General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOK, tell me ONE great thing any Republican Administration did in our country's history. Just one.
Under Democratic administrations we:
Won WWII
Went to the moon
Established major civil rights legislation
Established Social Security
Established Medicare and Medicaid
I'm just ticking these off and wondering why this year's election seems difficult for Democrats.
And just what the hell did "small government Republicans" ever do for ANYBODY (except already rich people)?
Just my rant after watching Brooks and Shields tonight. I've been disgusted and angry all day today since Trump just outTrumped himself with me last night or whenever (it doesn't take much).
Gotta be careful with this race thing...the march in Washington is "great" but ya gotta be careful, Dems. Can't look angry, nononono...some people said nasty things to Rand Paul last night, tut tut. SO WHAT???
I've been MAD AS HELL all day. Poor hubby had to listen to my rant after Brooks and Shields tonight. I got the feeling that we Dems and Joe Biden were being given a lecture in not getting so happy that Dems are doing well and Trump is continuing to be a real shithead. But WATCH OUT Dems! Don't be so sure of yourself you're gonna win this thing! NOT ONCE was even "possible" election cheating by the pukes mentioned. NOT ONCE!
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,875 posts)Nixon approved the creation of the EPA.
That's all I've got.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)for them all along?
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,875 posts)Marthe48
(17,039 posts)and that really helped clinch the passage of EPA
https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/63
H2O Man
(73,626 posts)the opening of Vine Delotia's classic, "We Talk, You Listen." He noted that Indian people had never even thought about making a flaming river.
Marthe48
(17,039 posts)Industry didn't think about consequences then. We are making progress. Corporations think of consequences as an afterthought. Maybe someday, they'll think of consequences before they begin.
H2O Man
(73,626 posts)in Delaware County, NY, where some genius decided was a prime area to dump toxic industrials wastes. After initially dumping directly into the small lake, he moved in about a hundred yards away. Eventually, it became a 130-acre Superfund Site. One afternoon, a fellow driving by tossed his cigarrette butt out the window. It landed in the lake, and the surface of the lake caught on fire. Amazing.
rickford66
(5,528 posts)I believe it was at the direction of the Army. He used this experience, plus seeing the German Autobahn, as the reason to build the Interstate Highway System.
Marthe48
(17,039 posts)I learned that in grade school, and after all this time, hope the right number stuck in my head.
My family drove between Cleveland and S.E Ohio all through the 60's, through the construction of I77. When we first started taking the trip, it took 6 hours to get from just south of Cleveland to Monroe County. Now, it takes about 2.5 hours.
Later, we would drive from Ohio to Myrtle Beach over I77 through WV, and it took years for them to build that road.
Ron Green
(9,823 posts)suburban development and urban highways, is one of the worst events in the history of this country. The car-centric world is so much a part of our culture that its almost impossible to discuss it.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)However, the way the infrastructure was designed and sited - for example, going almost exclusively through poorer, minority neighborhoods, thereby destroying and cutting off entire communities and, as you noted, creating it with only automobiles in mind - was the problem.
Marthe48
(17,039 posts)n/t
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)The Democratic Party was the slave party in those days, nothing like the Dem Party of the 20th century and the 21st so far.
Marthe48
(17,039 posts)nixon was in the White House when we landed on the moon.
I know that the Space Race was underway many many years before nixon.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)I detested Nixon. I realize he pales in comparison to Trump (so does Bush, who I thought was a war criminal). but even they didn't fleece us, rob us, strip us.
Marthe48
(17,039 posts)The Dems adopted a civil rights plank in the mid 40's (or so) and alienated the dixiecrats, and as time went on, other segments of American voters. Seems to me that the parties have both done a 180 since I was young.
Proud liberal 80
(4,167 posts)Lincoln and TR did great things, but thats when the parties were flipped ideologically. Eisenhowers freeway system imitative was great and I believe without looking it up, he sent the national guard down south to protect black students after the brown vs board education decision
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Proud liberal 80
(4,167 posts)But I like the labels liberals vs conservatives over Dems vs Reps.....all of the Dems of the 19 century sucked and would be Republicans now (and the current Republican Party act like we have to claim them), and even up to FDRs time the Republicans were better than the Dems...of course things changed because of Trumans, JFKs, and LBJ stance on race
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)been clearer. I was talking about the 20th and 21st centuries.
Hekate
(90,841 posts)Of course, as GOPpers like to remind us all, Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. Unfortunately, they have to dishonor that achievement every day.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)suprme Court decisions on race. And that was when a lot of southern Dems became repukes, no surprise there.
PufPuf23
(8,840 posts)TR was a trust buster (what we need now among so many other issues).
