Defining the 21st Century Republican Party?

[Carpet_pissr]

Gilead approaching.

Early stage purging. I'm sure my state will follow suit.

[Pyperkub]

50% don't pay taxes? Is that even remotely accurate? Where are these legions of freeloaders, I have never met any of them.

low wage earners, unemployed, kids, ultra-wealthy? *shrug*

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/18/61perce ... -says.html

61% of Americans paid no federal income taxes in 2020, Tax Policy Center says
...
According to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, 107 million households owed no income taxes in 2020, up from 76 million — or 44% of all taxpayers — in 2019.

Per that article:

Federal income taxes do not include payroll taxes. The Tax Policy Center estimates that only 20% of households paid neither federal income taxes nor payroll taxes.

Given that today's GOP considers Social Security and Medicare as tax-funded services, it's important to remember that every working stiff gets payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare lopped off the top as well. (and leads to a HUGE difference in what the *actual* tax burden is for non-oligarchs in America).

Focusing solely on the (more) progressive Income Tax Structure, while ignoring the Payroll Taxes, while treating Payroll Tax funded services as budget items to be slashed is a nice trick, but extremely disingenuous. Especially as excess Payroll Tax payments have been used to fund other items for decades (with treasury bond backed credits for it, but definitely not growing like a pension fund would... yes, it is more complicated than this).

[Fireball]

This forum sprung to life 18 years ago, and at the time was fairly well represented by Bush backing Republicans and Kerry backing Democrats. The depletion of Republicans from here, both from attrition of members (which happens everywhere and happened on both sides) and from being driven out of the party by its increasing radicalism has been striking.

[coopasonic]

For my part it was much more personal growth and understanding of the world and our history. Most of my "role models" growing up are very disappointed in my views now. The moves the Rs have made in the post 9/11 era have certain accelerated things for me. I'm a lot closer to an AOC than a Biden now, thanks Fox!

[coopasonic]

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/texas-ag-says-transition-care-minors-child-abuse-state-law-rcna17176

Following that, Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to investigate reports of transgender kids receiving gender-affirming care as “child abuse,” but it’s unclear what immediate effect the directive will have on kids, teachers, doctors and parents.

Bringing this to the new page because I almost missed. As a parent in Texas, fuck Abbott and Paxton.

[Pyperkub]

More Abbott douchebaggery (form today):

Gov. Greg Abbott floats pardons for Austin police officers charged with excessive force in 2020 protests

[noxiousdog]

This forum sprung to life 18 years ago, and at the time was fairly well represented by Bush backing Republicans and Kerry backing Democrats. The depletion of Republicans from here, both from attrition of members (which happens everywhere and happened on both sides) and from being driven out of the party by its increasing radicalism has been striking.

It's not just the radicalism, but the complete lack of principles. I still consider myself conservative, but cannot vote for a party that embraces climate change denial or refuses to do their constitutional duty like confirm judges in a timely fashion.

While Trumpism has driven them off the deep end, I was done with the Republican party before that.

[Pyperkub]

For me, there is a huge question of financial and power imbalances. And sanity ones.

For 30+ years my positions have been mostly liberal (with some strong libertarian ideas), but a huge part of that is that 40 years of GOP policy (and a lot of DEM policy) has been creating massive imbalances in both Money, and the Power that buys, and how that Power is used to tilt the board even more and how significantly extreme the Board tilts have become and what those with the Power will do to accumulate more. I see that the GOP has sold out just about every.single.thing it used to say defined itself to gain power, and that lack of integrity is mirrored in the worst of the worst GOP supporters.

What Trump showed us is that we are further away from a sustainable equilibrium than we have been in a LONG, LONG time, and that without significant steps back towards a sustainable equilibrium, our future is more January 6th's (and plenty of other Horrors).

[LordMortis]

While Trumpism has driven them off the deep end, I was done with the Republican party before that.

Similar. I wasn't vocal unto irrational about NOPE! until Trumpism. The dirt was being piled on to merely being done with the party around the rise "tea party" conservatism. I could see a path back to voting republican then, even though I was done. Now, I'll be damned if I can see how its possible.

[Pyperkub]

While Trumpism has driven them off the deep end, I was done with the Republican party before that.

Similar. I wasn't vocal unto irrational about NOPE! until Trumpism. The dirt was being piled on to merely being done with the party around the rise "tea party" conservatism. I could see a path back to voting republican then, even though I was done. Now, I'll be damned if I can see how its possible.

