# Why do the GOP's most hard-line authoritarians call themselves the "Freedom Caucus"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 24, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967 "2017-03-24T23:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beren\_Erchamion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Beren\_Erchamion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beren_Erchamion)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/1 "2017-03-24T23:21:06Z")
What they advocate is essentially slavery: do what your capitalist masters demand or starve to death. Is this some Orwellian trick? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/2 "2017-03-24T23:24:35Z")
Yes. It’s similar to how the party that has people tortured and doesn’t support universal health insurance sells itself as “pro-life”. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/3 "2017-03-24T23:25:00Z")
> [@Beren\_Erchamion](#): > > What they advocate is essentially slavery: do what your capitalist masters demand or starve to death. > > Is this some Orwellian trick? Freedom to screw over others. They don’t call themselves “Freedom for everyone caucus.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/4 "2017-03-24T23:27:18Z")
Same reason dictatorships frequently use “Socialist”, “Republic”, “Democratic”, “People’s”, etc. in the name of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/5 "2017-03-24T23:28:26Z")
More of a rant really. Moved from Great Debates to The Pit. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/6 "2017-03-24T23:35:54Z")
It shortens nicely to FaucUs. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/7 "2017-03-24T23:49:33Z")
These are also the people who, offended by Political Correctness, brought us “Right to Work” states. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/8 "2017-03-25T00:04:04Z")
GOPers are big fans of Opposite Day? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/9 "2017-03-25T00:21:40Z")
They are ‘freedom fighters’. Think about it… Batman is a crime fighter. He fights crime. My nephew is a fire fighter. He fights fires. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/10 "2017-03-25T00:30:40Z")
“Freedom Fuckers” wouldn’t go down well on TV. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/11 "2017-03-25T00:37:09Z")
The word Freedom is a Codeword. Substitute “Tax Cut” and you can speak and understand Republican. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/12 "2017-03-25T01:06:04Z")
They want every American citizen to have the \*\*freedom \*\*to die old, sick, homeless, and alone in the street, because it’s not the gummint’s job to take care of losers who didn’t make enough money or ran out of it or got sick or just had bad luck. They’ve also proved to be really sucky at “politics,” which is _the art of the possible._ They don’t know how to compromise, how to give a little, how to budge. All they know how to do is stand with their arms folded across their chests, stamp their feet, and scream “you can’t make me!” at the top of their lungs. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/13 "2017-03-25T01:13:19Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > They want every American citizen to have the \*\*freedom \*\*to die old, sick, homeless, and alone in the street, because it’s not the gummint’s job to take care of losers who didn’t make enough money or ran out of it or got sick or just had bad luck. > > They’ve also proved to be really sucky at “politics,” which is _the art of the possible._ They don’t know how to compromise, how to give a little, how to budge. All they know how to do is stand with their arms folded across their chests, stamp their feet, and scream “you can’t make me!” at the top of their lungs. “…it’s not the gummint’s job to take care of losers who didn’t make enough money or ran out of it or got sick or just had bad luck…” You left out, “be born with”, but I’m with you on everything else. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/14 "2017-03-25T01:32:14Z")
Well, I think it’s a little more subtle than the ranting people are saying. Certain Americans have concluded after getting upset about a whole variety of things, that the answer to everything that’s wrong in their world, is more cowbell. Oops, no, I meant more “Traditional Americanism.” So they look for various classic “keywords” in all the old style American Patriotic mythology they grew up with, sprinkle the words over their names of things and their statements of belief like a sort of spice, and then they feel comfortable waxing self-righteous about whatever their target of the moment is. Since “FREEDOM!!!” is an old rallying cry of the mythologized leaders of the original American Revolution, they apply it to the name of their group. The fact that it has a specific meaning and definition that their groups’ goals are entirely at odds with doesn’t enter their minds, because they only knew “Freedom!” as the nonsense word that their imaginary forefathers shouted, right before shooting whoever they happened to be mad at right then. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/15 "2017-03-25T01:40:50Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > “…it’s not the gummint’s job to take care of losers who didn’t make enough money or ran out of it or got sick or just had bad luck…” > > You left out, “be born with”, but I’m with you on everything else. I stand corrected. And I’d like to add that the Freedom Caucus members don’t have the slightest idea how the government or anything else really works. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/16 "2017-03-25T02:09:55Z")
Link to what the OP is on about? All I can think topically is that Trumpcare didn’t pass partially due to the FC, and I’m not sure that that’s a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/17 "2017-03-25T03:44:55Z")
You should be on high alert around any group or law with the following words in their title: - Freedom - Family - Moral - Patriot - Heartland - Liberty - Values ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/18 "2017-03-25T04:47:43Z")
I think it was Anthony Burgess, in _1985_, who spoke of those who can conceive “freedom from,” but have little understanding of “freedom to do.” In any case, there are many different freedoms, and those who fight fanatically for one may compromise others. Also, it’s the USA. “Freedom” is a magic and divine word here. Think of it like “Apple Pie Caucus.” It’s in the vein of “USA PATRIOT ACT,” or “Tea Party.” Literalness is not the point. Chauvinism, or jingoism if you prefer, is. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/19 "2017-03-25T12:15:48Z")
Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere Democratic People’s Republic of Korea German Democratic Republic etc. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967/20 "2017-03-25T12:34:06Z")
They have to call themselves something, and a more accurate name for what they are would be too long, too unwieldy and unprintable in most major publications. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-gops-most-hard-line-authoritarians-call-themselves-the-freedom-caucus/782967.md?page=2)