Robert Gates: No Republican president I worked for would recognize GOP today

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Robert Gates, the former Defense secretary under both the Bush and Obama administrations, said in an interview aired on Sunday that of the five Republican U.S. presidents he worked for, "I don't think any of them would recognize the Republican party today."

CBS's "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson asked Gates what he made of the current state of the Republican party, given that a contingent of its voters do not consider President Biden to be legitimately elected.

"I would have serious concerns about the future. You know I've ... I worked for eight presidents, five of them were Republicans. I don't think any of them would recognize the Republican party today," Gates said. "I think in terms of the values and the principles that the Republican party stood for under those five presidents are hard to find these days."

Dickerson questioned whether the recent events such as deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the GOP's reluctance to recognize the election results give America's critics cause to say it is a declining power.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-defense-secretary-no-republican-president-i-worked-for-would-recognize-gop-today/ar-AAKixRi

More old Republicans need to speak out then.

[Salviati]

1. More old school republicans need to be on the phone with Joe Manchin...

and the rest of the Democratic party holdouts who are standing in the way of what needs to be done.

Eliminating the filibuster and eliminating other tricks modern day republicans are using to advance their agenda of minoritarian rule is the only way to maybe snap them out of the death spiral without complete destruction.

[Dawson Leery]

2. They need to speak out and align with the Democrats for the time being.

[Martin Eden]

3. The Republican Party for decades has been building towards the GQP of today

Saint Ronald Reagan blew racist dog whistles with his Southern Strategy, and his "government is the problem" rhetoric started driving a wedge between The People and the government intended to serve our interests. Instead, it serves the uber-rich who essentially write the rules of the game rigged in their favor. Those who pushed back were labeled "socialists," and that false pejorative continues to this day.

Newt Gingrich was a master of false narratives, and the culture wars manipulated conservative Christians into embracing policies Jesus would find abhorrent. The Big Lies continued with the Bush/Cheney push to invade Iraq. Those who didn't go along with that war crime were unpatriotic terrorist sympathizers.

When the foundation of a political ideology is increasingly built on lies and racial/cultural bigotry, the groundwork has been laid for for an autocratic demagogue to fire up and win over the voting base by ramping up that poisonous ideology to the next level and beyond.

It's all well and good that "traditional" Republicans are vocalizing how appalled they are at what their party has become -- but very few if any are accepting responsibility for the hideous monster they helped create.

[Sherman A1]

4. Precisely

This has been in the works for a very, very long time. Even before St. Ronnie.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. Well said

The GOP has been working towards this for decades and now old school GOPers are wondering, "how did exactly what I helped build get built?"

We warned them that denial of truths and attacking science and the media was dangerous and they just kept barreling towards madness. Our Democracy is absolutely on the brink and they're still playing footsie with a dictator.

[Boomerproud]

5. Except being interviewed everywhere what the hell

are any of them doing about it? I'm sick to death of the subject.