"Is there sanctuary for the disenchanted Republicans in THIS Democratic Party"

[TygrBright]

One pundit asked rhetorically, after Hillary's acceptance speech. And then answered (quelle surprise) with a critique I'm sure he thought was scathing, of the agenda she laid out.

So, let me expand a little on the issue of "sanctuary" for Republicans, in the Democratic Party that nominated Hillary Clinton for President, in 2016.

If you want a refuge from the thin-skinned ego, the unprepared narcissism, the uncontrolled temper, of a man who has never done a day of public service, welcome.

If you want a refuge from the terrifying thought of a man who honestly believes "I, alone, am the answer", in spite of not one single day in any kind of elected office, welcome.

If the notion of that orange-tinged finger on the metaphorical nuclear button gives you the jimjams, welcome.

If the scams, the bankruptcies, the stiffed contractors, the bilked 'students' of "Trump University," the hypocritical cheap-labor underpinnings of his clothing empire repel you, welcome.

BUT...

Here's the deal.

You take us as we are.

Progressive platform and all.

You don't get to re-make us into your vision of what a left-ish, center-ey, sort of moderate-oid, 'acceptable' party with an 'acceptable' agenda SHOULD be.

If you're looking for refuge from a GOP that's become a hot mess, in the hope you can push and twist and leverage and maneuver and whine and insist and shove the Democratic Party into your box, fuggedaboutit.

It's a harder job, maybe, but what you should REALLY be doing, is heading back to your hot mess of a party and cleaning it up, turning it into what you think a party should be. And if that's "adult, deliberate, respect-worthy, conservative, thoughtful, practical, and successful," more power to you. I'll never love ya, people, but you could regain the small amount of respect I once had for some of you.

In the mean time, yeah, you can take shelter here, temporarily.

We get it, you don't like us, you don't like what we want to accomplish for this very great nation, but we're less awful than what your party's become, and right now, between today and November 8th, we ALL have to make some hard choices and compromise some passionate desires to preserve us from something infinitely worse.

The coffee's hot. Help yourself. Remember you're a guest, and we will try to remember that, too.

Guests don't get to redecorate or remodel the host's home.

But they get shelter from the storm, and respect for their humanity. We're up for that.

Stick with us through November 8th, then head back to the smoking ruins of your own party and rebuild THAT.

firmly,
Bright

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Very well said!

[TygrBright]

2. Thanks! n/t

[John Poet]

3. I'm down with all that. Republican votes are welcome!

Progressive platform and all!


Really, the Republican party at its founding, was THE progressive party. They lost that somewhere along the way, and the Democrats became that party-- roughly in the period from FDR to the signing of the Voting and Civil Rights Acts-- at which point the Republicans became the party of racist dog-whistles and moved more and more to the right.

So if Republicans come to the Democratic party, they are merely coming home to the party which now promotes more of the ideals with which their party was originally founded.

[Hortensis]

22. More than that because moost of what we want to do

now really isn't new-ground progress, aside from gay rights. Most is repairing the damage 40 years of conservative ascendancy have done, with only some new advances here and there, such as in healthcare.

Importantly, conservatives lived with most of what we want to do before and were a lot more comfortable with it than most admit. The way they still are with SS because their leaders didn't succeed in getting rid of it. Trump's populist movement is full of people who are finally rejecting the dismantling of the safety net.

And as for issues like gay and minority rights, social justice issues, in spite of how they've been conditioned, traditional and economic conservatives just don't have the strong knee-jerk hostility to all that that strong social and religious cons do. In fact, many are supporters.

[Buzz cook]

4. No faith based solutions to problems

If you want to get something done you have to come up with a reality based solution.

[TygrBright]

5. Reality! What a concept! n/t

[Scuba]

6. Tell them to fix their own party. Ours should be offering sanctuary. ..

... to the millions on the left who support our policies instead of wanting to take us further right.

[Kermitt Gribble]

7. Exactly!

For decades, this Party has been drifting rightward. Finally, this year, there is hope of some leftward movement. We don't need to take on more republicans.

[renie408]

8. I stole this

I posted a copy of this post on Facebook. I gave you the credit you richly deserve.

This is awesome.

[TygrBright]

12. Thank you kindly, I'm honored.

[auntpurl]

9. *applause*

[sofa king]

10. Fuck. No.

I am sorry to dissent to such a considerate and well-worded post, but I spent a good portion of my life watching Republicans, and I don't want a single damned one of them in my government, in my party, or here.

They are welcome to vote for Hillary Clinton as the disgusting, racist, anti-humanitarian, bigoted, privileged, corrupt, fake-Cristian, war-mongering, election-stealing Republicans that they are and always will be.

I will never forgive them for the past thirty-six years, and I sure as hell won't tolerate them joining our side after they've brought my beloved United States to the brink of destruction. They've gone morally and intellectually bankrupt more times than their nominee, who exists because Republicans created the climate which permits such a monster to succeed.

They can fuck right the hell off, forever, and we'll fix the mess they have created without them.

