Is being an "Ex-Republican" like being an "Ex-Serial Killer"?

Discuss.

I think there are Goldwater Republicans that really believed in smaller government, fiscal responsibility blah...blah....blah...and they know they have been played for fools by this administration....

that's the only two cents I have.....

:popcorn:

Further comment would be redundant.

Republicans believe in ghosts and the tooth fairy. Those who grow out of their enclosed fantasy world can become Democrats, or just disgruntled conservatives who dislike the party today.

Lots of ex-republicans in my 'hood. Lots of people who say the GOP of today is not demonstrating their personal values. The party left them and they are looking for candidates that resonate. They are VERY concerned with the direction the policy makers have taken the nation. They see that most Americans are not thriving therefore, America is not thriving.

They are mostly good, decent people. And many are honest enough to admit they have been supporting without paying attention... That's changing. They are paying attention now and they are mad as hell.

Hi All! I am new here as you can see.

I think the problem is that Democrats view Republicans as vile and despicable and Republicans view Democrats as vile and despicable. The problem is that we have all lost civil discourse, respect for opposing views and any semblance of true debating skills. I blame this on both parties who seem to want nothing more than to beat the other party into the ground.

Over the years I started life as a Democrat, then voted Republican and now just don't even vote. Not one thing has been done to advance humanity since I have been eligible to vote. I have heard a lot of promises, intelligent sounding ideas, but it all seems to go wrong once enacted. They are all the same as they are Human. Once they get elected the money flows and compromises are made and the next thing you know the outsiders are the insiders. It is a rare rare Human Being who can not be corrupted.

:smoke:

:hi:

:hi:

:toast:

I hope we can convince you to start voting again.

Thanks for the welcome. I haven't voted since 1996! The reason is not apathy, but not satisfied with the candidates nor their positions. The older I get the more Libertarian I seem to be. I am progressive in social and tax policy.

I once had a WISE WISE Woman tell me that "They started with smoking, then they will move on to other things until it is all controlled out of state interest" I was told this in 1992. I have sat back and watched her words come true from politicians on both sides of the aisle!

The last honest upstanding person that was President was Jimmy Carter. He told the truth and he lost in a landslide. It seems we in the USA only want to hear good things from our leaders.

Remember if the Government wants you they have got you! You can be as clean as clean can be and it doesn't matter. This has been going on since for all of recorded history!


Thanks for the welcome. I have been lurking here for about a year now and finally decided to throw my two cents in.

I still hold to Libertarian ideas on Freedom, but think that there is such a thing as corporations run amok and people so infirm that they cannot survive without some help from the civilization as a whole.

Corporations are soulless and should not be given "Personhood". I think they should not be taxed and therefore they can not "lobby" or give money to politicians!

There is no black and white in politics. There are goldwater republicans, and bush republicans, just as there are clinton democrats and, say, kucinich democrats (for lack of a better example).

Not to mention that this administration's problems stem largely from not being able to change their minds. Remember all that "flip-flopping" shit?

...but not their actions.

because if they, for example, pulled out of Iraq now, that would be saying that they were wrong to do it. To a politician, it's far easier to weasel a bit than do a 180. And, to be honest, I would never, EVER trust a member of the Bush administration who magically saw the light.

But all that has nothing to do with "ex-republicans." They've been duped by the very efficient propaganda machine that Bushco has manufactured. They've changed their minds, and I see no reason to regard them as evil, or tainted.

if they changed their stripes anytime Reagan or after.

Mass murderers, more like...

Some republicans were true republicans , some may still be but who would know now .

The idea of changing parties strikes me much as someone who wears the cloth of religion as a born again , boasting their new found religion has altered their mind and being and transformed them into someone else .

Now there may be exceptions , for example a true republican who was for the people and for balance who dropped dead and the replacement was a true democrat for and by the people who also created a balance and in order for this to be possible the person who changed parties would have to know the difference between reality and bullshit .

At present it may be real safe to say they came straight for hell and have absolutely no conscience to speak of or can sleep only because coffins are dark

My grandfather was the Repulican mayor (and police chief) of a small town here. Was one of the most upstanding men I ever knew and cared deeply for the people of his town. He built the park there and made sure kids all had the balls to play basketball (regardless of race/class). He kept them at his house (in front of the park) and personally handed them out each day to kids. He even gave mom, his own daughter, a ticket for running a stop sign. He did not play favorites.

My dad is a republican, and has done a lot to help many others in his 71 years here.

The big problem, to me, is the wedge issues that keep people voting republican in, instead of democrats.

People want to feel safe above most other things. Cold war era folks see republicans as filling that gap with defense spending. What is their impression of democrats? Well, as someone who knows a lot of republicans personally: dems are pushing for gay marriage, smoking bans, teaching about fisting and such in schools, attacking everything from christmas displays at city hall (that they grew up with and enjoyed) to our military (ie, we believe anything negative about them and downplay anything positive they do). They see dems as weak on terror - clinton talked, bush walked; they wanted revenge for cole, and other things, and got very little of anything. Little guys pushing us around? screw that.

And it goes on and on. Our problem is perception to these people. I know several who do not like bush at all, but will vote republican next election.

Oh and about serial killing - 3 of my relatives and two close friends see abortion as mass killing, so they see us as the killers (yeah, I know, just relaying what I hear on a regular basis).

My sister is a serious winger and fundie. Drives me crazy. She thinks I am messing with demons because I record evp's, and refuses to listen to any ghosts I picked up (but dad is more open minded and think it is interesting, he was my inspiration in some good part for recording them). Right wingers are all over the spectrum, like we are.