Yeah, I even voted for Schwarzenegger in his re-election bid, as he was superior to the idiot Dem they ran against him. I had qualms, but not too many, and he tried to do some really bad GOP stuff (e.g. selling off State property and leasing it back? Collossally stupid and fiscally irresponsible, IMHO. CA Propositions to eliminate Union funding of elections but ONLY Unions?). Yeah, blatant power grab, not balance, but since those ideas went down in flames, it wasn't as bad as GOP Governors turned out in every other state, and he was solid on Climate Change and some other issues important to those who normally wouldn't vote GOP like me.

For now, the GOP is a non-starter, until they run someone who can even compete in CA. Which to me means fiscally responsible (fiscally conservative has become extremely irresponsible), supportive of sound Climate Change policy, supportive of the inalienable rights of ALL people, not just religious conservatives, something resembling sanity with regards to the 2nd Amendment and mass shootings, etc.

And most of all, Integrity to a commitment to Govern for ALL, not just those who elected/financed you.

[stessier]

Seems like the DAs are lining up to say they aren't going to enforce this interpretation.



In the comments below the tweet, two other of the largest counties also have said they won't enforce.

[Unagi]

How will the GOPs love affair with Russia pan out, do ya think?

I mean , I feel like there may need to be sides taken here, and are they prepared to go all in?

[Kurth]

Candace Owens is still gathering information. When she has all the facts, she’ll let you know!

[Zaxxon]

Candace Owens is still gathering information. When she has all the facts, she’ll let you know!

One can never be too sure.

[malchior]

This is perhaps not all that surprising but disturbing nonetheless. An army of people cut off from reality/living in a fantasy land is very unhealthy for our democracy.



Edit: Usual caveat applies here - this is a pre-print at the moment.

[Kraken]

How will the GOPs love affair with Russia pan out, do ya think?

I mean , I feel like there may need to be sides taken here, and are they prepared to go all in?

The split between the MAGAts and the former establishment is a joy to behold. By all rights, the MAGAts should lose this one. Americans at large are not going to root for a Russian dictator to crush a democracy. It remains to be seen if they will punish those who did.

[Carpet_pissr]

How will the GOPs love affair with Russia pan out, do ya think?

I mean , I feel like there may need to be sides taken here, and are they prepared to go all in?

What’s changed? Strongman behaving like a strongman.

But since you're concerned, they will be just fine.

I think they have been prepated to go "all in" for quite a while, at least since Trump. But for those that aren't that bold, the playbook is: downplay, spin, and if worse comes to worse, and this move is unpopular enough with their voters, they might deny any previous words of praise for Putin. SO EASY! When you seemingly have no collective conscious, it really is very easy to weasle through stuff like this.

[LordMortis]

Americans at large are not going to root for a Russian dictator to crush a democracy.

But they'll look the other way for those that do root the a Russian dictator and then blame those that are actively working against the dictator as not doing their jobs.

[malchior]

[Smoove_B]

That's exactly what needs to happen every time any of the suddenly unable to remember their connections to Russia elected officials get on the TV. Every. Time.

[Zaxxon]

Have to love the repeated trash response of 'I'm not here to speak for other politicians' when being asked specifically to speak for yourself.

[malchior]

Have to love the repeated trash response of 'I'm not here to speak for other politicians' when being asked specifically to speak for yourself.

It's obvious why and he is letting the absurdity do the job. Still I would have loved to hear George say after the second time - I'm not asking for you to talk for Trump. I'm asking why you can't tell us what your reaction to his comments is.

[Zaxxon]

Have to love the repeated trash response of 'I'm not here to speak for other politicians' when being asked specifically to speak for yourself.

It's obvious why and he is letting the absurdity do the job. Still I would have loved to hear George say after the second time - I'm not asking for you to talk for Trump. I'm asking why you can't tell us what your reaction to his comments is.

Exactly. When the retort is bullshit, can't just keep repeating the question without calling out the bullshittedness.

[malchior]

Have to love the repeated trash response of 'I'm not here to speak for other politicians' when being asked specifically to speak for yourself.

It's obvious why and he is letting the absurdity do the job. Still I would have loved to hear George say after the second time - I'm not asking for you to talk for Trump. I'm asking why you can't tell us what your reaction to his comments is.

Exactly. When the retort is bullshit, can't just keep repeating the question without calling out the bullshittedness.