[renie408]

13. You need a hug. n/t

[GulfCoast66]

18. I don't want a single damned one of them in my government, in my party, or here.

To quote you.

Well, I was a republican until last year. Voted straight ticket for 28 years except for a democratic tax collector I really liked. But I was not really politically involved. I watched TV, listened to some right wing radio, but had pretty much given it up after 2004 or so since I am by nature an optimist and could not stand all the hate stuff. And I never hated Obama. Was happy to have a non-Caucasian as president. And coming up in Arkansas I did not hate the Clintons.

However, while I really did not feel all that political if I was asked I would proudly state I was a republican. So about 2013 I was feeling like something was wrong and decided to look at political websites. As luck would have it the first one I went to was FR and I was horrified. I thought that surely there are websites for republicans that are not that disgusting. Well, they are pretty much all the same.

During that web searching I came upon DU. And was hooked. I realized that the beliefs I had when I was 25 do not hold at 50. I was against legal abortion until I was personally affected by the lack of safe, legal, private women's health services. I was against gay marriage until I met really good gay friends who I eventually vacationed with. And while I cannot go onto details, I have been blessed in my career but have seen others who have been marginalized and jobs that used to be firmly middle class become poverty wage jobs. But what pushed me over the edge was our president at the memorial service for those killed in Charleston. When he broke into
Amazing Grace I knew I had been wrong.

So last year I became a Democrat. Ironically, fulfilling a prophecy my dad made. He was an FDR democrat and was chagrined at my political leanings. He told me that the way he raised me would eventually lead me back to the party of FDR. He was correct. I am contributing to the party and for the first time in my life plan on volunteering to canvas or make calls. You do not see too many middle class white males down here working for Democrats and I hope I can make a difference.

So please rethink your objection of having republicans joining our party. They have to quit their party before they can join ours.

Have a nice evening.

[sofa king]

19. Thank you for your considered response.

Congratulations on discovering empathy after 25 years. I really mean that, and it does give me some hope.

But I note that your conversion appears to come after 25 years of supporting the party that tore at the social fabric until your friends began falling through it. Then it became serious. I will not recite the list of unforgivable events that transpired in the time before you changed your mind, which did not affect anyone you cared about.

If another forty million people who are just a little less thoughtful than you wander over to our side, we're not going to convert them, we are going to become them, and the Democratic Party will inherit the mantle of callous indifference which is and has been the hallmark of the Republican Party for the past 50 years.

Again, I appreciate your efforts and I sincerely hope you are learning that helping others is its own reward, but please don't leave the door open once you've come in.

[GulfCoast66]

20. I assure you

I did not just discover empathy and I did not spend the last 25 years pulling wings off flies. And I did not, and still do not blame all bad things in my life or the life of my friends on politics nor do I think any political party can make America a paradise. But politics can make things much better for those of us who have little.

Like most Americans I was not all that political. I just went on with my life and voted each election. I guarantee I have spend more mental energy on politics in this past than in the last 25 years.

I have come to realize the motivations of republican leaders are shameful and they are dishonest about them but I still do not think every republican voter is evil. Just like I realize not every democratic voter is a paragon of virtue.

I understand your concern about an influx of moderates moving the party even further to the right, and I guess that could happen. But I doubt that will happen as they would have had to change their beliefs as I did before making the move.

The religious right maybe, but they see democrats as truly evil.

Have a great day.

[renie408]

21. Hi and welcome to the party!

I now live in NC after moving here two years ago from SC. I have many, many good friends who are just like you were. They tend to be hardworking, decent people who are busy living their lives and are not really political. They are Republicans because they always have been and haven't really paid attention. One of them is a fabulous woman who works tirelessly for the underprivileged. She is not what sofa king describes at all. I am slightly baffled that she is still a Republican, but I am not going to hate her for it and I would welcome her over from the dark side with open arms.

I don't think hating Republicans is the answer, but then again, I am not a super hate-y kind of person. I think it is probably better to be welcoming and friendly and to keep correcting their misconceptions and keep sharing the truth.

Any who, glad to hear you made it back!

[GulfCoast66]

23. Thanks

DU really helped open my eyes.

[geek tragedy]

11. It's a marriage of convenience--they stop Trump and prevent him from completely

owning the Republican party as well as destroying the country, and we win the general election.

I would expect the majority to immediately go back into the opposition after the election.

[BT35]

14. Isn't the goal to elect a Democratic President?

...and hopefully Democratic Senators and Congress Representatives...so all voters should be made welcome. It's hard to see how any Republicans would want to spend energy trying to take over a local Democratic Party but perhaps you know something I don't. Votes count!!

[DemonGoddess]

15. K&R!

[BobbyDrake]

16. You called us the oligarchy back in May. It's still up on your journal.

[Old Terp]

17. Charles Mac Mathias

Any Republican that follows in his shoes is more than welcome, more than those protesters at the convention. While these people are rare now days, if one showed up, that person would not only get sanctuary but also the guest room.