The Forty-Year Hissy Fit (Why “Republicanism” is doomed)

[Centrist1984]

52. Disagree with much of this

When your Cranky Correspondent was a wee lad, there were Republicans (without quotes) with a sane, sensible platform that mentioned equality, living wages, economic sanity, and lots of reasonable ideals like that. And had the Republican Party remained sane, this writer might still be one (he was raised to be, after all). But then came Kent State and Watergate, and the GOP got spanked. Hard. So the Elephants got angry. Really angry.

What kind of equality? The modern GOP does not support the concept of equality of outcome in the way the Democratic party does because that essentially, to them, means theft of property. It also creates a society where everyone becomes equally poorer. The GOP does believe much in equality under the law, although unfortunately there are the exceptions such as with regards to their being against same-sex marriage.

The modern GOP does not believe in any kind of "living wages" because that is a completely arbitrary term and wages and incomes are the price of labor. The only entity that should be setting prices is the market. If you have the government start dictating such a thing, you get market distortions, usually an increasing of the unemployment rate, because if you artificially and excessively raise the price of something, the buyers of it will buy less. No different than putting a large tax on gasoline.

I do not think either party adheres to economic sanity right now. Both have their own ideas about economics which include some sensible points and some insane ideas.

That anger is the core of the modern “Republican” party, and once you understand that, everything about their behavior makes sense:

“Why do Repubs seem irrational?” Angry people aren’t rational.

I have seen plenty of angry people on the Democratic party side too. In fact, that is how many in the GOP see them, so that really is arbitrary.

“Why are so many Repubs trying to steal elections?” Because in their irrational anger, they see themselves as victims who are trying to take back what they think is rightfully theirs, never mind the law.

“Why do so many Repubs steal?”
See previous answer.

Not sure how this is limited to the GOP and not to both parties.

“Why do Repubs hate minorities, gays, foreigners, and other non-Repubs?” Because they see themselves as a uniquely and horribly wronged people, and if you aren’t one of them, you are the enemy.

The GOP does not hate minorities, foreigners, and non-Republicans. There is bigotry amongst a portion of the GOP, primarily the Evangelicals, for gays, but that is due to religion moreso than conservatism as a political philosophy.

“Why do Repubs want to destroy the Constitution as we know it?” Because that Constitution is what Nixon and the Republicans tried to subvert, and it was what was used to thwart their crime spree. Show me a crook who likes the rule of law. Good luck finding one: crooks hate laws.

How do the GOP seek to "destroy the Constitution?"