This is one of my chief complaints about our "elite" news broadcasters. This is considered great here whereas a British interviewer would have really gone for the jugular there. It's essentially the epitome of access journalism. They give these assholes a platform to sling bullshit. They allow them to lie and they let them walk away without an open callout of the lies. There is some tacit agreement that the talking points are allowed to stand on their own. This is about as close as we'll get where the repeated question is essentially the callout. It's really sad that this is "our standard".

[Zaxxon]

[Daehawk]

[Skinypupy]

Damn leftist, woke dictionary!

[Unagi]

I feel like a non-binary fuss would be one where instead of arguing there was only a right and a wrong, one was adamant that there were many shades of grey to the argument. I like to picture it as a very nuanced argument where the person making the fuss can't even land on one side or the other.

[YellowKing]

Unfortunately I see that kind of language ALL. THE. TIME. from conservative folks on Facebook. And all it does is remind me of the bullying assholes in high school. Now they're just grown up and have to call people names or mock their beliefs in order to make themselves feel better. Every time I see someone mocking "wokeness" or spewing terms they don't understand as a form of mockery, all I see are scared, angry immature men with zero self-esteem.

[Daehawk]

Type Ahole personalities. Loud and uncouth .

[LordMortis]

Unfortunately I see that kind of language ALL. THE. TIME. from conservative folks on Facebook. And all it does is remind me of the bullying assholes in high school. Now they're just grown up and have to call people names or mock their beliefs in order to make themselves feel better. Every time I see someone mocking "wokeness" or spewing terms they don't understand as a form of mockery, all I see are scared, angry immature men with zero self-esteem.

I'm old enough to get presenting confused new concept terms as confused new concept terms because language control is inherently political. However, there has to be something to point to when you raise you cane and yell at the sky, even if it's pointing to "your words makes no sense to me." I'm with dictionary.com. I got nothing other he's being pejorative to millennials and "leftist" and especially "millennial leftists" in a declaration that I guess he's an ancient fascist who basques ignorant blood and soil, where righteous traditionalism preserves isolationist Luddites.

[Carpet_pissr]

I'll take a stab at it because the first time I read it, it made no sense to me either.

You millennial leftists who never lived one day under nuclear threat can now reflect upon your woke sky.
Crotchety old man shaking fist at young hippies that don't know the world is a seriously scary place. Their hippy lifestyle and view on life and the world writ large has somehow caused the possibility that Russia could use nukes and start WWIII. (that one I'm not very sure about)

You made quite a non-binary fuss to save the world from intercontinental ballistic tweets.
Your cancel culture BS pales in comparison to actual nukes falling on our heads?

Ultimately, it sounds like the incoherent rage of quite a few silver haired right wingers, if you ask me. They bottled up their dislike of (in their view) the liberalization of the country for so long, that now (thanks to Trump), it often comes out in weird, confusing , but loud spurts and outbursts. Trumpism Tourette's if you will.

[hepcat]

To me it just reads like a string of buzz words that enrage republicans. It's like someone posting on OO that I should "Mark Wahlberg, Occurrence at Owl Creek ending, black licorice".

[Jaymann]

Occurrence at Owl Creek ending

Well you made me look that up. At least now I don't have to read/watch it.

[hepcat]

Occurrence at Owl Creek ending

Well you made me look that up. At least now I don't have to read/watch it.

Issie teases me about this as I continually bitch about shows that use that ending trope....and there are a LOT.

[Daehawk]

GOP=AntiAmericans

[Pyperkub]

Unfortunately I see that kind of language ALL. THE. TIME. from conservative folks on Facebook. And all it does is remind me of the bullying assholes in high school. Now they're just grown up and have to call people names or mock their beliefs in order to make themselves feel better. Every time I see someone mocking "wokeness" or spewing terms they don't understand as a form of mockery, all I see are scared, angry immature men with zero self-esteem.

AOC tweeted that he's that way in just about every single congressional meeting of their committees too.

[Daehawk]

And people voted that crazy stuff in. What in hell is wrong with the heart of America? Theres a rot like there was in Rome.

[Jeff V]

To me it just reads like a string of buzz words that enrage republicans. It's like someone posting on OO that I should "Mark Wahlberg, Occurrence at Owl Creek ending, black licorice".

You forgot "FTA"

Spoiler:

Fuck the Amish

[Carpet_pissr]

And cilantro. Some serious cilantro haters on this board (or at least were). Personally, I love that shit.