TR Roosevelt established the United States Forest Service, signed into law the creation of five National Parks, and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he proclaimed 18 new U.S. National Monuments. He also established the first 51 bird reserves, four game preserves, and 150 National Forests. The area of the United States that he placed under public protection totals approximately 230 million acres (930,000 square kilometers).
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Thats one.
DFW
(54,445 posts)That was Teddy Roosevelt. Establishing the National Park System was truly revolutionary. Can you imagine what places like the Grand Canyon, Crater Lake, Bryce Canyon, Zion, the Everglades, Cape Cod National Seashore, Big Bend, Yosemite, Acadia, Rocky Mountain NP, Glacier, Yellowstone, and SOOOO many others would be if they had all been open to development between then and now?
Add to that one of the greatest quotes from any American President of the 20th century:
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Show that to any Republican today, and they'll tell you it must have been said by a "kommanist." Nope, just an intelligent, patriotic Republican--an extinct species.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)DFW
(54,445 posts)If anyone were to come to him and say they want to start an open pit mine in Yellowstone National Park, his response would probably be, "so what's stopping you?"
Marthe48
(17,039 posts)to keep him under wraps. Then McKinley was assassinated and TR soared as a progressive. He also ran for president representing the Bull Moose party.
Wednesdays
(17,420 posts)was the Progressive Party!
Gives you an idea of TR's political philosophy. The GOP regulars hated him.
irisblue
(33,035 posts)Source--https://www.ushistory.org/us//43b.asp
And yeah 100 +yrs ago is a freaking reach
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)signed the Clean Water Act and proposed SSI, which Congress passed. His admin also implemented the first affirmative action plan and extended the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)ananda
(28,879 posts)Sigh
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)al bupp
(2,192 posts)Quoting Wikipedia:
ananda
(28,879 posts)And Teddy Roosevelt was wonderful on conservation.
That's all I can think of right now.
rurallib
(62,455 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,216 posts)The codification of those moves were incomplete during his terms, but he did cause a lot of concentrated money to be broken down.
Thekaspervote
(32,800 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)unblock
(52,339 posts)Was Nixon involved somehow?
anamnua
(1,124 posts)Albeit temporarily. Hard to believe it but back in those days the Repubs were the goodies and the Dems were the baddies.
anamnua
(1,124 posts)Please don't interpret this as a defence of the Repubs by the way!
still_one
(92,432 posts)accomplished in the last three and three quarter years?
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)still_one
(92,432 posts)dawg day
(7,947 posts)The interstate highway system was started in his administration.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Germany, after all the destruction of WW2. He must have seen the Interstate highway system as the destiny of the country, in terms of its greatness. He knew that great things were required to be considered a great leader and he strove for it.
Johonny
(20,895 posts)His son passed Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) 2008. Both were probably good things. Bush also did the prescription Drugs thing which laid a crappy framework that has slowly improved under the ACA, but still isn't great. There was also his work on Malaria in Africa.
Reagan did some gun control. Almost any good Reagan did was overwhelmed by all the historic mistakes we're still paying for.
I was looking for things in the modern GOP as opposed to 19th century or Ike-Nixon era when there was a strong liberal-moderate wing of the GOP. In general the two Bushes are so removed from the modern party, they almost seem as foreign as Ike and Nixon. And W wasn't that long ago!
About the only thing I can come up with for Trump ERA Republicans is his modest criminal justice reform and Space Force. Space Force is probably a real stretch at this point but might turn into something useful under a real president.
DavidDvorkin
(19,492 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Democrat at that time could advocate that and survive politically.
Facing reality is, I guess, something we can all applaud...yeah...
DavidDvorkin
(19,492 posts)For a Democrat, it would have been political suicide.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)how "woke" is that...
DavidDvorkin
(19,492 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,714 posts)tenderfoot
(8,438 posts)And that Ronald Reagan erased all the positives.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)did, after the ideas behind them had been "normalized" to the extent that they could safely come out of their caves to support them.
Yeah, I'm in a bad mood.
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)people. We have friends, very liberal Dems, from Kenosha. It's so personal to him and to our friends, still in WI but now retired in Door County. They must be abject.
I am surprised how demoralizing this has been to me (I know, "poor me" and that's making me angry too...).
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)good and positive in our country.
tblue37
(65,490 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)of realization?
Autumn
(45,120 posts)That was one good thing.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)he couldn't have seen a Trump presidency coming...
Autumn
(45,120 posts)hardluck
(641 posts)The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, defeating the South in the Civil War. I mean seriously. I get your point but lets not be blind to history.
In It to Win It
(8,287 posts)as we know it today which started in like the 60s and 70s.