The Message of the Republican Party: Don't Tread on Me. I Tread on You. (Ethan Grey)

[swag]

https://medium.com/@_EthanGrey/the-message-of-the-republican-party-dont-tread-on-me-i-tread-on-you-936037958bce

Excerpt:

The press does not want to have a direct conversation with you about what’s really at the heart of Republican messaging. As a former Republican who now consistently votes for the Democratic Party in US elections, I will. When I came to realize what the true message of the Republican Party was, I was out, and have been voting Democratic ever since.

Here is the Republican message on everything of importance:

1. They can tell people what to do.
2. You cannot tell them what to do.

This often gets mistaken for hypocrisy, there’s an additional layer of complexity to this (we will discuss this later in the piece), but this is the basic formula.

You’ve watched the Republican Party champion the idea of “freedom” while you have also watched the same party openly assault various freedoms, like the freedom to vote, freedom of choice, freedom to marry who you want and so on.

If this has been a source of confusion, then your assessments of what Republicans mean by “freedom” were likely too generous. Here’s what Republicans mean:

1. The freedom to tell people what to do.
2. Freedom from being told what to do.

. . . more

[TheBlackAdder]

1. The LGBTQ+ Community should co-opt the actual yellow Gadsden Flag and fly 100 in every parade.

.

Not a rainbow version of the Gadsden but the yellow one.

Make that flag synonymous with being LGBTQ+ and within a year or two rednecks will stop flying it and they will be removed from all of those pickup trucks and MAGA events. Make it so that people will ask themselves, "Is that guy an Oaf Keeper or are they LGBTQ+?"

.

[usonian]

2. Every Accusation is a Confession.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216777247

This business of "applies to you, not to me" does, in fact, piss me off.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

3. That's exactly what it is

"We can tell you what to do you. You can't tell us what to do."

"We can have privacy. We can invade your privacy."

"Freedom for me, not for thee."

"Rights for me, not for thee."

"We have the right to bully, threaten, harass, harm and terrorize you. You're just supposed to meekly take it without pushing back or defending yourself in any way."

"You must respect us. Don't expect us to kiss your asses, though." (Yeah. Had a former friend who had the nerve to actually say that one. Really!)

"Don't tread on me," QOP? How about you don't tread on us? Leave us the fuck alone, fascist fucks. Because I still have my boots on...