Finally (sorry to be long winded) I refer back to the bars in circleville I used to go to (small town in Ohio). These people hated osama, loved kicking ass of people who threatened us, and saw dems as wishy washy and crazy. Why crazy? Because some on the left were saying we had it coming, we made em do it, it was all our fault, etc and so on. It's like someone telling a rape victim - you had it coming, and then asking you to vote for them.

We have an image problem with the little guy. Calling them serial killers ain't helping it.

You cannot be an ex-Serial Killer. You might have stopped killing, but you will always be a Serial Killer.

Can you be an ex-Republican? Are you ever not a Republican, even if you are voting Democratic?

My first time voting was for Reagan. Voted for him twice.

When I was 18 politics was not the main thing on my mind. Got my ged, was working, playing with those new fangled computers (which I had had since I was 13, the old trs-80 model 1), and playing chess.

And maybe chess was one deciding factor in it all. I hung out at the ymca chess club and talked with several former russians. They liked reagan a lot, and had horror stories about the soviet union and how oppressive it was.

There were some core basic issues back in the day, the cold war was a big one. My first two major political memories back in the day (again, as a teen I paid little attention to any politics) was Nixon getting toasted and then Jimmy Carter (I ignored the ford years for the most part, comics were more important).

I liked Carter, a lot. But it just seemed time for a change. I heard Reagan talking on a show one night (I don't have any clue which one it was) and remember telling my mom he was running. She was shocked, he was an actor. I did not know much about his acting, but he seemed clear, confident, and believed in americans as a people.

I still see problems with dems, but bush and his folks are just downright anti-american to me in so many ways. Dems want equality for all, to look out for the little guy, and to keep corporations in check. But not all dems seem to fit this imho - so would I vote for such a dem? I don't vote by letter after a name - I never have. When I voted for reagan - I voted straight dem everywhere else. My uncle was a dem mayor, damn fine man, and locally I liked the dem folks better (their message just resonated with me).

I know elected dems personally that I see as racist and not helping at all. Would I vote for them locally over a repub? Probably not if they were in my district as they are dems in name only.

I also used to know a local mayor here (who has since died) and he was a republican. Damn fine guy who cared about his city and the people here. I went to all city council meetings and had my say, and several times we disagreed. One night, when I had my say on an issue (and the people I was speaking on behalf of ended up winning) I was outside having a smoke before walking home. The mayor asked me if I needed a ride as it was a hot day, even though his side lost on the issue (dealth with a business coming in that served alcohol and playing movies, close to a school).

National republicans are insane mostly. But locally, some are ok folks just wanting to do their job and help out the community.

Republicans need a twelve step program for.

So basically you want the Republicans in office forever. Okay...carry on. Compare them to serial killers.

Gosh, I just don't understand why the Democrats are not in power.:sarcasm: You should head up the welcoming committee for all Republicans who want to change parties.

When an "ex-Republican" starts pretending he's the be-all and end-all of the "progressive grassroots," I find myself choking on the stench of the rancid hypocrisy.

rather than welcoming them to the Dems.

benburch is referring to a specific individual, and I agree with his assessment... if a Repuke wakes up, I'll be more than happy to help them out with facts and so forth... but I also won't be asking them to tell ME what I should think and believe as a liberal. Unfortunately, many on the left blogosphere are willing to do just that.

If rove became a dem tomorrow and ran for political office - would we vote for him or his repub challenger? ;)

My point somewhat being: Do we accept that people have actually changed their mindset and give them the benefit of the doubt, or do they have a scarlett letter forever attached to them?

Who can be redeemed? Rove? bush? If any of the current administration 'converted' and then ran for office would we embrace them or choose not to vote in that issue?

I can see ben's point if it involves some people, but perhaps that was not made clear in the OP.

I am not a party line voter, I value diversity too much to be so blinded. Nationally I vote party line, though at times would have to hold my nose :) Locally I fail to see a lot of major differences in parties - and maybe that is because there is no clear agenda or message.

I can easily see Ohio voting for a dem governor next time around, but still voting for a republican president. Party lines are drawn best on du and fr, but locally (ie state by state) I see people voting more along lines relating to a broader range of issues.

The republicans I know here hate taft with a passion, and will gladly vote his sorry ass out. At the same time they would vote for a republican president - and in columbus (where I live now) they will probably vote for a dem mayor.

People in general are not party liners. But they do like change. This is our year, as will be the next presidential election. Dems will win, if for no other reason than people like change in leaders. I see a dem candidate winning for two terms, then a republican. Just a hunch.

that has grown sufficient capacity for thought, reason, and empathy. For whatever reason, their maturity came late. Kind of like how we used to love the Fu Shnickas when we were 12 years old. Looking back, we laugh at our stupidity.

It is different than "life-long Republicans". Those "people" are moranic sociopaths that substitute hate for political action.

No, it's dumb hyperbole that isn't really worth discussing.

Since 1980, there has not been a single legitimate reason to be or become a Republican.

Even the "fiscal conservative" joke has gotten old, as Republicans are responsible for every dollar of debt we now stand under.

And "social conservatism," which used to keep religious perverts out of Americans' bedrooms, has been replaced with "social conservatism" which requires religious perverts to enter Americans' bedrooms.

So anybody who has been or become a Republican within the last quarter century is no better than an ex-serial killer who rapes Americans to make a buck.

I don't think so. Jim Leach current serial killer. Nope. Stupid generaliziations do nothing for us.

like serial killer is.

Or, from my own viewpoint, stat distribution per future change more (sufficiently) impacted in Repub case.

I mangle words good when thinking about other stuff when typing.