Some Observations From A Former Republican

[IMnotU]

I am a lifelong Republican who supported Mitt Romney's father in 1964 (but not Mitt in 2012), McCain, and both Bush's. But this new Republican party is not the one I knew and loved. I remember there was a time when rivers caught fire (Cuyahoga River in Ohio), homes were built over raw toxic waste (Love Canal), a million children with disabilities had no access to the public schools, people died by breathing the air (smog), and 1000's of babies were born with birth defects from unregulated drugs (Thalidomide), etc. Republican President Nixon created the EPA and Republican President Theodore Roosevelt created the FDA. Republican President Ford created the first federal regulatory program in education, with a program for special needs children. Republican President Eisenhower warned: "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, by the military–industrial complex" and was responsible for one of the largest Infrastructure projects in American history (Interstate Highway System). These men were not Left-wing radical hippies, but the "New Republican Party" and their supporters in Congress would call them Socialist. Both parties worked together to find common solutions to our problems and compromise was not a dirty word. I am worried about the direction in which the United States is headed.

The Dominican Republic where I now live, as an expatriate absentee voter, never had a government that looked out for its people, all wealth was concentrated and went to the elite. I am sure you remember Rafael Trujillo. This is why this country is so poor. The elite never paid taxes for the public good. Yes, the poor are better off in the United States then in this country, because in most of our history we had a government that cared about ALL the people. This was true for both Republicans and Democrats, but now that is changing in this new Republican party. They sound as if they would be delighted if the United States had a government which emulated the Dominican Republic.

I was considered a successful small businessperson, yet I have never made a business decision based on taxes. They never deterred me from expanding when I saw an opportunity to meet a demand by consumers. Taxes never took 100% of any additional income I made by expanding my business. However if there was no demand, I would not expand no matter how low the taxes. If 90% of the people have no money how can they buy my products? In fact, taxes were just a cost of doing business like any other necessary cost. They paid for services my business and I, (as an individual), needed. As my father used to express it "some for me and some for my uncle (Sam)." Besides, the psychic income, of pride and a sense of achievement, gained from building a business was never taxed. Those who say taxes kill jobs have their own agenda, that does not include paying for the common good, which benefits all of us.

[Roland99]

1. Welcome to DU!

Former republican here, too

Had my epiphany in late 2003 after reading a couple of articles by Seymour Hersh on how the intel on Iraq was cooked up.

[barbtries]

2. i'd like to share this to fb

with your permission?

thank you, very well done.

[IMnotU]

5. Yes, you and anyone else have my permission to repost this anywhere you like

[hlthe2b]

3. Reading this, I am reminded of Sting's famous song re: the Russians and...

how many of us took some solace that they "seemed" to love their children too.

Now, I ask the same thing about Republicans and ....I'm not so sure...

Russians
Sting
In Europe and America there's a growing feeling of hysteria.
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets.
MIster Krushchev said, "We will bury you."
I don't subscribe to this point of view.
It'd be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too.
How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy?
There is no monopoly on common sense
On either side of the political fence.
We share the same biology, regardless of ideology.
Believe me when I say to you,
I hope the Russians love their children too
There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the president?
There's no such thing as a winnable war,
It's a lie we don't believe anymore.
Mister Reagan says, "We will protect you."
I don't subscribe to this point of view.
Believe me when I say to you,
I hope the Russians love their children too
We share the same biology, regardless of ideology.
But what might save us, me and you,
Is if the Russians love their children too
Songwriters: Gordon Sumner / Serge Prokofieff
Russians lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

[Eliot Rosewater]

32. It depends, for instance I promise you any of his 3 kids go under the bus if necessary.

his being the filthy fucking traitor in the WH

[niyad]

4. welcome to du

[C_U_L8R]

6. The Common Good

A concept that is complete lost on present-day Republicans.
And they fancy themselves Christian too. What a sick joke.

[procon]

7. Republicans no longer want to participate in the shared social contract that

has tried to level the playing field as a way to hold our unique society together for the benefit of everyone. In their greed and avarice, they have become more fanatically Libertarian, selfish disciples of a callous Ayn Rand dystopia that lauds survival of the fittest by any means.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

8. Welcome!! So glad to meet you here.

I’d like to share your excellent post on FB too.

