Traditional Republican staffer leaves GOP after nearly 30 years

[Autumnlicious]

...
Thus, the modern GOP; it hardly seems conceivable that a Republican could have written the following:

“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.” (That was President Eisenhower, writing to his brother Edgar in 1954.)

It is this broad and ever-widening gulf between the traditional Republicanism of an Eisenhower and the quasi-totalitarian cult of a Michele Bachmann that impelled my departure from Capitol Hill. It is not in my pragmatic nature to make a heroic gesture of self-immolation, or to make lurid revelations of personal martyrdom in the manner of David Brock. And I will leave a more detailed dissection of failed Republican economic policies to my fellow apostate Bruce Bartlett.

I left because I was appalled at the headlong rush of Republicans, like Gadarene swine, to embrace policies that are deeply damaging to this country’s future; and contemptuous of the feckless, craven incompetence of Democrats in their half-hearted attempts to stop them.

...

REF: http://truth-out.org/goodbye-all-reflect...1314907779

I find this one of the most enlightening editorials I've read for a while. The author describes the cynical and systematic use of low information (read as idiot) voters, contradictory and even false statements and religious pandering that has made the GOP what it is today.

Frankly, I feel that we're all "fucked" now that I've read it through.

[Minimalist]

Frankly, I feel that we're all "fucked" now that I've read it through.

Now you understand.

[Autumnlicious]

And now I see that there is less "Republicolibertarianazi" and more "Plutocratplutocratplutocrat".

Seriously, the political corruption is on a fast track to be on par with the fictional Warhammer 40k universe, where nothing is good.

[theVOID]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the tea party calling for budget cuts and not abolition?

[Autumnlicious]

The Tea Party, Void, is a corporate Koch brothers creation.

They can call for budget cuts all they want, what they've done is completely different, like focus on abortion and the like instead of "Jobs Jobs Jobs".

Also, as the Tea Party is addressed in the article, I assume you've not read the OP. Had you read it, you would've noticed the cynical political strategy of calling for cuts to programs that help people while the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans get away with almost no tax burden whatsoever, due to cost shifting, tax loopholes and the steadfast refusal of the (now) Republican party to close said loopholes or raise such taxes.

The best part about cutting services, like Medicare and the like, is that it plays perfectly into the Republican platform of "Government is the problem", often convincing the very same people who've been burned to vote for those who cut the social programs they depend on. It's real genius, actually.

[Minimalist]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the tea party calling for budget cuts and not abolition?

Here's your libertarian bunch...you know, the middle part of republicolibertarianazi....and their position on it.

Replace the Social Security system with a private system
Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. We favor replacing the current government-sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system. The proper source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.
Source: National platform adopted at Denver L.P. convention May 30, 2008

Privatize Social Security
We favor replacing the current fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, government sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system. Pending that replacement, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary. Victims of the Social Security tax should have a claim against government property.
Source: National Platform of the Libertarian Party Jul 2, 2000

http://www.issues2000.org/celeb/Libertar...curity.htm


Yeah...great fucking idea. Let's give all the money to the same bunch of greedy cocksuckers who damn near ruined the economy so they can "invest" it in the stock market....and get a cut out of "managing" the funds!

[Autumnlicious]

The more I look at the stock market, the more of a "faith based" economy I see. Or at least a glorified gambling racket. Correct me if I'm wrong, privately please.

However, this thread is not the place for libertarian issues.

This is for discussing the article.

[DeistPaladin]

Frankly, I feel that we're all "fucked" now that I've read it through.

I feel like our one last chance to avoid collapse was squandered by our current president. It's enough to make the conspiracy theorist part of my brain to wonder if Obama is some sort of 5th column, inserted when it became apparent that everything was falling apart for the Republicans after 2006. In reality, it's probably just naiveté or gutlessness that has made him the failure he is today but if reviving the right wing and destroying the progressive movement were his objectives, the powers that be haven't paid him enough for the job he's done.

My one regret if America falls from our superpower status are the actions of W Bush. Prior to that, I thought we were constructing a legacy of building a community of nations that had a chance of bringing about international law. It would have been especially awesome if we had been the last superpower, handing the torch to an international body to do away with empires forever.

Some can call me an idealist but if the human race is to survive, nationalism has to eventually go the way of religion.

[Minimalist]

The more I look at the stock market, the more of a "faith based" economy

They refer to stocks as an investment because the real term for what they are actually doing is less palatable. They are speculators. They trade one asset for another in the belief that one will increase in value and the other will fall.

Investment, as my old economics prof noted so many years ago, occurs when an actual company issues stock for the purpose of raising capital for the company.

Once it gets sold the first time the actual "investment" concept is pretty much over and we are into mere speculation.

And, as much as you'd like to separate things out it really does not work that way. These things are all intertwined.

[Autumnlicious]

Some can call me an idealist but if the human race is to survive, nationalism has to eventually go the way of religion.

Tribalism, be it in the form of nationalism, racism or religious ideology, must be better controlled if the human race is to survive the limited resources of this flying rock in the sky....