that the GOP is running on in 2020. Nothing. Just sniping at liberals and trying to demonize every Democratic candidate. They have nothing positive to offer. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/52 "2019-04-24T16:15:22Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Like what are Republicans voting _for_ at this point? It seems like its nothing but voting against what they’ve been told to hate. I can’t even get anyone to suggest one policy proposal that the GOP is running on in 2020. Nothing. Just sniping at liberals and trying to demonize every Democratic candidate. They have nothing positive to offer. From what I gather, most of the GOP platform is centered around getting rid of stuff they don’t like. Stuff like effectively censoring discussion about climate change, repealing taxes, shrinking the government, and reducing expenditures they deem unnecessary. You’re right that they don’t have a big platform of new stuff- that’s not their thing apparently. But they have a big list of stuff they want to dismantle or cripple. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/53 "2019-04-24T16:20:45Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Asshole. > > Somebody PM’d me and asked if anyone had responded to this particular post. I saw that nobody did. So I reposted it. So go eat shit. Asshole. > > By the way your reply still doesn’t dispute anything in my post. > > What are the GOP running on? What are the policy ideas that they are putting forward? Anything? All you guys have is more bullying shit. Just proving my point. Hey now! That’s colbri’s catch phrase. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/54 "2019-04-24T16:22:34Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Asshole. > > Somebody PM’d me and asked if anyone had responded to this particular post. I saw that nobody did. So I reposted it. So go eat shit. Asshole. > > By the way your reply still doesn’t dispute anything in my post. > > What are the GOP running on? What are the policy ideas that they are putting forward? Anything? All you guys have is more bullying shit. Just proving my point. **Octopus** ’ posts sum up my view of the “content” of the post. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/55 "2019-04-24T16:22:36Z")
But I thought they were all about making America great again? The plan to do that is to dismantle or get rid of parts of it they don’t like? ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/56 "2019-04-24T16:23:38Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > **Octopus** ’ posts sum up my view of the “content” of the post. And your lack of actual response sums up a lot about you. If you have nothing to add to the discussion, why the fuck are you here? ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/57 "2019-04-24T16:27:36Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > And your lack of actual response sums up a lot about you. > > If you have nothing to add to the discussion, why the fuck are you here? To point out your liberal narcissism when you insist that we read your very important fluff. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/58 "2019-04-24T16:30:09Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > To point out your liberal narcissism when you insist that we read your very important fluff. So you’re here to thread-shit, as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/59 "2019-04-24T17:05:57Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > To point out your liberal narcissism when you insist that we read your very important fluff. Up yours ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943/60 "2019-04-24T17:16:27Z")
By the way thank you guys for proving my OP exactly true. There has not been one suggestion for what the GOP is running on, other than gaslighting, bullying and demonization of liberals. Only a bunch of assholish bullying crap in reply. So thanks again for demonstrating exactly what I was saying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gop-is-the-party-of-authoritarian-bullies-and-gaslighting-now/832943.md?page=4)