[Hekate]

9. Welcome to DU. We're a bit testy these days, but most of us recognize fellow patriots when ...

...we meet them. Nice to have you on our side.

[iluvtennis]

15. Ditto. Well said Hekate.

[KTM]

10. Where in the DR ?

[IMnotU]

21. I have lived in several places in the DR over the last 17 years (Winters mostly)

My favorite place is Cabarete on the north coast. Before I moved here, I lived for 12 years in St Croix, US Virgin Islands. I am a New Yorker who was lucky as a young man and stumbled into the home computer industry just as it was being born. They never talk about how big a role luck plays business success, it is the most important factor. I was able to retire 29 years ago because a friend bought an Atari PONG game and I wanted one of my own.

[GallopingGhost]

11. Former

Repub here too.

Darkness to light.

[DownriverDem]

12. Religious Right too

Things started to go wrong for the repubs when the religious folks sold their souls to the repubs for votes. And when compromise became a dirty word. It's taken awhile, but we are seeing the destruction of the repub party. Now the repub party is full of haters, repub Christians (not to be confused with real Christians) and the rich. If I ever hear anyone say both the parties are the same, I will punch them out.

[JHan]

13. It's a testament to Nixon's wisdom at the time that he supported Democrats on the EPA

Compare that action with this President's mindset.

I don't view the past with rose colored glasses, after all you always had your Birchers and Heritage Foundation fever dreams, and it seems those fever dreams can come to fruition in the current post-fact/reality political environment.

Evangelical ideologues and anarcho capitalist libertarians have so taken over the GOP, republican partisan politics have made important public policy issues like health services, education, infrastructure and climate change a nightmare. Any thinking, feeling person who values the social contract would find this offensive because it's really about values.

Welcome to DU

[dae]

14. Very well put.

[zentrum]

16. Yes, tragedy is

…that so many of our Trump supporters who think they will get 1000's in a tax break deductible, don't yet understand that will not be enough to pay for the privatized school their kids goes to, their health care, the inspections that keep their water and food safe, the old age of their parents and themselves, their fire department, their roads and bridges. And on and on.

Meantime I do suggest you read "Dog Whistle Politics" by Ian Lopez if you want to see the cynical and dangerous policies begun by Nixon building on Goldwater. Way beyond "Watergate".

[Moral Compass]

17. Welcome

There’s a fundamental psychological shift that occurred when Republican politicians decided that government is the problem and should be shrunk.

This was a throw away line in one of Reagan’s speeches that was designed to appeal to those “small” government anti-tax zealots who were a small part of the Republican base back then.

That began a political avalanche when coupled with the billions of libertarian billionaires.

That thinking is sucking the lifeblood from the republic.

Welcome to the land of sanity.

[NBachers]

25. I watched him say it "Isn't it time me to get the government off the backs of the American people? "

[dawg]

18. The Republican Party once served an important, stabilizing role in American politics.

That role is now being served by the establishment Democrats. They are the true "conservatives" in as much as they prefer careful, incremental reforms over radical action. Even the ACA, much despised by the modern Republican Party, is an incremental reform that relies upon tax credits and the private sector.

Welcome to DU. We aren't all socialists here (although sometimes we seem to be).

[Volaris]

43. Agreed. Traditional 'conservatism' means

'Don't fuck with what works. We may not agree with it as a foundational principal, but the numbers PROVE that SocSec, Medicare and Medicade, and Progressive Taxation Curves WORK. Tweaks can be made to make them work BETTER, but destroying them is counter - productive in the long term.'

This is now the position of Democrats as a political body.
Radical Republicanism is the untenable position, and it's only made tenable by vote turnout repression, gerrymandering and populace apathy. If proof of voting were necessary to get a tax return check cut to you, the Republican Party would be utterly destroyed in a single cycle and we both know it lol.

[Soxfan58]

19. In the Tip O'Neil federal building In Boston

There's a wall mural that tells of Tip and Reagan having a weekly meeting where they would argue over the policies then at 5:00 policy stopped and the burbon came out, and they dicussed family and any thing but work. I can't see Donny Douchebag doing that with any dems today

[Ilsa]

23. He can't even write a tweet without insulting Democrats or

any marginalized group.

[LuvLoogie]

20. This is what I tell young people or those who are new to politics...

and serves as a self-check as well.

Take three or four issues you care about. Think about the current situation and where you would like it to be. Then investigate who is promoting and opposing that.

I don't tell them how to think about the issues or what politicians to support. We need people to be engaged though. They don't have to be in the streets or knocking on doors, but they should really meditate on what they care about and speak up when the opportunity arises.

For the most part, people who come to DU know how they feel about the issues and can find a like-minded community here. You will be supported and checked by your fellow posters. We run the gamut of personalities, so give us a chance. And Welcome.

[Ilsa]

22. Welcome to DU. The old Republican Party did a lot of good.

But they turned greedy, started manipulating the judgmental ultra-religious and haters, and decided, "I've got mine, screw you." Their pro-business philosophy turned into fascism.

[PatSeg]

24. Well said!

Welcome to DU!

[stonecutter357]

26. K&R

[rurallib]

27. Just got to say welcome and I hope you find this place to your liking.

Fair warning - it really grows on you - or it did me, anyway.

[maddiemom]

28. I hold Mitch McConnell responsible for much of the Republican Congress's mean-spiritedness

at present. It began with his gleeful and blatantly announced obstruction of President Obama. In the sixty years I've followed politics, I'd never seen anything like it. Sure, obstruction was always a part of congressional maneuvering, but never so happily announced. When a Senate leader announces his goal to make a president "one term," rather than doing his job for those who elected him, it signaled a new Republican low. No more "loyal opposition. From denying Obama a Supreme Court nominee to making the president's job as impossible as he could at every turn, Turtleman has been one of a kind, and not in a good way. The "Tea Party" is a distant second.

[Stinky The Clown]

30. It goes back further. My motto on another board years ago was "Shewt, Newt"

[maddiemom]

35. Yeah, Newt did start a lot of it.

He didn't come close to Mitch in actual hatred, however. He used to say something to the effect that he really couldn't help actually kinda' liking Bill., on a personal level. The downright nasty (and, I suspect, somewhat racial) contempt McConnell showed Obama wasn't in play, then. Gingrich DID give a good start on the "obstruct the president of the other party" thing.

[blue-wave]

29. Welcome to DU!!

I too, am a former republican. That was in my late teens and early 20's. I saw the party changing into something toxic and radicalized in the late 80's. That is not who I am and I never will be. I had to get out for my own sanity. I am now completely convinced that those who control the party are hell bent on our countries' destruction. Please join us in attempting to right the ship.

[Stinky The Clown]

31. Will we ever return to that?

I honestly miss **THAT** GOP.

[phylny]

33. Happy to have you here.

My husband's story is much like yours. He began voting for Democrats with Obama, and hasn't looked back. I know that he *wishes* he could vote Republican, as he is a fiscal conservative, but he also realizes now that current-day Republicans are anything but fiscally conservative.

I appreciate your life experience and what you have shared with us.

[gibraltar72]

34. Trying to wrap my head around

how someone could vote a ticket with Sarah Palin but Mitt Romney was a bridge to far. Anyhow welcome on your escape from the dark side.

[pnwmom]

37. I'm guessing that by then the poster liked Obama and wanted a 2nd term. n/t

[IMnotU]

40. Palin was VP nominee, but she also enabled the crazies to take over the party

For all the reasons I changed see https://www.democraticunderground.com/10021135316

[Heartstrings]

36. Welcome to du IMnotU.......

[GulfCoast66]

38. There are a good many of we former republicans here

Some of us have even become social democrats

[UrbScotty]

39. It's so sad what has happened to the party of Bill Milliken and Jerry Ford.

For that matter, I'm not sure the late Vern Ehlers (my former congressman) would approve of a lot of what is going on, either.

Thank you for sharing.

[LittleGirl]

41. You didn't leave the GOP

they left you and their numbers will probably shrink considerably after this Presidency makes a mockery of that party.
Welcome to DU. I hope you're here to stay.

[MarvinGardens]

42. Great post, and welcome to DU!

I was once a Libertarian and voted for numerous Republicans as well. By 2012 I was voting for Democrats in a big way, but I did not call myself a Democrat until 2016. Now I see myself voting straight ticket D for the foreseeable future. It would be easy to say that the conservative and libertarian movements left me, but it would only be half true. I've changed too, for the better.

Again, welcome aboard. I hope you stay.

[GoneOffShore]

44. Well said, sir. Well said. And welcom to DU.